It’s time to find out if the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles of the past are also fit for the 21st century, or rather, if we are “destined” to only have modernized versions of them (they have always been “modern”, this is not a criticism of them). Nickelodeon empowers Tribute Games and Gotemu to restore the best of the classic, the fourth installment for arcade and 16-bit consoles. The revival itself has been a success, which may be its greatest weakness.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder is neither a sequel nor a reboot, but a whole new game that’s just based on that historical moment. This is due to its classic looking graphics, again improved a lot due to the ability to give characters more detail in different animations or content. However, it competes with other games that were also very rich on this issue at the time, so it ended up looking too much like them in this case. No doubt everything looks better now, but maybe we can expect more from now, like interactions with environments or characters.
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The designers worked hard to create something similar to the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, keeping the same narrow levels while packing a similar number of enemies. This was (and still is) a way to keep the game fast-paced and keep fighting, but they missed the opportunity to show more in terms of setup and presentation. We can’t expect anything but a linear progression with some slight ups and downs and a little jump every now and then because it’s nothing more. The new double jump is a complete waste. There’s no surf in the sewers right now, but there are some flight skating missions where reactions are more important than actual combat.
Mimicking (or repeating) the screen style of 30 years ago is just the beginning of what this game has inherited from its predecessors. This is the strongest criticism that can be made, as it affects every element: Shredder’s remake is too much like Turtles in Time and other previous games. The current soundtrack is the only thing that makes it leap in time, wow, that’s not a big leap.
Not only was it full of nods, like the whole mess starting over again via TV, but they brought back pretty much everything. They replicated the stage intro screen, sliced the anonymous main enemy into a black background, and positioned the player with a single sentence in the New York map. The same goes for almost all enemies: colorful ninjas, some of whom even have the same behavior or weapons as the fourth part, robots, and the vast majority of bosses. The same applies to objects on the stage, such as cones, hydrants, and traps (such as sewers).
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Perhaps most disappointing is that too many of the main enemies not only repeat but also behave in the same way, like Baxter. With the improved combat system and all the possibilities we have now, this is a great opportunity to create something more refined that doesn’t exclude any players, even if it doesn’t increase the difficulty of the game.
Difficulty is a variable I keep thinking about while playing the game, and I find it very satisfying. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s rendition is bearable but not boring; active but not overwhelming; well-crafted but not complicated. With its three starting difficulty levels, it opens up a wide range for people of varying ability levels, and the way they manage to place pizza “potions” around the stage for timely hits does a great job. With this layout, it’s a beat’em up, which is very approachable for young adults and adults alike.
As I mentioned before, double jump movement is hardly an addition, although it does more damage when combined with jump attacks. Other sports remain the same, with a special mention of throwing, in which there is no innovation. Only special energy bars charged through combos or meditations offer a more “convenient” touch and replace the old red pizzas that were ubiquitous in previous games.
If one thing we identified in the preview is very limited skill differences between characters. The three main attributes (range, strength, and speed) help us choose between one or the other, and the effectiveness of their attacks and double jumps for some special moves vary, but that’s about it. One of the new features is a simple system of unlocking extra content based on points earned, but it neither complicates nor distorts the gameplay. What it really does is invite you to find collectibles, so it’s nicely put together.
Multiplayer has always been the best feature of this arcade, and this time it’s not only included, but up to six characters can be on screen at a time. I couldn’t get that many people together in my house, and the online mode couldn’t be tried during the review period, but I would say, the more people, the more enemies. Yes, it’s a lot more fun to share stressful moments with the person next to you because trying to recover your partner or share your life is so much fun.
Finally, I’d like to mention a part of the narrative, although it’s not as important as it used to be. We have to chase the robotic parts of Krang, which takes us through a few places in New York and a few others that I won’t reveal. The best thing about it is the Super Mario Bros. 3-like game map that you can move around, which is really cool, and if this were 1991, I’d love to have it as a poster for my bedroom.
In the face of it all, and an amazing ability to make you fall in love at first sight, as you progress through Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder, the complex feeling between how much I love the way they revive this classic and how much I dislike it becomes very strong. It’s an incomplete victory.