Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge Review

Cowabunga dudes; it’s time for the official Retro Dodo Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredders Revenge review!

And if you thought that was a mouthful to say, then try saying it with a mouthful of pizza!

Yes, our favourite heroes in a half shell are back with a brand new track. Get ready for some classic side-scrolling beat-em-up action with a mode twist.

From the first seconds of the opening sequence to the epic beatdowns with Splinter’s cane, this game is a one-stop-shop for fans of the Turtles cartoons and arcade games.

Available on PS4, Switch, Xbox, and PC, gamers can enjoy a slice of the action on any platform, anytime, anywhere. I’ve been playing it non-stop for a couple of weeks now, so it’s time to get out my reviewing hat and dive right in!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlers: Shredders Revenge Review

For those of you that that don’t know anything about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, then this might all get a little confusing. Still, in the interest of not judging or asking what shell you’ve been hiding inside all these years, I’ll try to play nice and give you the lowdown.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are four walking, talking, humanoid-turtles that fight crime. They live in a sewer with a Rat called Splinter who trained them, and they’re friends with a news reporter called April who doesn’t seem to find any of this weird.

The main antagonist, Shredder, never knows when to give up, hence him getting his revenge in this latest offering in the long line of Turtles titles.

That last part was real fun to say!

In this latest game, Shredder has concocted another diabolical scheme and brought his minions along to cause havoc for the Turtles.

Bebop, Rocksteady, and a whole bunch of cronies are on hand to steal gear, run amok, and provide the Turtles with a chance to pull out some gnarly moves.

In terms of sticking true to the franchise, Dotemu and Tribute games have absolutely nailed it. It feels like watching the cartoons as a kid, jumping into the action and kicking ass alongside my favourite heroes.

And that, probably more than the gameplay, is what is most important about this game. If you can’t capture the feel of an iconic series like this in terms of music, gameplay, and that same kind of feeling you get on Christmas Day as a child, then it’s already a no-go.

Luckily, it’s totally radical!

How Does Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredders Revenge Work?

If I tell you that Dotemu are the people behind Streets of Rage 4, then you’ll already get a feel for how this game is going to play and feel.

Players move from left to right, defeating all enemies on the screen before being able to move towards the next area and doing the same thing again.

Where Shredders Revenge stands out is the cool collectibles that have to be met that make things a little trickier.

By smashing bins, phonebooks, and other objects, players will discover NPCs and other objects that need to be gathered to fill certain criteria.

See, it’s not just about button-mashing… though it mainly is.

In the loading area, players can swot up on combos and special moves. There aren’t that many to remember, and most of the time just hitting the attack button will get you the desired results.

Although I can’t get enough of throwing my enemies towards the screen and watching them soar out of sight!

Health comes in the form of pizzas, and combo moves help to fill up a special bar that sends your chosen turtle into hyper-attack mode, defeating all enemies in close proximity in a blur of your characters signature colour.

If you’ve been paying close attention to the pictures in this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredders Revenge review so far, then you’ll notice how detailed the backgrounds are too.

That’s what separates this title with the classic beat-em-ups from the Mega Drive days; there’s so much to look at and interact with. It might be retro-inspired for nostalgic gamers, but the work that’s gone into the level creation is second to none.

Oh, and the graphics don’t make your eyes bleed.

Which Is The Best Character In Teenage Mutant Shredders Revenge?

The answer will undoubtedly be which ever is your favourite turtle. Still, there is a little method to the madness if you want to go on stats and not favouritism.

There are six characters to choose from; the four turtles, Splinter, and April. Each player has a speed, strength and attack range stat.

Donatello can attack enemies from further away with his staff, but isn’t as powerful as Raphael. Michelangelo is fast but has to get closer to enemies with his Nunchucks than Leonardo does with his sword.

Still, we’re al going Michelangelo first, right? The dude loves pizza more than I do!

If you’re looking for a measured all-rounder, then Leonardo is the character to go for. He has two stars for each stat and is a good choice if you want to run away fast and not attack too close.

Pulling off moves with each character is pretty straight forward, with rolls, backflips, and jumping kicks adding to the action.

I really like the faces that the turtles pull while attacking too; like I said, attention to detail is high in this game.

And what’s more, the music is pretty pumping too, keeping you in that old-school 80s arcade feel rather than the fact I’m sat at home alone eating biscuits while writing this. Sure, it’s a little tinny, but show me an arcade-style game that doesn’t sound like this.

What’s the Gameplay Like?

The gameplay is fast-paced, fun, and hella’ addictive. Players can tackle Story Mode and save their progress or go for the old-fashioned Arcade Mode with no save states.

That means completing the game all in one go and no safety nets!

Playing this game doesn’t take any skill; it’s a simple title with a simple premise.

That isn’t a dig towards Dotemu or Tribute games at all. The story isn’t the main draw here, and that’s fine. It’s not trying to be Breath of the Wild or Horizon Forbidden West, and nor should it. Shredders Revenge is unashamedly a stress-relieving game that takes us back to the golden age of gaming.

I just wish that it spent a little longer doing it, that’s all.

The game doesn’t take long to finish. The collecting elements are there to make sure that players really explore the levels, and I’m a big fan of that.

What I’m not a fan of is the pointless challenges that take away the fun, such as ‘failed to finish without being hit’ or ‘failed to finish without using a power-up’.

Lighten up; there are enemies everywhere and I have zero patience. I’m gonna get hit!

Still, one saving grace is that players have the option to go back through and play the game as different characters, giving you 6 different playing experiences for your money.

And, with a low price tag of £34.99, that’s not bad value for money at all.

Is Shredders Revenge Difficult?

No, not really. Still, that doesn’t mean that it’s not fun.

Sure, there are lots of enemies to battle back and the bosses pose a bit of a challenge, but it’s all fairly straight forward… quite literally as that’s the direction you’ve got to move in to get to the end of the level.

The only real difficulty you’ll face is not rushing in and attacking hell-for-leather and playing it cool. It’s too easy to just dive in fight like crazy, but health goes down so fast this way and sometimes there’s not a pizza in sight.

I can’t believe I wrote that sentence; I become more like Howard Wolowitz every day.

Final Thoughts

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge provides a nostalgic, feel-good blast from the past that is easy to enjoy no matter your age or ability.

Whether you pull off combos or just hit the Y button, it doesn’t really matter. What’s most impressive about this game is that it’s impossible not to have fun while playing it. The sights, sounds, actions, and themes of the game are 100% TMNT through and through, and that’s what’s most important.

Do I wish it had more substance? A little, yeah.

It would have been nice to have more going on in the levels that made the game longer without following the challenges that have been thumbed in there for this purpose. Perhaps more collectables, longer levels, and more areas to delve into with some special zones.

Still, if you love the turtles, classic side-scrollers, and still can’t get past the best arcade games, then this is £34.99 well spent.

Check out our article on how to beat Rocksteady in TMNT: Shredders Revenge if you’re struggling taking the bad guy down!