Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a love letter to the period of licensed belt brawlers, with Konami’s legendary Turtles in Time being a transparent inspiration. With co-op being an enormous promoting level for this stunning beat-’em-up, we determined to play by means of as a trio – and current our overview as a roundtable to replicate all our ideas, reasonably than any particular person. So, seize a slice of pepperoni pizza and prepare to dig in for our verdict!
Sammy: Okay, Shredder’s Revenge is the newest mission from Canadian developer Tribute Video games, who I believe a few of our readers will keep in mind for creating the Metallic Slug-inspired Mercenary Kings. I assumed that sport was okay, nevertheless it didn’t actually blow me away. This TMNT title is a lot higher – it actually captures the most effective of these basic Konami coin-ops, nevertheless it’s additionally been modernised in all the best areas. I imply, we could begin with the visuals?
Stephen: We completely ought to, as a result of they’re really glorious. The sport goals to recapture the look and the spirit of these arcade titles, and it does so with flying colors. The artwork is clear, chunky, and vibrant simply because it was within the 90s, however there’s a lot extra aptitude on high of that. Each character appears nice, and the backdrops are full of character all through. The reverence for the sport’s inspiration comes pouring out of each pixel.
Sammy: One factor that impressed me is the quantity of environmental selection, too! You begin out in a TV studio, with all of the props and backdrops you’d count on current and proper – however you get to go to another actually cool places alongside the way in which. I am not going to spoil something…
Robert: Yeah, I feel the sport’s made with an actual appreciation for every part TMNT and it completely exhibits! From the distinctive animations of every character, to the significantly spectacular quantity of element all through each stage, it is an incredible, er, tribute. Oh, and including to what Sammy stated concerning the ranges, there are 16 of them, every taking between 5 and ten minutes to finish. For me, the sport by no means outstayed its welcome, nevertheless it did not really feel overly quick both. It is just about the proper size for an old-fashioned beat-’em-up. Each stage ends with a boss combat, too, which is all the time a spectacle. A few of the boss designs are actually cool, particularly in a while.
Stephen: And I feel one factor we’ve not talked about but is the music, which feels spot on. Composed by Tee Lopes, finest recognized for his work on the soundtrack for Sonic Mania, every funky, upbeat tune exudes actual vitality. These are backing tracks that’ll get you amped as much as kick some shell, and followers will certainly recognize the odd callback to older TMNT riffs. Even the music on the overworld map is catchy, and I actually loved when vocals would kick in a few times. The soundtrack would not have to go this tough, nevertheless it does.
Sammy: I completely love the overworld map, which serves as an excellent hyperlink between all of the totally different ranges Rob alluded to. We have got to speak concerning the co-op as effectively, which helps as much as six gamers in whole! We performed by means of with simply the three of us and the netcode, which I imagine is utilizing rollback, is simply tremendous tight – we had been enjoying on-line, nevertheless it simply felt as sturdy as native. And you’ll drop out and in very, in a short time, which is sweet. The one subject I encountered was a bug which made my character disappear a few occasions, however I assume that might be fastened. I feel you encountered that, too, Stephen?
Stephen: Yeah, such as you say, it’s going to probably be patched. However even when it is not, it took us about 15 seconds to unravel; it is very easy to repair! What did you consider the fight, Rob?
Robert: Oh, effectively, the fight’s rock stable. On a basic stage it is tremendous easy – on the simplest problem you possibly can principally blast by means of each stage by mashing sq. – however the vital half is that it feels nice. I feel outdated beat-’em-ups can really feel overly stiff by right this moment’s requirements, however Shredder’s Revenge is quick and relatively fluid. You even have a devoted dodge button, which in my view is all the time an enormous plus.
Sammy: Agreed on the dodge. I additionally assume there’s extra to it than initially meets the attention, with the entire characters having distinctive strikes and playstyles. Now clearly there aren’t any sophisticated combos right here, as you talked about, however there are a whole lot of contextual mechanics that even permit some characters to work as a crew. The one factor I did not like concerning the gameplay had been the hoverboard sequences. Like, they’re positive, they usually after all have to be there for nostalgia functions – however they’re in all probability the half I would least stay up for on a repeated playthrough.
Stephen: Yeah, I suppose, and in Story Mode no less than, they need you to replay it, do not they? So, persistent development provides you slightly one thing additional to work in direction of every time you play. To elaborate, incomes factors will enhance every character’s energy stage, with every threshold unlocking issues like additional hit factors, extra particular assaults, and 1-Ups. These upgrades carry over to subsequent playthroughs, guaranteeing you are that little bit higher outfitted every time. This technique is not current within the tougher Arcade Mode, nevertheless it’s a neat strategy to lengthen the sport’s lifespan and to encourage you to check out every fighter.
Robert: And I do assume it is well-built for replays, as a result of like I stated earlier, the sport’s size is ideal, and due to that, I can see myself enjoying by means of it just a few occasions only for the enjoyable of it. However yeah, in case you’re a one-and-done sort of participant, then Shredder’s Revenge goes to final you roughly two hours and that’ll be that.
Sammy: We in all probability must also point out that it is perhaps not fairly as enjoyable in single participant as it’s in co-op. I needed to dive out of our scheduled co-op session proper earlier than the final stage, which was so annoying, however I went again to complete it up alone and it wasn’t fairly the identical. I then performed by means of just a few extra ranges solo simply to attempt it out, and it nonetheless clearly appears stunning and is a whole lot of enjoyable, however the true attraction is in co-op I feel. Fortuitously, it is so well-executed with such sturdy netcode that it is simple to buddy up with pals and even strangers.
Stephen: Yeah, and I imply, whereas I agree that it will not final perpetually, and that enjoying solo is a step down from the co-op expertise, Shredder’s Revenge achieves precisely what it units out to do. Followers of beat-’em-ups, TMNT, or each will get an enormous kick out of this, and for somebody with not a lot nostalgia for the turtles, I had a blast.
