Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles review

Watch out for Shredder says the unknown fifth turtle, "Leonard".

Oh yeah, they were everywhere back in the early 90s. Those truly were the days and the world was a better place, unspoiled by the festering decay of recent years. And now the green guys and sensei Splinter are back. I am, of course, talking about the four teenage mutant ninja turtles Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Donatello. Shredder is at it once again and we know whose job it is to stop him…

For the younger gamers

The mousers are as annoying as ever.

When the game in question is based on an animated series, it comes as no surprise that it targets a young audience. It is a simple affair without too many bells and whistles; all you need to do is beat up a lot of bad guys in the name of justice. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles does not try to revolutionise anything, but that may just be why it works so well.

In the game’s story mode we follow the fearsome foursome on their journey from their first rendezvous with Shredder and his army of ninjas and mechanised beasts. Every level is divided into sub-chapters and the game saves after each completed level. Just follow the path ahead and beat up anything foolish enough to get in your way. You get to play as a turtle of your choice, but since there is very little difference between them, this is not really much of a choice. There is also a cool two-player co-op mode though, which allows you and a mate to team up for some serious action.

Every level has an animated intro that tells the story. Even though it might sound a little cheap, it is actually a plus. It is the only true way to re-experience the story after all.

How simple can it be?

The controls of the game are evidently also meant for younger players. The principle is this: one button, one function. You learn it in no time flat and can concentrate on the gameplay immediately. There are no fancy combos here. You can use your melee weapon and throw your shurikens and that is actually enough.

If you get hit you can replenish your health with pizzas and soft drinks that are found inside boxes scattered around the levels. In one corner of the screen there is a radar, which enables you to home in on remaining enemies. But since the levels are very linear, you really won’t need it much.

A few extras

The game sports a clean, solid look.

Beside the co-op mode you can also choose to challenge a friend in vs. mode, to determine which one of you is the coolest green ninja.

Graphically, this is a very solid game. The cel-shading mimics the look of the new animated series and it works well. The same goes for the sound, which offers good melee noises and cool comments from the heroes. It’s all kept simple but effective, and it is because Konami have chosen not to try anything fancy that could easily fail, that this game has turned out as well as it has.

If you have a little Turtle fan running around at home, or if you want a trip down memory lane, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comes heartily recommended. You get exactly what the game promises and in this case that is a good thing.


Source: Boomtown Denmark
English version by: Jonatan A. Allin (neonwolf)