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 lovely beat-’em-up, we determined to play by means of as a trio – and current our assessment as a roundtable to replicate all our ideas, slightly 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 most recent venture from Canadian developer Tribute Video games, who I believe a few of our readers will keep in mind for growing the Steel Slug-inspired Mercenary Kings. I assumed that recreation was okay, nevertheless it didn’t actually blow me away. This TMNT title is a lot higher – it actually captures the very best of these traditional Konami coin-ops, nevertheless it’s additionally been modernised in all the correct areas. I imply, we could begin with the visuals?
Stephen: We completely ought to, as a result of they’re actually wonderful. 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 prime of that. Each character seems 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 anticipate current and proper – however you get to go to another actually cool areas 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 reveals! From the distinctive animations of every character, to the severely spectacular quantity of element all through each degree, it is an incredible, er, tribute. Oh, and including to what Sammy stated in regards to 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 brief 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 at all times a spectacle. A number of the boss designs are actually cool, particularly afterward.
Stephen: And I feel one factor we have not talked about but is the music, which feels spot on. Composed by Tee Lopes, greatest identified 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 does 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 in regards to the co-op as nicely, 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 consider is utilizing rollback, is simply tremendous tight – we have been taking part in on-line, nevertheless it simply felt as sturdy as native. And you may drop out and in very, in a short time, which is sweet. The one challenge I encountered was a bug which made my character disappear a few instances, however I assume that will probably be mounted. I feel you encountered that, too, Stephen?
Stephen: Yeah, such as you say, it’s going to doubtless be patched. However even when it isn’t, it took us about 15 seconds to resolve; it is very easy to repair! What did you consider the fight, Rob?
Robert: Oh, nicely, the fight’s rock strong. On a basic degree it is tremendous easy – on the simplest problem you’ll be able to principally blast by means of each degree by mashing sq. – however the vital half is that it feels nice. I feel outdated beat-’em-ups can really feel overly stiff by as we speak’s requirements, however Shredder’s Revenge is quick and relatively fluid. You even have a devoted dodge button, which in my view is at all times an enormous plus.
Sammy: Agreed on the dodge. I additionally suppose there’s extra to it than initially meets the attention, with all the characters having distinctive strikes and playstyles. Now clearly there are not any difficult combos right here, as you talked about, however there are loads of contextual mechanics that even permit some characters to work as a group. The one factor I did not like in regards to the gameplay have been the hoverboard sequences. Like, they’re effective, they usually in fact must be there for nostalgia functions – however they’re in all probability the half I might least stay up for on a repeated playthrough.
Stephen: Yeah, I suppose, and in Story Mode at the least, they need you to replay it, do not they? So, persistent development provides you a bit one thing further to work in direction of every time you play. To elaborate, incomes factors will enhance every character’s energy degree, with every threshold unlocking issues like further hit factors, extra particular assaults, and 1-Ups. These upgrades carry over to subsequent playthroughs, making certain you are that little bit higher geared up every time. This technique is not current within the more difficult Arcade Mode, nevertheless it’s a neat option to prolong the sport’s lifespan and to encourage you to check out every fighter.
Robert: And I do suppose 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 taking part in by means of it a couple of instances only for the enjoyable of it. However yeah, for those who’re a one-and-done type of participant, then Shredder’s Revenge goes to final you roughly two hours and that’ll be that.
Sammy: We in all probability also needs to point out that it is possibly 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 degree, 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 a couple of extra ranges solo simply to attempt it out, and it nonetheless clearly seems lovely and is loads of enjoyable, however the true attraction is in co-op I feel. Luckily, it is so well-executed with such robust 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 endlessly, and that taking part in 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.
