Hopefully you’re all having fun with the completely great Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, the most recent addition to the TMNT video gaming canon from Dotemu and Tribute video games. We all know we are. It’s one other blistering motion sport within the custom of Konami’s NES and SNES beat-’em-ups. And that’s nice — we known as it “the very best Turtles beat ’em up ever made” in our assessment — however Revenge comprises a definite lack of homage to a different well-loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles incarnation; the 2003 animated collection.
There was nothing lower than an onslaught of video games based mostly on this darker, meaner, extra story-led tackle the TMNT, however three of them specifically appear to fly below the radar, and it’s these three handheld Konami-developed video games we’re going to have a look at at this time. Shell we start?
Writer: Konami / Developer: Konami
In some circumstances, Konami adopted the pattern of changing their SNES video games to GBA – nevertheless, their port of Contra III: The Alien Wars was considerably compromised, and the twin-pack Kessakusen! Ganbare Goemon 1 & 2: Yukihime to Magginesu, to our everlasting unhappiness, by no means left Japan.
It’s an excellent factor, then, that GBA’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles opted to take inspiration from its predecessors, Sport Boy titles like Again From the Sewers and Radical Rescue. It’s a platform sport, principally, however with a give attention to comparatively nuanced fight. At first, it appears nearly disappointing that the motion solely takes place on one aircraft (apart from a motorbike chase scene), however you’ll rapidly get into the swing of beating seven shades of… er, soup out of Purple Dragon martial arts thugs.
The sport takes place as an episodic exploration of the 4 completely different turtles. You select who you wish to play as (can we have to call them?), then tackle their distinctive phases – 4 per Turtle, the final of every one being a boss combat. After all, as soon as these are crushed, you sort out a ultimate stage because the ninja of your selection, culminating in a fevered battle with arch-nemesis Shredder.
And it’s good, it’s a deeply satisfying side-scrolling platform/beat ’em up hybrid factor, with just a few Mode 7 model gimmick phases that don’t final lengthy sufficient to offend. The music’s superior, with a type of Mega Man X really feel to a number of the tracks; try the tune beneath which accompanies the combat with Casey Jones and inform us it doesn’t have Mega Man X vibes.
There’s replay worth, too, with 5 hidden crystals for every Turtle to seek out that set off a greater ending for those who’re curious sufficient to assert the lot. And also you’d higher get used to crystals, as a result of the subsequent sport doubles down on them in a giant manner.
Writer: Konami / Developer: Konami
You’d assume this sequel would supply extra of the identical, however you couldn’t be extra incorrect. Battle Nexus is a big and engaging departure from its predecessor (the hand held model — all of those video games had dwelling console counterparts), with the Turtles beginning every stage with their weapons lacking, leaving their solely offensive manoeuvre being inordinately weak shuriken.
After all, when you get better your weapons, you may completely go to city on the Triceratons – every Turtle’s fight model has been modified, with new strikes activated by holding the assault button and releasing – a few of which change into important for digging up secrets and techniques.
Not like final time, you may select your Turtle for every stage, they usually all possess completely different movesets with the intention to facilitate replay worth. See, there at the moment are 20 crystals hidden in every stage, and their acquisition is the first goal of the sport. It’s a process that necessitates some stage of repetition, with every stage doubtless needing to be performed in extra of 4 instances – one for every Turtle, natch — however then extra makes an attempt for the crystals you missed out on. We’re not gonna faux that this repetition can’t be a bit of disheartening at instances, however a sure breed of gamer will get an enormous kick out of exploring each nook and cranny of the sport’s worlds.
A collectathon, then, however one which’s well-designed, atmospheric, and quite a lot of enjoyable if it clicks. The one draw back is that the fight, nearly as good enjoyable as it’s to execute, falls by the wayside a bit of with repetitive enemy encounters and a few irritating sequences for those who fail to remain out of sight. Nonetheless, , fascinating sport, albeit one which dares to stray from the Turtle method. As a continuation of the Sport Boy titles, it makes much more sense.
Writer: Konami / Developer: Konami
This third handheld sport within the trilogy got here to DS and didn’t assessment brilliantly at launch. On a floor stage, it’s straightforward to grasp why. There’s a baffling resolution that brings the proceedings down within the type of an irritating “bleep” that performs each single time your Turtle’s co-op transfer is on the market – which is principally on a regular basis. We discovered we have been in a position to tune it out and benefit from the sport regardless, however your mileage might range.
If you get all the way down to it, Mutant Nightmare is a becoming follow-up, going again to the extra action-packed pacing of the 2003 sport, whereas nonetheless incorporating the platforming and exploration of Battle Nexus, albeit to a considerably lesser diploma. Fortunately, the preventing feels nice; whereas the sprites are a bit of smaller, this offers you extra display screen property and due to this fact extra response time.
Relying on which Turtle you select for every stage, you’ll have the ability to use team-up strikes with the intention to entry alternate routes, that means it’s as soon as once more going to be essential to replay ranges with the intention to gather the entire crystals in every world. They’re elusive, which suggests they’re rewarding and enjoyable to seek out.
Graphically, the sport delivers constant outcomes, however by no means “wows”. It’s subtly spruced up in comparison with the GBA video games, with extra frames of animation permitting for a lot smoother Turtleage and battles that really feel fairer and extra exact than what got here earlier than. It’s not as wealthy as Shredder’s Revenge, however it’s fairly spectacular stuff for followers of the older college of side-scrolling. The a number of routes (together with full extra ranges in locations) maintain issues recent, and there’s a surplus of various enemy varieties to face. The music, too, is fairly nice – if solely it didn’t have that bleeping over it due to the crew assaults.
Clearly, Digital Eclipse’s upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Assortment will function loads of Konami-crafted TMNT goodness, however we really feel the trilogy of lesser-known handheld video games above are additionally price investigating. They are not good, however for those who’re a Turtles fan jonesing for testudinal gems, you may discover they’ve a lot to supply. Tell us your ideas beneath for those who’ve already performed them.
