Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge Review (PS4): ‘Let’s Kick Shell’

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a love letter to a time or arcade fun, with quarter after quarter to try and make it all the way through to the end. Developed by Dotemu and Tribute Games, in partnership with Nickelodeon, Shredder’s Revenge throws everything and the kitchen sink at these turtles. Can you and the turtles fight your way to victory? Find out in our TMNT Shredders Revenge Review.

More Mayhem in New York

The turtles are enjoying a nice break in the action when a special news bulletin from Channel 6 comes on, but instead of your regular anchor, it’s Bebop and Rocksteady at the helm. The two are stealing devices in support of Krang and Shredder, who are of course up to no good. There isn’t much storytelling to be found here, opting for a very arcade feel with a very quick image at the end of each level to show you a little of what’s coming next.

The turtles, along with Splinter, Casey Jones, and April must now fight across multiple locations around New York, from Manhattan and Coney Island, to various rooftops and of course, down in the sewers. The game features plenty of bad guys groups to tangle with as well, from the Foot to Triceraton troops.

Cowabunga!!

TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge takes combat back in the day to a time of arcade beat ’em ups, but with some nice new additions to the gameplay. There is of course the arcade mode, which supports you and up to five other players via local or online play. This mode is fairly self-explanatory, as you are tasked with trying to complete the game before you run out of lives. Arcade also has a leaderboard, so players can track how well they are holding up to others around the world.

There is also an all-new story mode, which is the same levels from the arcade, but with a few added wrinkles. Players are now tasked with finding certain objects across various levels and each stage also has special conditions you can clear for added points. Things like completing a stage without getting hit or throwing X amount of enemies are nice ways of giving players more to do. Playable characters can also gain levels here in the story mode, unlocking new special moves, HP up, and other perks.

Combat here in Shredder’s Revenge is extremely smooth and satisfying. It retains a lot of what made the old TMNT arcade games so fun, but adds a lot of new layers to it. Each character feels very different, from the range of their attacks, to the speed of their movement. There are many different combinations of moves to pull off and the special moves are extremely satisfying to pull off. Enemies provide a lot of variety in how you are attacked and there are so many fun bosses to take on.

TMNT: Shedder’s Revenge Review: Final Verdict

Developers Dotemu and Tribute Games served up a most excellent pizza for everyone of all skill sets and ages to enjoy. The combat is fluid, fast-paced, and really a bodacious time full of combos. Characters’ move sets were handled excellently, the sound work is top notch (that opening number!), and the levels are crafted to perfection.  There really isn’t a lot to nitpick with this game, as what these developers have delivered is a masterclass of nostalgia and new-age delight.

Review code provided by the publisher and played on a PlayStation 5.