Every once in a while when it comes to gaming, you need a little detox. You know what I'm talking about: it's feeling like every AAA game that comes out today is some vast, open-world mush that feels like it's 60 hours longer than it needs to be but you want to play it because FOMO is kicking in. But you're tired; you need something a little lighter to cleanse the palette amidst all the bigger games you've been playing. Trust that I've needed that after spending so much time playing through "The Legend of Zelda" games (which, by the way, I finished "Skyward Sword" and that review is coming soon). Which is probably why "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge" was a game I was starting to anticipate greatly. I don't have much more than a passing familiarity with the "Ninja Turtles" series, only having seen some of the many cartoons (largely the 2012 show), but it's a franchise I respect from afar. As always, though, my love of gaming makes it easy for me to look forward to/enjoy video games in franchises I don't necessarily care about (look no further than "Star Wars"). With "Shredder's Revenge," I just couldn't get enough of its old-school arcade-style throwbacks, and I knew it would be a good palette cleanser for me. Having it be a Day One title on Xbox Game Pass was the icing on the cake...or rather, the pepperoni on the pizza. And after playing through it in co-op with my brother...man, was this game a blast.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge" is a loving homage to the old-school beat 'em up games that defined the franchise back in the 80s and 90s. You can really feel the love this game has for the older era of the franchise, what with its nods to the original games, the story and game being based heavily around the 1987 cartoon, and also the inclusion of the original voice actors from said cartoon. It's a pure throwback to the older era of the "Turtles," but one that really respects its lineage in regards to its integrations of characters. On that note, I appreciated having such a large cast of playable choices, between the Turtles themselves, April O'Neal, Master Splinter, and even Casey Jones as an unlockable character. It's perfectly designed for players who grew up on a game like "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time," but with enough compelling content and gameplay to appeal to even stringent non-fans of the franchise. As a casual observer of "Ninja Turtles," I fell in love with the game's gorgeous pixel art graphics and the fast pace of the combat itself. It's incredibly fluid, to the point where even if the old-school games heavily inspired it, it absolutely feels like it belongs in 2022. The co-op gameplay is also a blast, and given that the game does provide a nice challenge, having another player with you can help mitigate that a bit (and open the door for some chaos along the way).
If there's anything I can dock a point for, I do think the in-game dialogue can get really repetitive, almost to the point of reaching annoyance. Also, sometimes playing in co-op can make it a little bit hard to understand what’s going on, and that's only from playing it with one other player. I can only imagine how much more chaotic it would be with four players, especially if everyone is playing as a specific Turtle.
Overall, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge" is a wonderful little game that has incredible appeal no matter how big a fan you are of the franchise. As a short but incredibly sweet game with stunning visuals, excellent gameplay, and frantic co-op, this is a perfect breather game in between some of the beefier ones that may be sitting on your backlog. I highly recommend giving it a look if you haven't already, and if you have Xbox Game Pass, this is an absolute must. A really fantastic game that succeeds as both a fun beat 'em up, and a love letter to this venerable franchise and its earliest, most important games.
Final rating: 9 out of 10 "Awesome"