Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo, and Raphael star in the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game. . . ever.
From a random encounter with TCRI's mysterious goo, four turtles became more human. They were taken in by a rat, who was also a ninjitsu master, calling himself “Splinter”. He gave the four turtles names after the renaissance artists he admired most: Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael. They were taught the ways of Ninjitsu in the sewers beneath New York City. In the game they fought through the big apple in a wild, colorful replica of their cartoon world.
The visuals were bright and vibrant. Each turtle was not only identifiable by his chosen weapon, but also by his respective colored bandanna. Each turtle animated well, and had their own special moves. In some instances you could even use your turtle’s combo attacks to fling an enemy right through the screen!
The enemies appeared just as they did in the cartoon. The endless foot soldiers came in waves, and Baxter’s Mouser drones broke through walls and emerged from the ground. The boss battles were just as exciting as those in the cartoon. Rocksteady comes out of a wall with his M-60 blazing. Baxter Stockman flies around in his bug incarnation. Even Krang, in his powersuit, comes forward for a boss fight. All the battles were laying the foundation for a final showdown with Shredder himself.
The gameplay of this side-scrolling, beat-em-up adventure was both solid and consistent. From walking through the streets, sewers, and alleys of New York to traversing ground using the extreme, rocket-propelled turtle skateboards each sequence was true to the turtle experience in every way.
The soundtrack featured a great late 80’s score. It was the cartoon series soundtrack, coupled with heart-throbbing tunes made just for the game. The characters were voiced by the same cartoon talent. The sound effects synchronized nicely with the action. Each sound fit nicely with the presentation.
In the end, the game offered not only an exceptional recreation of one of the hippest cartoons of the 80s, but also a satisfying action game that quarters could grant.