Ah yes, 2D action beat-em-up games. They were definitely all the rage during the 80s and 90s, and rightfully so. The combination of good gameplay, level design, grit and humor more than caught the attention of Arcaders everywhere, and nowhere was this more apparent than in the Double Dragon games, Final Fight, Streets of Rage and the first couple of Ninja Turtle titles. Then developers stopped making them. And while there had been some attempts over the years but those games were released to little fanfare.
Then just a few years ago Streets of Rage 4 was made, which did get attention, and then fast forward to now, where a new Ninja Turtles game has arrived, much to the delight of Arcaders everywhere.
As somebody who grew up on the original animated series and played the first two NES games and the two Arcade games years later, it was nothing short of incredible to see so much of my own childhood come back to life in this new game. Not only were they able to get the original four voice-actors for the Ninja Turtles, but the developers brought back that combination of fun and quirkiness that made the original cartoon so special and combined it with great arcade action that you find yourself almost glued to the game instantly. Even if you hadn’t yet figured out how to do the combo moves and you just stick to button-mashing.
Having played the game and finally beating it – albeit on “chill” difficulty – I can tell you that this game is everything you would want out of a classic beat-em-up game. The level of detail to the stages, characters and the gameplay blends so well that you just find yourself taking it all in without needing to think about it too much. While every Turtle has a cool set of moves, you do have to level them up to unlock their more devastating attacks, but you don’t have to have them unlocked to beat the game, though it can help even the odds.
Along with Leo, Raph, Mikey and Don, April and Splinter are also available to play right off the bat, which helps add to the experience.
Plus, the music – oh my gosh, the music. Tee Lopes definitely did his homework in regards to what the original series had along with the classic Arcade games. As a result you have a score that helps capture the best of both worlds.
Now there’s still a few more things that have been revealed as of this post, but all the same – if you love 2D beat-em-ups, and if you love the TMNT, you are going to love this title. And you don’t even have to have watched the original cartoon to enjoy this.
So is this a recommend? I would say, yes. Yes with a giant pepperoni pizza on top!
So fire up your game system and shell out some justice on Shredder and his Foot Clan!
Cowabunga!
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