2022 brought us some amazing titles God of War, Elden Ring, and A Plague Tail just to name a few. But one game really stood out to me. Shredder's Revenge was the side scrolling beat'em up that my inner child was screaming for.
Full disclosure this maybe somewhat bias because I am a HUGE Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan. I can probably quote the 1990 Steve Barron live action film in my sleep. As well as the action, figures, cartoon shows from the 80s and early 2000s, and multiple film and game adaptations, our four heroic amphibians have been in pop culture for almost 4 decades.
Growing up I played the original 1989 arcade game (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) religiously. Being able to play as all four turtles and rescue April O'Niel was all I needed to pass the time. So as soon as Shredder's Revenge was announced to release on June 16, 2022 I hopped on that pre order train like nobodies business.
I personally bought it for the Nintendo Switch because the idea of playing it mobile was something I could not resist. Upon experiencing this title I have to admit, trying to put my bias fandom aside of course, it did not disappoint.
Starting with the visuals it off course goes with a retro arcade style similar to that of the 1989 arcade game. Each character has a distinct look from one another and each enemy type is easy to set apart. Each level has a new look to it pulling out every color this version of New York city can offer. Not to mention the turtles journey to a mysterious land known as Dimension X.
The story like any other side scroller with this arcade style is simple. Shredder is back with the foot clan and they are taking over the statue of liberty and it is up to our heros to stop them. There are small cut scenes at the beginning and end of each level with very little dialogue. The story is very short coming in at approximately 6 hours for your first play through. Now if you want to collect Everything, level up all characters, and complete each challenge to 100% the game I would say it's roughly 10 to 12 hours.
Where Shredder's Revenge really shines is its gameplay. Not only do we get to play as our favorite shell wearing pubescent Ninja's we get to try out Master Splinter, April O'Niel, and my favorite unlockable character Casey Jones. Each character comes with there own style and flair. One characters super attack will be completely different from the other. Plus each character has their own taunt so what more do you need.
The gameplay is nostalgic and brings you into the old world of arcade cabinet video gaming. Take on some familiar faces from Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady as the games fun and somewhat challenging boss encounters. The hit boxes are fair and each enemy has their own skills that you need to figure out in order to defeat them.
The best thing that Shredder's Revenge brings to the table is the new multiplayer component. Hop on with your friends and argue over which turtle you want to play as (Mikey is the best of course) and whoop some Foot Clan ass.
Bottom line this game kind of flew under the radar this year. With 2022 being pact full of large budget crazy AAA games it was hard to slow down and appreciate a classic video game like this.
If you are an arcade style player this game is for you. If you are a major Ninja Turtles fan like myself than this will scratch that itch for sure. I highly recommend this title to fill in the gap between games and if you have a switch itis perfect for mobile gameplay.
Thanks for reading, until next time.
Cheers
By HEINZ57
Am a fanboy of Ninja Turtles too. Is it strictly on the Switch by the way? Would love to play it.