Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge Reviews
Two years in the making, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is the best Turtles beat 'em up ever made, and a faster, better-looking, and more entertaining affair than even Streets of Rage 4. It looks delicious, sounds superb, and rekindles childhood memories beyond all expectation, time-warping you back to 1987. Its combat system is so much fun to mine that you feel compelled to keep coming back to try new strategies, and with its awesome multiplayer the experience evolves again and again. Like any beat 'em up, it does get repetitive as you enter the last third, but that's more a fault of the concept than the game. Our only regret is that we didn't use anywhere near enough puns in this review, so let's close by saying Shredder's Revenge is an unprecedented shell-ebration.
As a fan of the original arcade coin-suckers, I can say that Shredder’s Revenge hits the right notes in all departments. However, modern gamers who didn’t grow up with cartridges that needed a good blow and a bang might find the admittedly simple and one-direction gameplay a bit too basic. Basically, if you’ve used a VHS player in real life, you’ll get what Shredder’s Revenge is all about. If you’ve never touched a floppy disk, you might get bored of button bashing by Episode 6.
TMNT: Shredder's Revenge could be mistaken for a long-lost '90s arcade game thanks to its era-appropriate production values and tight beat 'em up mechanics. It's the sequel to Turtles in Time that was never released.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge doesn't tread new ground, but it's an enjoyable evening that captures the spirit of its arcade predecessors. Just save it until you can get a group of pals to play.
“Shredder’s Revenge” achieves everything it set out to do, and will go down as an instant classic for its genre. No matter what era, whether it’s 1987, 1989 or 2022, it would be one of the finest, most exciting video game experiences of the year, honing an arcade formula as ageless as Turtles in time.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge isn't just a great Turtles game for nostalgic fans. It's a perfect retro-style beat 'em up that's eager to innovate.
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.
Naturally, fans of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and classic beat ‘em ups will get the most out of Shredder’s Revenge, but that shouldn’t stop you from playing if you can’t recite the theme song from memory. Even for non-fans, you can beat the game in a single afternoon and have more fun than you will in most 50-hour open-world epics.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge feels like it's designed from an Ninja Turtles arcade beat 'em up template, which strips it of creativity and originality and makes it feel predictable and familiar. But the fluid combat continually sucks me back in, even though that also suffers from combat designs that should've been left in the past.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is a game with one foot in the 90s and the other in the present. The foundation is just like in the old 2D classics, but honed control and smart additions do a lot for the whole. This is modern retro at its best.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
DotEmu and Tribute Games offer us a very beautiful passionate legacy of our youth in the company of the four turtles.
Review in French | Read full review
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is not only a fantastic follow-up to Turtles in Time but an amazing celebration of the entire franchise.
This is not only the best Turtles beat 'em up, it is the greatest beat 'em up of all time. This is a party starter; a feel-good moment in gaming. This game is the default blueprint for future beat 'em ups. Do not wait. Get this game. Play this game. Love this game. Oh...and Cowabunga.
Light on content but heavy on satisfying gameplay and great artwork, Shredder's Revenge is exactly what fans of Turtles in Time would want out of a beat 'em up.
TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is an impressive retro-style action title with great combat system and strong focus on team work. If you're looking for some couch co-op action then look no further than this.
Review in Russian | Read full review
TMNT: Shredder's Revenge brings the best of the arcades and the modern-day improvements like higher fidelity visuals and online play to magnificently bring together an amazing beat'em up that can be enjoyed by just about anyone. You will be able to enjoy this beat'em up even if you don't have any sort of investment in the IP as the game's accessible mechanics and replay value will keep you coming back to kick some bad guys out of Manhattan
TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is a sensational belt scroller, created with both passion and respect for the classics. The folks over at Tribute Games must really have loved their work, and it shows every second you spend playing. If you love this genre of games and are nostalgic for the old days when the Turtles dominated the arcade ecosystem, Shredder's Revenge is your game of the summer. Or maybe of a lifetime.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Shredder’s Revenge has a pretty specific target audience. But if you fall within that narrow strike zone, this game is amazing. The animation is incredible, the action is well-crafted, and that Turtles attitude is on full display. If you aren’t an old-school TMNT fan with a penchant for beat ’em ups, maybe you can appreciate the pixel art. The actual game design is excellent, as well. It’s just hard to imagine what this game looks like without nostalgia goggles on. Even if you’ve never seen a single episode of that extremely dated cartoon, check this game out. I promise TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is a blast either way.