Tribute Games' 2D brawler, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, has a great roster of playable characters to choose from, but including Miyamoto Usagi of the Usagi Yojimbo comics via DLC would make it perfect. Shredder's Revenge currently has seven heroes to play as, including all four Turtles (Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo), as well as allies Master Splinter, April O'Neil, and Casey Jones. Tribute Games has left the prospect of DLC up in the air for now, but introducing Stan Sakai's legendary samurai rabbit as a playable character in TMNT: Shredder's Revenge would be the best way to start.
Primarily inspired by the iconic 1980s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon and its related arcade games - particularly Turtles in Time - TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is a 16-bit throwback to the Turtles' heyday and sees the heroes in a half shell up against arch-enemy Oroku Saki and classic cartoon villains like Bebop and Rocksteady. Up to six players can team up at once in both a campaign and arcade-style mode, with the roster of playable characters encompassing the most famous figures first introduced in Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's comics. All come with their own unique animations and combat abilities, which help make each character feel distinct when the action is getting particularly chaotic. Not every character is playable immediately, however, with TMNT: Shredder's Revenge players unlocking Casey Jones by completing the main story.
In its current form, the roster of TMNT: Shredder's Revenge works great, but there are both some obvious and deep-cut candidates that could expand it. Miyamoto Usagi of Usagi Yojimbo fame is arguably the strongest candidate, with Stan Sakai's rabbit ronin having crossed over with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on multiple occasions, starting with the 1987 cartoon. Usagi went on to meet the brothers four in the 2003 and 2012 animated series and has even appeared in previous TMNT video games - most notably 2004's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus, which was based on the '03 cartoon. His long-running association with the Turtles - combined with the fact that he first appeared in TMNT in the '80s cartoon - means that his presence would lend itself well to TMNT: Shredder's Revenge's rad, nostalgia-filled action, particularly if Tribute went so far as to add DLC levels to complement any potential character introductions.
TMNT: Shredder's Revenge - Why Usagi Yojimbo DLC Needs To Happen
Usagi Yojimbo is one of the most acclaimed comic books of all time, with creator Stan Sakai weaving a beautiful anthropomorphic tapestry of a noble ronin and his adventures across Feudal Japan. At a glance, it might seem odd that he was chosen to crossover with the more satirically-minded Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but Usagi's relationship with the turtles more than vindicated that decision. Usagi's cross-dimensional hijinks with Leonardo and co. have always been a highlight whatever the incarnation, and it would be great to see that reflected in TMNT: Shredder's Revenge combo-based gameplay, where he could clash steel with the game's various enemies. Tribute Games has done a great job of ensuring each character feels distinct both visually speaking and gameplay-wise, and the introduction of Usagi would add both variety and replayability - particularly if he had to be unlocked like Casey Jones.
It's still early days for TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, but publisher DotEmu has seemingly left the door open for DLC. Company CEO Cyrille Imbert mentioned on Twitter that DLC "will depend on many factors", including the game's reception and feedback from the game's community. Usagi is a fan-favorite character and is sure to be namechecked by other Turtles fans brainstorming potential DLC ideas, so hopefully, Tribute will get the opportunity to expand TMNT: Shredder's Revenge post-launch and provide the Turtles with another great Usagi Yojimbo crossover.
Source: Twitter/Cyrille Imbert