Calling back to the comics, TV, and arcade classic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge will soon dish out the nostalgia (and pizza) on consoles and PC. Indie developer Tribute Games has partnered with Nickelodeon to deliver a retro-fueled side-scrolling brawler, and publisher Dotemu unveiled a reveal trailer on Wednesday featuring an all-new TMNT cartoon intro and a radical arrangement of the classic theme song.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles dates all the way back to 1984, when the four Italian Renaissance-inspired heroes first appeared in comic books. Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Donatello used their martial arts training to protect New York City from creatures, criminals, and evil villains. The Ninja Turtles went on to star in multiple television series and films starting in 1987, at which point the franchise inspired toys and, of course, video games. The original 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade cabinet remains an iconic video game inspiration for modern beat 'em ups. In recent years, TMNT video games have been mostly limited to Android and Apple app stores, with the latest game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ninja Madness, being released in September 2020.
The newly revealed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge sees the turtle heroes "battling through a breathless tour of iconic TMNT locations" to take down Shredder, leader of the heinous Foot Clan. Shredder is working on his "most diabolical plan yet" and it's up to players to bash his minions until they reach Dimension X, an alternate existence. Shredder's Revenge will combine classic a TMNT art style and arcade gameplay with new abilities to create a brand new adventure. Wednesday's reveal trailer features cartoon scenes of Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael jumping and fighting through Manhattan to the theme song, sung by Mike Patton, and a few snippets of colorful beat 'em up gameplay are also shown.
Other characters from the franchise make an appearance as well, including the moth Lunawig, the rat sensei Splinter, and the alien Triceraton. The trailer then transitions to gameplay footage, complete with pixel art and '80s arcade music. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge doesn't have a release date listed yet, but it is coming soon. In a clear nod to the classic (and notoriously difficult) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade beat 'em up, the new retro-minded game looks to bring back side-scrolling combat, bright colors, and a lot of Foot ninjas to defeat.
Shredder's Revenge looks to be what players have demanded since the franchise's games long took a detour into the 3D plane, and the 80s-era TMNT nostalgia factor could make the upcoming title a hit with nostalgia buffs. Dotemu already oversaw the masterful continuation the Streets of Rage series last year, so the studio's known to work wonders when attempting to make an old series feell new again. For those who want to keep a close eye on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge's development, they can wishlist the game on Steam.
Source: Dotemu