PAX East: TMNT Shredder’s Revenge Preview

At PAX East, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge had its playable debut, and we sat down with the dev team to battle through the first couple levels with 2-player couch co-op. Shredder’s Revenge is an homage to everything that makes the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games great while adding much-anticipated modern conveniences, such as online multiplayer. To get the tone of this game just right, the team took a look at the lexicon of TMNT games from decades past, particularly the arcade and SNES title Turtles in Time.

Fight your away across the city playing as either Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, Splinter, or even April O’Neil to defeat your enemies and claim victory. Read on to learn more about our PAX East Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge preview!

Shredder’s Revenge Gameplay: Choose Your Fighter Wisely

The great thing about these arcade-inspired games is that there can be so much variety among a relatively small cast of characters. I only had the opportunity to play as Leonardo, but observing the fighting styles of the different characters made it clear that the gameplay varies from character to character. Some are speedier and rely more on calculated strikes, whereas others do better with a brute force approach. In order to stop the titular teenage mutant ninja turtles, Shredder will send all of the goons he has control over. Longtime fans will notice many familiar faces as they battle through each level.

While playing as Leonardo, it was clear his dual swords were formidable against most of the grunts that attacked, but to take down the bigger bosses it was important to coordinate and work as a team. Each character has a special ninja attack that powers up over time, and keep an eye out for fresh pizzas across the level that you can eat to heal. Some pizzas will heal the entire team, while others will only heal the player who picks them up. This adds to the need for communication when playing a 4-player match: the player with the lowest health should focus on collecting the pizzas when they appear on screen.

The short time I spent playing with the dev team made it clear that one of the biggest strengths of Shredder’s Revenge is the multiplayer capability, which gives this game the power to bridge TMNT fans across generations and even across the world.

TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge Multiplayer Can Bring Friends Together from Anywhere

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge offers both local couch co-op and online multiplayer. You can even have two players join the game locally while playing with others online for a 4-player bash. This is an advantage that Shredder’s Revenge has over the classic titles that it pulls so much inspiration from: you don’t need to coordinate a group of friends to get into the same room when you want to play this game. That means playing through the entire game as a co-op experience is easier than it has ever been, and that’s where the fun of Shredder’s Revenge really shines.

Queue up as Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, Splinter, or April and join your friends or family to take down Shredder once and for all. With 4-player co-op, this game can get chaotic in the best way as you team up to conquer every challenge. This side-scrolling brawler is an excellent addition to the TMNT series, and one that we’re highly anticipating after getting a hands-on Shredder’s Revenge preview at PAX East.

Shredder’s Revenge Release Date

TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is a fast-paced game rooted in 80s and 90s nostalgia. Not only did the team get the original voice actors back from the 1980s series, but the artwork in the game is very reminiscent of the early games with a modern polish. Developer Tribute Games has managed to create something really special that’ll resonate with many Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans. The Shredder’s Revenge release date hasn’t officially been announced yet, but we should have our hands on physical and digital editions later this year.