Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder's Revenge is a game for and by series fans, but also doubles up as one of the most fun beat 'em ups around. It even edges out mighty titles like Streets of Rage 4 and Scott Pilgrim with its intuitive controls and...

This heartfelt, engaging reprise of a classic falls just shy of greatness due to a lack of fresh ideas and...

Shredder's Revenge more than lives up to the legacy of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade games that inspired it. It's fun, yet simple gameplay, excellent coop for up to six players online, and charming pixel-based art style will surely have 90s kids riding the wave of nostalgia all the way to its end.

And that's honestly it on the nitpick front. Shredder's Revenge nails the tricky balancing act needed to keep longtime brawler fans engaged in the same sessions as novices who have merely shown up for familiar Ninja Turtles fun. Its soundtrack, composed by the incredible Tee Lopes (Sonic Mania), combines modern hip-hop flourishes with upbeat '90s MIDI melodies in a way that's so catchy, I've already worn the music out as a personal rip from the game's installation folder. And its battling environments are colorful, diverse, and unobtrusive, letting you easily differentiate between the good and bad guys amid a frantic fight.

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.

Shredder's Revenge isn’t an overlong experience – but it is also generous in terms of content, challenge and replayability.

Shredder’s Revenge does rely on nostalgia for the golden age of arcade gaming for players to be completely enamored with it. Without the nostalgia goggles, it’s still a great retro beat ’em up based on its own gameplay merits, but for those who grew up with the classic Turtles, it feels like a fragment of childhood has been recreated.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a delightful celebration of the Heroes in a Half-Shell. More importantly, it’s simply a helluva lot of fun to play. It breaks little in the way of new ground, remaining rooted in old-school cool, but it does offer wild, satisfying combat, packed out with personality and charm. For anyone who ever jumped off a schoolyard wall — tree branch in hand — shouting “Cowabunga!”, Shredder’s Revenge is absolutely worth shelling out for.