The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license has fallen by the wayside. Gamers weaned on classic brawlers like The Arcade Game or The Manhattan Project on the NES or the unparalleled Turtles in Time on the SNES have met with nothing but watery turtle soup in recent years. How many shallow 3D beat-em’ ups can fans stomach? That’s why it’s so refreshing that TMNT on the GameBoy Advance represents a return to form for our half-shelled heroes. There’s no aimless wandering, the combat has depth, and most importantly the game is a blast to play.
TMNT follows the plot of the animated movie of the same name. Leonardo has taken a leave of absence to seek further training, and the rest of the Turtles have splintered (no pun intended) in different directions. Raphael becomes a masked vigilante; Michelangelo has become a costumed party entertainer, and Donatello works as a tech-support specialist. Fortunately, the game doesn’t consist of rhythm-based party games with Mikey, or tech-support puzzle challenges with Don. Instead, the action picks up with Raph on the streets of NYC. Leonardo returns after the first level and the team reunites, meaning all players have to worry about is crime-fighting and ass-kicking.
In many ways, TMNT has as much old-style Turtles action as River City Ransom. As in the old games, you can pick which turtle you get to be, and each one has different statistics. For instance, Raph starts out with more power, but Mikey has more defense. Fortunately, none of the weapons are useless — Raph’s sai are as effective as Don’s Bo Staff. Combat is similar to that of the older Turtles games: you can attack with your weapon, sweep kick, jump kick, and jump knee, which can also serve as a double-jump when rebounding off of enemies. There is a combo counter, and consecutive hits can reach into the multiple dozens if you’re particularly skilled.
The initial gang members fight with their fists, but they eventually begin wielding baseball bats, rocks, or other weapons. When dropped, you too can equip these weapons like you can in RCR. Also, enemies will drop money when defeated, which is represented in the form of bouncing coins. This money can be used to upgrade your statistics, buy special maneuvers, or health items, similar to how you it worked in the malls of River City. This customization adds depth to what would have otherwise been a shallow experience.
You’ll come across a variety of locations in this game, be it on rooftops, on the street, or in an office building. Some of the stages have specific hazards as well — be sure to dodge the train while in the subway. Stages are set up in the familiar false 3D brawler style, where you have free movement on a 2D plane. At the end of each level you’ll face a boss. True to beat-em’-up form, these fights will require the memorization of a simple pattern and the ability to exploit said pattern.
The only real fault this game has is its length; all seven levels can be completed in an afternoon. It works in this game’s favor, or at least in the favor of completist-type players, that there are three different difficulty levels, each with unlockable trophies. These trophies appear in the Turtles’ lair when you complete certain objectives, like kill 75 Foot Soldiers, or get a 25 hit combo. And while I mentioned there weren’t any goofy minigames involving the Turtles’ side-jobs, there are minigames dealing with combat-based objectives. April O’Neil, Casey Jones, and Splinter all have rooftop bonus games that unlock more trophies when completed.
Ubi Soft has taken a fallen franchise and brought it back into the light, as TMNT is easily the best Turtles game to have come out in many years. Fairly deep combat and character customization make this one brawler worth plunging into for new and jaded Turtles fans alike.
