Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants Review

In 2017, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came to the arcades in a new experience based on the TV series that started in 2012. Seven years later, it’s time for the game to come to modern consoles along with additional content. After spending a couple of hours with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants I can say that the publisher should have spent their resources on something else and let this adventure remain buried in oblivion. Because this really just stinks of sour sewage and burnt pizza cheese, and no matter how big a Ninja Turtles fan you are, there are far better and more fun products to spend your money on.

However, an initial and seemingly positive aspect is that it is clear that they have been inspired by Konami’s immortal 90s classic, but where the Japanese game creator delivered pixelated brilliance, the developer Raw Thrills has settled for bland playability and poor presentation. The design is taken from the 2012 Nickelodeon series, and while the design itself may not be the best, the poor graphics fail to elevate it to any higher level. That this game was released in 2017 seems absurd at first (and second and third) glance, and it’s easier to see it as a 2007 title for the Nintendo Wii than something that belongs on today’s consoles.

For TMNT Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants is horrendously ugly, and there is very little life or charm in either the environments or the characters huddled together on the screen. There is also something strange about the sound, because the music is extremely low in the mix, which makes it feel flat and lacking in energy. The only thing you really hear are the characters throwing out half-assed one-liners from time to time, and when these are accompanied by the total silence, what unfolds before your eyes feels more like a derailed farce than something pulse-raising and engaging.

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The gameplay itself is absolutely acceptable, even if it is extremely simple and lacking in ideas. You use one button to fight, one to jump and a third to use your special abilities. Beyond that, there’s very little to keep track of, and when the enemies’ intelligence is barely there at all, it feels like you’re hammering the X button to reach the scrolling text and finally turn the misery off. Also, all the bosses are almost identical, and while they have different looks, they rarely add anything new or interesting that elevates the experience to anything other than a very mediocre level.

It’s also worth noting that this adventure is incredibly empty, as we’re only offered six levels that can be completed in just over an hour. You can of course play all the levels endlessly to get a better score, but there’s nothing to encourage you to go back to each level after you’ve already plowed through them the first time. If you like pain, you might find some sort of joy in tormenting yourself in this low-poly action disappointment, but for everyone else, there’s nothing of value here.

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In conclusion, I cannot recommend TMNT Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants to anyone, not even the most dedicated fans. Sure, it’s playable without annoying bugs, but with a price tag of $30 for just an hour of so-called “entertainment”, it doesn’t feel acceptable anywhere. The whole product feels like an extremely sloppy way of trying to make money without putting in the slightest effort, and I hope people don’t get fooled by the Turtles logo and buy hoping to find nostalgic joy, because when it comes to gaming pleasure, Absolutely none of that here.