Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate

It's been a while since last we saw the Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles in a new game. While there have been some excellent arcade revivals of their classic games released in the past few years, a proper new title has somehow eluded the turtles all this time. That was until Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate came along.

Join Leo, Mikey, Donnie, and Raph in a completely new adventure, as they venture forth to stop – who else – Shredder. This time, the nefarious leader of the Foot Clan has kidnapped the turtles' mentor, Splinter. To save him, they'll have to explore a multiverse of portals across New York City while fighting some of the franchise's most recognizable bad guys.

For TMNT fans, Splintered Fate has it all. Not only is this one of the best TMNT titles in recent history – it might be one of the best the series has to offer, period. But what exactly makes this game stand out from the rest? Let's find out!

Fight, Adapt, Repeat

Not only is Splintered Fate a beat 'em up: the game also takes a few cues from Hades when it comes to its gameplay loop. Every portal is a chance for a new run in true roguelite fashion, meaning you'll need to customize your turtles with new powers and abilities each run.

With dozens of powers and abilities to choose from, the possibilities are nearly endless. The enemies are no pushovers either – they'll also adapt with each run, becoming increasingly stronger to pose a challenge no matter your skill level. It reminded me of games like Rogue Legacy 2 where, no matter how strong my character got, the game always adapted to keep offering me a challenge.

Call Your Bros

One thing that Splintered Fate does much better than Hades or Hades II is that it has a heavy focus on local co-op gameplay – a rarity in the modern age of gaming. Splintered Fate invites you to call up to three friends to play locally, each controlling a different turtle.

In that regard, Splintered Fate reminded me of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. However, when the action got seriously heavy, the game evoked the spirit of Marvel Ultimate Alliance a bit more, thanks to its overhead camera angle. Still, it's nice to see that there are still new games coming out that support local multiplayer. That said, online multiplayer is also available, as expected.

Comic Book Mayhem

Splintered Fate features a charming visual design that evokes classic cel-shaded games like Viewtiful Joe. The game has a sort of retro feel to it that's hard to describe. Perhaps it has to do with the relatively low-poly character models or the simple backgrounds.

That said, once you see the game in motion, everything just clicks the right way. The game is not exactly a visual masterpiece, but it captures the mood and style of the TMNT license perfectly well, especially for those of us who grew up watching the '90s cartoon.

Pros

• Addictive gameplay loop
• Tough but fair roguelite progression
• Lots of classic characters from the TMNT's lore

Cons

• As any roguelite, can get repetitive after a while
• Runs mostly depend on how lucky you get