TMNT: Shredder's Revenge

TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is a celebration of classic beat 'em ups from the turn of the eighties and nineties, bringing the Ninja Turtles back in a pixel-art style faithful to the era's cartoon series. Players make their way through the streets of New York, battling hordes of Foot Clan soldiers and familiar bosses in co-op for up to six players, with each of the four turtles, April O'Neil, Casey Jones, and other characters having their own fighting style and special abilities. The game deliberately mirrors the structure of old arcade beat 'em ups but adds modern touches like an experience system, new combos, and clear bonus stages that liven up the pacing between levels.

Visually, the game perfectly imitates the style of the original cartoon series, with vivid colors and fluid animation, while the soundtrack was composed by the team also behind the music of Streets of Rage 4, lending the fights an energetic, synth-driven undertone. On Xbox Series X|S it launched day one on Game Pass and supports both online and local co-op, running stably even during fights with many enemies on screen at once, which is key for keeping the action readable with more players involved.

At launch, the game was received with great enthusiasm as one of the best modern beat 'em ups, praised by fans of the series and the genre alike for precisely capturing nostalgia while pairing it with modern gameplay comfort. To this day it's considered one of the high points of the beat 'em up genre in recent years and a frequently recommended title for playing with a group, whether with friends in the same room or online across platforms. References to decades-old comics, toys, and earlier Ninja Turtles video games will also delight longtime fans of the brand, while new players will get by just fine on the purely functional and fun combat system alone, which holds up even without knowledge of the earlier comics or animated series.

Why play it: For Ninja Turtles fans and anyone looking for a great beat 'em up to play with friends – it works both for readers who remember the old comics and for players with no nostalgia at all.