TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is an upcoming side-scrolling beat ’em up video game that is being developed by Tribute Games and published by Dotemu. The game is created using the classic pixelated art style and is meant to be reminiscent of the classic side scrolling games. Let’s breakdown the development history, trailers, and when we should expect the game to release. As always, all the sources will be linked in the description below so make sure to check those out and support those original writers. With that out the way let’s get into everything we know about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
The way the game came about is unique too
The game began when Nickelodeon approached Dotemu, who is the developer and publisher of Streets of Rage 4. Nickelodeon was impressed with their previous work and asked if they would be interested in creating a new video game based on a Nickelodeon IP. Dotemu choose the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and when they started an early pitch for the game, they heard that Tribute Games, another development studio, was also interested in working on a TMNT game and they had been pitching separately the idea to Nickelodeon since 2010.
The direct quote from Game Informer says, We were always super persistent, says Tribute Games co-founder Jonathan.
Like, if we’re gonna take on one of your IPs, we want it to be TMNT. Every time the topic was brought up about us taking on a project, I would always say, Well, we really want to do TMNT. We grew up in the arcades and playing TMNT, so we really wanted to have a stab at it. So, I was at GDC and I managed to get [Tribute Games ] contact, says Dotemu CEO Cyrille Imbert.
Should we talk TMNT?
And so, we saw each other for the first time in San Francisco and it was a really nice first contact, and we basically had the same ideas and things we wanted to do in mind for this project. After this he two teams came to an agreement and started working on a final pitch to Nickelodeon. Tribute Games does have prior experience on the TMNT Game Boy Advance game and they also helped work on the Scott Pilgrim vs The World game. They are no slouch either when it comes to game development, and this partnership makes a lot of sense.
The next mention of the game was at a reveal event in March of 2021 with a very cool retro style trailer, which does show off Alpha gameplay footage at the end.
Beat ’em style game
The game is also said to include a full story mode and vehicles that the players can utilize. The game will also support up to 4-players either through online or local play. At the time the game was announced for PC and for unnamed consoles.
A little bit of the story was teased at this event as well. The direct paragraph says, With Bebop and Rocksteady assaulting Channel 6 and stealing super gnarly devices to support Krang and Shredder’s latest twisted plan, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge sees the Turtles battling across a righteous range of timeless TMNT locations. From Manhattan and Coney Island, to city rooftops and dank sewers, help the fearsome foursome trounce Foot Soldiers, Triceraton Warriors, and Rock Troops all the way to Dimension X! It was also announced originally that the game was going to launch sometime in 2021.
The final story I want to cover from the reveal event also comes from the same Game Informer article I mentioned earlier.
Modern side scrolling game
Despite clearly going for nostalgia, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge will sport modern enhancements. The teams aren’t ready to talk specifics; they are only offering hints by saying the classic games, fun as they were, hit a ceiling in terms of technical limitations, which are now a thing of the past. There’s no doubt Shredder’s Revenge will play smoother than the old games, and features such as new modes and other options are implied but not confirmed. Another element the teams are being coy about is the inclusion of playable characters besides the Turtles. After all, the trailer featured Master Splinter and April O Neil kicking butt, and the developers wouldn’t comment on the noticeably absent Casey Jones.
This quote references the possibility of more playable characters and the team purposefully is being coy about their response.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge features to come
It also discusses how this game could have a and more complexity compared to beat em up games from previous game generations. Next, we have to talk about the trailers that were released throughout last year. The first trailer was released in April of 2021 and was a gameplay focused trailer. The gameplay is still listed as Alpha gameplay footage, which is the same as the reveal trailer.
This time around each character is highlighted, and the game is announced for the Nintendo Switch. Which sounds like the game is, at least a temporary, Nintendo Switch exclusive at launch. The only consoles confirmed is the Switch and then PC. The next trailer was released in August of 2021. Which is a character spotlight trailer that announced the 5th playable character in game April O Neil.
TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge trailer includes new combos between characters and shows April using pizza to relieve a fallen turtle. We are still waiting to see if Splinter and Casey will be playable in this game as well. But I think that will come as we get closer to a release. The trailer also announced that the title would now be launching sometime in 2022.
Game releases somewhere in 2022
Some fans have theories that because the Steam page release date changed from 2022 to coming soon, that could mean that the game will be released sooner rather than later. I don’t buy into this, but I guess it could be a possibility. The other release news we have is that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are allegedly coming to Fortnite. Fortnite is still a massive marketing tool for any franchise, so it would make sense that Nickelodeon would want to use the game to promote their new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games and bring a new generation of gamers to the franchise. The rumor comes from the XboxEra podcast, and they have a good track record with this information, so I would believe something like this is happening.
Secrets to come…
For the most part that is everything we know about TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge. It will be interesting to see what other secrets the studio has kept about the game, because I have a feeling, they have barely scratched the surface when it comes to everything we can expect from this title. Either way that’s where I m going to end this video. Make sure to like and share.
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