Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Arcade
Nostalgia Factor:
It’s hard to describe just how big Ninja Turtle mania was back in the mid to late 1980s. It seemed like the Ninja Turtles just showed up out of nowhere, and then all of a sudden bam just like that I was under their spell. I religiously watched the cartoon. I had all the merchandise – the toys, clothes, comic books, bedsheets, school supplies, etc. I even had a music cassette tape from their “Coming out of Our Shells” rock tour. The Turtles were everywhere. The conversations at school were all dominated by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We ran around during recess and acted like the Turtles and recited our favorite Turtles quotes. We drew pictures of them. Personally, I lived and breathed Ninja Turtles. They even had a cereal, so I guess you could say I ate them too!
It was only a matter of time before we would be blessed with a TMNT video game. Unfortunately the game we got was the 1989 NES title. Everyone was so hyped for this game, only to be devastated by how odd and challenging it was. I think I am the only person from my circle who was actually able to beat the game. Almost everyone else I knew didn’t like the game. The fans felt like they deserved better.
Later on in the year, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would be released in the arcades in the United States. Back then the internet wasn’t a thing. No one ever knew when arcade units were going to be released. They just kind of “showed up” with little to no fanfare. That’s what happened with this game.
Me and my family were at Chuck E. Cheese. I was wandering through the arcade section, looking for something good to play, when I heard a familiar tune in the distance. Was that… the Ninja Turtles theme song? I went running to track down where the music was coming from. I remember rounding a corner and – there it was, in its full glory: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game. The graphics looked like the cartoon. The music was authentic. You could play as all four Turtles, and the gameplay looked like it was similar to something like Double Dragon (I wasn’t quite familiar with the term beat ‘em up yet). It was love at first sight.
Over the years I had the chance to play this game many many times at various arcades. Unfortunately, arcades have almost completely vanished since they were big in the 80s and 90s. Normally I frown on emulating, but if I didn’t emulate this game I likely never would have played it again. So that’s what I did. Read on for my full review of this game.
Story:
It’s a beat ‘em up, so don’t expect this game to have much of a story. The Foot Clan has kidnapped April O’Neill, so the Turtles go on a quest to beat the shit out of Krang, Shredder, Rocksteady, Bebop, and all of the evil minions of the Foot Clan to get her back. Their mission takes them from April’s flaming apartment unit to the city streets, the sewer, the Technodrome, and more!
Gameplay:
This is a side-scrolling beat ‘em up where the action takes place on a 3D plane. If you’ve played Final Fight, Streets of Rage, or Double Dragon you should know what to expect here. It is very easy to pick up and play. You have two buttons: jump and attack. Attack does what you’d think it would do: it attacks your enemies. Each of the Turtles has their own unique weapon with their own distinct strengths and weaknesses – Leo has the sword, Donny has the bo, Raph has the sais, and Mikey has the nunchakus. The jump button also does what you’d think it would do: it makes your character jump. Use this to jump over obstacles, avoid enemies, or launch into a jump kick attack.
The point of the game is very simple: beat the shit out of everything you see. Most of your regular enemies are going to be Foot Clan soldiers – color coded based on their unique attack modes. You make it through each stage, fighting Foot Clan soldiers and avoiding obstacles (like wrecking balls rolling down stairs or giant street signs falling on to your character). At the end of the stage you’ll square off against a boss character. You’ll recognize some familiar faces as these characters are pulled from the cartoon and the comics. Rocksteady, Bebop, Baxter Stockman, etc. Make it through all the levels in the game and you make it to the final stage, the Technodrome, where you must square off against Krang and then Shredder at the end of the game. Defeat them, and you have won.
Playing this on an emulator, the game is quite easy. I died a lot, but there were no consequences to my deaths. I’d just pop in a virtual quarter, which costs me nothing in real life, and keep going. I would say I probably raced through this whole game in about 30 minutes –if that. The only parts that ever gave me troubles were the boss fights, most notably the Rocksteady/Bebop dual battle and the fight against the dude made out of rocks. I don’t know his name. These fights are probably the worst part of the game for me, as there seems to be little strategy involved. They turn into what seems like a pure war of attrition and nothing else. Like I said, playing on an emulator this is fine. But when it costs you real quarters in a video game arcade? That can be a real problem. No one wants to spend two dollars pounding away at some lame rock boss that wasn’t even recognizable from the cartoon.
(OK I just looked him up – and yes he is from the cartoon, but was a very minor character. Just wanted to post this for clarity’s sake)
Graphics:
This game looks sensational considering it came out in 1989. I can’t believe it’s 32 years old!
The graphics are bright and colorful and do a faithful job capturing the look and feel of the TMNT cartoon. The cutscenes at the beginning of the game really help transport you into that world, and the game never lets up after that.
The characters are instantly recognizable. The stages are nice and detailed. The bosses are amazing. I can’t say anything bad about the way this game looks.
Sound:
Just as the graphics do a great job bringing the cartoon world of the Ninja Turtles to life, so does the music. The iconic TMNT theme song plays at the beginning of the game. The level music is terrific. The voice acting is not the best, but all the small sounds you hear as you pummel your enemies are very satisfying to me. Playing this game instantly transports me back to the 1980s, and the music and sound effects are a huge reason for that.
Overall:
If I had never played this game before and I was judging it by today’s standards, I’d like to think I’d still have had a good time with this game. It is one of those titles that, despite its age, is infinitely playable. I just think it has aged SO WELL!
You can tell that a lot of heart was put into this game to make it as faithful to the cartoon as humanly possible, and it shows. Even if I wasn’t a TMNT fan I’d still have to sit back and appreciate the love that went into this game. But hey, I am a TMNT fan and I think that this game is an absolute treasure. I think back to the year 1989, when seven year old Danny boy was running through Chuck E Cheese, following the sound of the Ninja Turtles theme song. I think of how my face must have lit up when I first laid eyes on this arcade cabinet. I think of all the good times I’ve had with this game over the years. This title means a lot to me, and I just want to say thank you to Konami for crafting something that had such a giant impact on my childhood.
Is the game perfect? No. Is it chock full of secrets and replay value that will keep you coming back for more? Not really. I played through this game from start to finish two times and I’m probably going to be done with it for a long time - until my son is old enough to appreciate it, and then I can introduce it to him too. I can only hope his eyes light up like mine must have 32 years ago.
I’ll keep you posted. Really, I will. And I can't wait.
Final Score:
A-
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