The beat-’em-up genre has struggled to find a place after arcades died out in the west. Replaced by 3D hack-and-slash titles likeDynasty WarriorsandDevil May Cry, the old beat-’em-up format went away for several console generations. Fortunately, with games likeRiver City GirlsandStreets of Rage 4bursting onto the scene, it seems like the genre is returning to its former glory. Re-releases likeThe Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriorsand indie efforts likeThe TakeOverare popping up, and nostalgic gamers are happy to see them. Now, another old franchise is making its return to the scrolling beat-‘em-up stage withTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
Shredder’s Revengeis a sidescrolling beat-‘em-up made in the same vein as a few classicNinja Turtlestitles.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4: Turtles in Timeis a particular inspiration, and like in that game players will be traveling around many locations based on the 1987Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesshow. Expected four-player co-op makes its return, but in a first for aNinja Turtlesgame,Shredder’s Revengealso offers the chance for six players to fight together online.
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Six-Player Co-Op Could Be Too Hectic
One look at the six-player mode in action reveals both its possibilities and its flaws. Six characters with their own health bars take up a lot of screen real estate, and things get messy when all of them are fighting at the same time. It gets better and worse when said players start using team attacks as enemies rapidly fall. Even if the game isdesigned to accommodate six-player co-op, there will be moments when it feels like certain fighters are stealing all the action in smaller encounters. More people also means a higher likelihood of not being able to select one’s preferred character during that session.
There are some logistical problems with having six players around as well.TMNT: Shredder’s Revengeoperates using an old-school 1-up systemwhere extra lives are a limited resource that the player must scrounge for. How this will be handled in multiplayer isn’t clear, but an especially disastrous encounter could cause a large team to burn through their resources faster. Plus, getting everyone together to keep a playthrough going and betting on the stability of six people’s Internet connections is a gamble. Throwing in the fact that every person in six-player mode needs their own copy of the game means this feature, while cool, is fairly impractical.
Co-Op is Still Important for TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge
Still, the idea wouldn’t be included if it wasn’t a cool feature. At the beginning ofShredder’s Revenge, only six characters are unlocked, so players will be able to do their first run with a full squad. Seeing theTurtles team up with their closest alliesshould bring a smile to any fan’s face. It also doesn’t really matter if this version of the game is balanced or not; more player failures mean a faster loss, but more players dealing damage also means the potential for a faster win. There’s plenty of fun to be had in the shared madness of multiplayer.
Ultimately, pushing for six-player co-op as a feature was agreat idea forShredder’s Revenge. The classicTMNTbeat-‘em-ups are known for their cooperative multiplayer, and this is the natural evolution of it. Besides, it’s hard to complain when the usual online and offline four-player co-op is still available. Tribute Games has stressed thatShredder’s Revengeis balanced for any number of players, so even with a more hectic experience, players should try to bring all the Turtles and their friends along on their latest adventure.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revengelaunches June 16 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
