Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed is the most recent outing for the green-skinned heroes in a halfshell. It picks up after the occasions of the 2023 film, Mutant Mayhem, persevering with its contemporary method to the teenage motion heroes in a brand-new journey. Whereas it brings numerous optimistic power to the franchise, it’s not with out its flaws.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have had fairly the resurgence over the previous few years, significantly in gaming. We had been handled to 2 outings (Shredder’s Revenge and the Cowabunga Assortment) in 2022, with one other two (Splintered Destiny and Mutants Unleashed) dropping this 12 months. Whereas the previous pair centered on a extra conventional, retro method to TMNT gaming, the 2 2024 entries have taken issues in new instructions.
Splintered Destiny gave us our first roguelike outing, with randomized ranges and intense isometric fight. Mutants Unleashed, however, presents gamers with a third-person beat ‘em up, utilizing a 3D perspective and RPG parts that differ from the basic side-scrollers of the previous.
In the event you haven’t seen the 2023 film, Mutants Unleashed catches you up on the story to this point. The sport picks up nearly instantly after the occasions of the movie, which ended with the turtles saving New York from the devastating Superfly. The 4 reptilian brothers are actually thought to be heroes, being accepted into society and even allowed to attend faculty (one in all their goals). All they want is to be seen as “regular” youngsters, and this theme continues into the sport’s story.
Standing in the best way of this dream are some new mutants threatening to destroy town. Leonardo leads the brothers on a mission to cease them, after all. Battles earn expertise factors, which could be traded for expertise. Alongside the best way are many human associates, including a neat bonding component.
Ranges are break up right into a day/night time rhythm, permitting you to revisit your private home base within the sewer between battles. A useful map reveals you which of them occasions are awaiting your consideration, with an expiry date that helps with prioritization.
Visually, Mutants Unleashed sports activities the identical aesthetic because the movie. It’s a colourful presentation, with graffiti-like brushwork that appears as starkly totally different from the cleaner-looking ‘90s cartoon as doable. The impact is dynamic, giving the entire world an edgy, youthful type. In the event you occur to be a long-time fan of the turtles however haven’t seen the film, it might be a jarring expertise at first (the film was initially jarring for me). I respect the contemporary method, even when I choose the older type. Even the ‘90s cartoon differs enormously from the darkish and gritty comedian origins of the ‘80s, so it’s not the primary time we’ve seen a serious visible shift.
The soundtrack is nice, too, with some upbeat tunes that swimsuit the juvenile vibe. I significantly loved the voicework, which sees the unique voice actors from the 2023 film reprise their roles because the 4 brothers. They do a fantastic job, with some genuine and sometimes humorous brotherly banter on show.
On this method, Mutants Unleashed has numerous coronary heart. The story and characters really shine, increasing on the brand new variations of Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michaelangelo. Leo continues to be the chief, however he’s anxious and must work on his confidence. Raph is powerful, however hot-headed. Donny is sensible and even sports activities a pair of glasses. Mikey is bodily smaller than the remaining, and acts rather less maturely. The distinct personalities go a protracted strategy to humanizing the characters, and that’s a part of the sport’s appeal.
Sadly, Mutants Unleashed suffers from a number of points that mar the expertise. Firstly, there’s an incredible quantity of slowdown between ranges. I’m by no means a fan of loading screens, although they’re typically inescapable (even Tears of the Kingdom has them). In Mutants Unleashed, it borders on the ridiculous, clocking as much as a complete minute between scenes. If the degrees had been longer, this is perhaps excusable. Nevertheless, issues change commonly, triggering that prolonged loading display. This negatively impacts the tempo of your entire recreation, making a jarring expertise that’s disengaging for the participant.
Secondly, let’s discuss in regards to the gameplay. Whereas the beat-’em-up motion is enjoyable basically, it usually turns into a blur of button mashing. It’s typically exhausting to discern between enemies and gamers. On prime of that, the digital camera angles transfer at random and might’t be managed by the participant. This gives some irritating moments throughout which it’s exhausting to time jumps, for instance.
I also needs to level out that Mutants Unleashed has a two-player co-op mode, which is a good addition. Besides…aren’t there 4 brothers? After taking part in quite a few four-player TMNT outings, it’s unlucky that the identical possibility isn’t doable right here. Two is nice, however 4 is a lot better. It seems like a step backwards.
Total, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed is a colourful follow-up to the profitable 2023 movie. The characterization is deep, the voicework is superb, and the visuals are neat. Sadly, the pacing is method off because of overwhelmingly prolonged load screens, and the fight could be irritating. In the event you’re happy with the stop-and-start nature of this one, you then’ll discover a first rate story behind the common motion. If not, then steer clear.
