Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Wrath of the Mutants Review (Switch)

 

We’ve been having a bit of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles renaissance lately with the collection of retro games and Shredders Revenge already released on the Switch. With that in mind it’s not a huge shock that another game featuring the green pizza eaters is making the jump. However, It is perhaps a surprise that it’s 2017’s arcade game ‘Wrath of the Mutants’ that’s next on the list.

Wrath of the Mutants is being released both physically and digitally and has had a few additions added to it but don’t go in expecting anything near the level of Shredder’s Revenge. This is a true arcade coin guzzler at heart which can be completed in around an hour, even with the additional content. What you get are six levels and some extra bosses to fight your way through with up to four players. Co-op is restricted to local play as well so you’ll all need to be in the same room.

Aside from the backgrounds the levels aren’t massively different in terms of how they play out. Each has a couple of unique enemies, but you’ll mainly be bashing foot soldiers and mousers by bashing the attack button. Controls are limited with a jump and attack button and players occasionally able to launch a special move which acts like a smart bomb. There’s a host of objects to throw around as well but stages do feel a bit empty. You can also pick up a character token which summons a support character who pretty much acts as another way to clear the screen.

Each stage has a few big bosses to deal with from the rogues gallery, so expect Beebob and Rocksteady along with some of the less well known gang such as Tiger Claw. They are all handled pretty much the same though. Bash away, get to distance then ‘jump’ when the on-screen prompt flashes. It’s certainly a game that you need to play in small sections as even with the limited stages it gets repetitive quickly.

Unfortunately, unless you specifically have an affinity for this particular version of Turtles, it’s hard to see players getting much out of it. The other two Switch releases have much more longevity and general personality than this. If this was bundled with something else, it would be a fun distraction but on its own struggles to justify its price tag. Of course, if you enjoyed this in the arcades then you won’t be let down but away from that it’s hard to see why you would pick this over any of the other games already available.

Overall 5/10