Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge will be adding six player co-op, a feature that could make the game feel utterly chaotic.
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 like Dynasty Warriors and Devil May Cry, the old beat-’em-up format went away for several console generations. Fortunately, with games like River City Girls and Streets of Rage 4 bursting onto the scene, it seems like the genre is returning to its former glory. Re-releases like The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors and indie efforts like The TakeOver are 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 with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
Shredder’s Revenge is a side scrolling beat-’em-up made in the same vein as a few classic Ninja Turtles titles. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4: Turtles in Time is a particular inspiration, and like in that game players will travel around many locations based on the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show. Expected four-player co-op makes its return, but in a first for a Ninja Turtles game, Shredder’s Revenge also offers the chance for six players to fight together online.
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 is designed to accommodate a 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 Revenge operates using an old-school 1-up system where 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 of Shredder’s Revenge, only six characters are unlocked, so players will be able to do their first run with a full squad. Seeing the Turtles team up with their closest allies should 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 a six-player co-op as a feature was a great idea for Shredder’s Revenge. The classic TMNT beat-’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 have stressed that Shredder’s Revenge is 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 Revenge launches June 16 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
