Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate
PC/SWITCH
11/6/24
Super Evil Megacorp
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have starred in well over 30 video games dating back to 1989, generating millions upon millions of dollars in revenue throughout the years. The success of the franchise within the gaming sphere and beyond continues today. Just look at how 2022’s Shredder’s Revenge performed as one example. Even being a smaller indie brawler, the game managed to sell over a million copies. Sure, there’s been a dud here or there, but overall turtle power still remains alive and well all of these years later. Naturally, that means more Ninja Turtles games will be created, ones such as the topic of today’s video, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate. But did Splintered Fate have me yelling cowabunga? Or is it a total bummer? Let’s find out in our full review!
The Ninja Turtles have appeared in everything from arcade brawlers to fighting games, but with Splintered Fate, developer Super Evil Megacorp places Leonardo and the gang into a roguelike action title. Having previously released for Apple Arcade and the Nintendo Switch, this version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate features better balancing over the original and enhanced performance. The game now runs silky smooth at high frame rates and 4k resolution is also supported. Players looking to enjoy the game on Steam Deck will also be happy to hear that it is fully verified.
Splintered Fate will have players portal jumping and battling through various locations across New York. Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael are tasked with rescuing master Splinter, who has once again been captured by Shredder and company. It’s not the most original Ninja Turtles storyline, but thanks to some solid writing and excellent voice performances across the board it manages to be entertaining enough. Fans of the series can look forward to seeing other favorites such as April O’Neil, and even a few lesser-known characters. The story was written by Tom Waltz and Kevin Michael Johnson who have done a solid job representing some of the most beloved trademarks of the series.
Splintered Fate can be played solo, or through local or online co-op with up to 4 players' total. As someone who loves local co-op in games, it’s great to see it as an option. Your goal is to battle the foot clan and other enemies through 4 main areas ranging from sewers to the rooftops of the city. Each area ends in a boss encounter, and much like other roguelikes, you’ll need to slowly unlock new abilities if you hope to make it all the way through the game. Runs are randomized, so expect different item placement, room layouts, and even boss patterns each new run.
Before setting out on a new run, you’ll find yourself in the Turtle Lair. The lair acts as your main hub where you can select which turtle you want to play as and perform upgrades that will make you stronger. There are two main currencies throughout the game that can be earned: dragon coins and dreamer coins. The dragon coins will help more with physical attributes and special abilities, while the dreamer coins often help to improve your luck. There are a decent number of skills and abilities to unlock, and they can also be leveled up further.
It’s not just about upgrading your turtle outside of a run either, as during each run you will periodically be rewarded various tools and powers. Your selections can be important and are also quite enjoyable to mess around with. Mixing elements such as fire and water, or even utilizing shadow abilities can lead to your character dealing out a fun fusion of varied attacks. Add in tools such as ninja stars and things can really get wild. Ultimately, there is a bit of strategy in choosing between tools and powers, but it felt like a varied combination of different skills worked best most of the time.
Each turtle also comes with its own attributes. Michelangelo dishes out the most area damage, Leonardo causes even more damage at closer range and has better mobility, Raphael focuses on critical damage, and Donatello has the most health. I liked that each turtle played a bit differently, even though I ultimately enjoyed using either Donatello or Mikey the most. What can I say, I have been a Donatello fan since day one, he was always my favorite. If all of that weren’t enough, various artifacts can also be equipped to your turtle for even more added benefit.
While the core gameplay loop involves clearing rooms and progressing forward towards an area's end boss, you can expect to encounter mini bosses along the way as well as shops. At shops you can purchase items using scrap that you’ve gathered on your run. Much of this scrap can be earned by smashing through crates. The shops offer items such as pizza which can restore your health and are critical to your success.
The combat itself is pretty solid. Players will need to rely on dashing to get out of the way of enemies, while using standard strikes and special attacks. You will need to strategize a bit, as abilities such as your dash do require a bit of time to recharge before you can use them again. I initially felt like I wanted a dodge roll in this game, but inevitably got a good feel for dashing and striking at the right moments. The game isn’t all that difficult either by roguelike standards, though a more challenging mode is available for those that seek it. Personally, I enjoyed feeling like I was progressing at a fairly smooth rate on the default settings, as sometimes roguelike games can feel like they drag on for an eternity or are padding the length of a game for the sake of it. While the isometric viewpoint did lead to a few moments where enemies were hard to see, the camera angle mostly works well. Overall, I thought that the combat was quite fun, especially with a friend.
On the topic of playing with a friend, Splintered Fate does appear to take into account how many people are playing when balancing its enemy AI. I found the game a bit harder ironically when playing with a friend, though not significantly so. And while I always prefer playing with someone if I have the option, solo players should still have a good time here.
It could be argued that Splintered Fate is a bit light on content overall. I would have loved more playable characters, more levels, more everything! But that said, developer Super Evil Megacorp has stated that DLC content is already in the pipeline. This is to include more characters, more levels, and even new story segments. While it's disappointing that this content wasn’t included in the package from the get-go, it’s at the least reassuring to know that the game has future content planned.
Visually this game won’t win any awards. While the spirit of the comic book franchise is captured well enough, the environments are rather bland and uninteresting looking. Enemies and character models also failed to impress me. That said, the portrait art is quite lovely, and the sound design fits the game well. The excellent voice performances are accompanied by a decent, if not slightly forgettable soundtrack that serves the purpose and not much else. It’s unlikely that anyone will be clamoring for this game's OST, but the slightly rocked out synthy musical arrangements are far from offensive. Overall, while the PC version of the game does make things look a bit better when compared to Switch and Apple Arcade, the visuals are still pretty middling at best. At the least, the performance improvements make for a more satisfying gameplay experience.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate could have very easily been a quick cash grab, but it isn’t. I have to give credit to the developers for offering a solid roguelike experience set in the ninja turtles universe. While it won’t be in the best visuals category this year, a solid story and fun gameplay loop cements Splintered Fate as a worthy addition to your gaming library. If you are a Ninja Turtles fan that happens to like roguelike games, you might be surprised at how good this game is. It’s a bit light on content currently and far from perfect, but it’s certainly a fun co-op experience to bust out at the next pizza party.
GOOD
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