A Shell-Shocking Roguelike?
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have long been staples of pop culture ranging back decades to their initial inception in the 80s. Fast forward over 40 years and they’ve tried their hand at just about every form of media including blockbuster films and comics.
Stardom such as this inevitably propelled them into the gaming scene, with various releases, all certainly not being the same quality as one another. But now, a new TMNT game has released, a roguelike titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, so how does it hold up against the varying previous gaming entries in the franchise?
Splintered Fates and Dimensional Dives
To start things off, it would be best to explain the story, and just how the Ninja Turtles have found their way into, what is more often than not, the indie oriented genre of roguelikes. The title ‘Splintered Fate’, is drawn from the inciting incident of the story… Master Splinter being kidnapped and transported to another dimension.
In hopes of finding and saving their master, the Ninja Turtles must journey through a diverse range of locations, be it the sewers, junkyard or countless other areas, to achieve this, all topped off with a stellar soundtrack alongside a gritty, yet cartoonish art style.
Shell-Spinning Upgrades
The roguelike aspect introduces itself here, forcing a retrace of the locations you have been through upon a death in typical roguelike fashion. Various other staples of the genre are present too, each being spun like that of a shell, in turn having the four anthropomorphic turtles’ quirks put into them.
Take the upgrade system as an example; each run will be filled with various rooms, all of which progress to bosses, and ultimately a new location. Upon the completion of these abundance of rooms, you will be granted a unique upgrade, of which there are countless, to make your own play style and build to tackle your run with. After you inevitably die for the first time, you will be introduced to the distinguishing factor of roguelikes (the small amount of progress made with each unique run) as you are led to the dragon upgrade system.
Dragon coins you obtain during your runs will be retained and used to purchase permanent upgrades to help you inch that little bit further along the grand scale of TMNT: Splintered Fate. Opting for this genre, whilst may raise eyebrows upon a first glance, is instead a fantastic decision, used to amplify the very nature of the Ninja Turtles.
Turtle Power Personalities
Speaking of the turtles themselves, is there any benefit to which one you opt for? Well yes there is.
Each turtle has been modelled representatively after their distinct personalities, for example Raphael being hotheaded in combat, therefore excelling in fast paced, act before you think attacks. It truly felt as though each turtle was a distinct character, rather than just a reskin of one another, creating different encounters and ways to deal with the same situation between the separate turtles.
All the characters are made up of four distinct moves; a basic attack, an ability, a tool and a dash, with all sharing the dash but differing in the others. In the case of the Turtle I mostly opted for (Raphael) the ability and tool can be things such as a flurry of close-range rapid attacks or a chain that pulls enemies closer, with them able to be altered through the aforementioned upgrades.
Deepening the Combat System
Delving deeper into the rich combat system, there are many ways to create a personalised experience to fit how you play. The addition of artifacts (items with perks you obtain and keep from runs) introduces an entire new element to think about whilst building your character up through the duration of a run, elevating certain upgrades above others, or allowing for increased damage to specific things.
The use of elemental damage that can be acquired through upgrades and boosted through artifacts, perfectly encapsulates the diversity in play styles and customisability the combat system achieves, topped off with the distinct styles of each turtle.
Co-Op Carnage: The True Turtle Experience
Everything touched upon so far has been done so during solo play; however, that’s not the form Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate thrives in. The co-op modes – thankfully containing both local and online – are the game in its truest form. This is in large part due to the added layer of complexity adding another turtle into the mix brings to the combat and, in turn, how you approach the game as a whole.
During co-op play, I found that me and my partner would often drift towards more combo-based upgrades for our run, such as one of us obtaining a water ability and the other an ability aimed to weaken enemies to water, rather than focusing on ourselves individually. This newly added plane to the gameplay, intensifies and exemplifies exactly what makes this TMNT entry stand head and shoulders above the rest.
The Roguelike Repetition
That’s not to say that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is without flaws. Various issues I find to be plagued in almost every roguelike game can be found hiding under the vigilante mask of this one too.
The innate repetitiveness of the genre is a flaw I found to be present in this title, often finding myself needing to take breaks to rejuvenate any desire of playing. Furthermore, despite the best and worthy effort of the devs to maintain a uniqueness to each and every run, eventually the game has run its course and the minute intricacies that account for this unique nature, are not worth sticking around for. Of course these are my views on the genre as a whole, and unless a title achieves something extremely unique to every run, I view it as par for the course in roguelike titles.
A Half-Shell of Fun for TMNT and Roguelike Fans
The heroes in a half shell have achieved an entertaining and exciting experience with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate. Just be sure, this roguelike genre entry, much like their nickname, is only enjoyable for half your playtime, before descending into the repetitive issue that afflicts the genre.
Important Links
Grab Some Pizza & Your Friends as TMNT: Splintered Fate’s Bodacious Co-op Roguelike is on Xbox – https://www.thexboxhub.com/grab-some-pizza-your-friends-as-tmnt-splintered-fates-bodacious-co-op-roguelike-is-on-xbox/
Exclusive Interview – The Art of Co-op Chaos, Super Evil Megacorp Dives Deep into TMNT: Splintered Fate – https://www.thexboxhub.com/exclusive-interview-the-art-of-co-op-chaos-super-evil-megacorp-dives-deep-into-tmnt-splintered-fate/
Buy TMNT: Splintered Fate on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-splintered-fate/9NM22MRRMX6Z/0010
