Due to some crafty licensing work, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) was a huge phenomenon in the ’80s and ’90s, and still holds its own today.
Not everybody realizes that TMNT started out as a traditional comic book; the toys, movies, birthday party favors and, yes, video games came later. If you go by when the ink hit the stands, 2009 is TMNT’s 25th anniversary. And there’s no better way to celebrate a Bronze-era book’s Silver anniversary than with a classic coin-op redux for XBLA.
Ubisoft ported the original TMNT coin-op ROM to Xbox Live Arcade in 2007, although it was a somewhat bare-bones effort—no widescreen, no up-rated visuals and quarter-sucking difficulty settings. Ubisoft’s work on the arcade follow-up to TMNT, known as Turtles in Time, however, is a fully fleshed-out port worthy of a big 25th anniversary gala for half-shelled reptiles.
Stealing the show of this port of Konami’s 1991 coin-operated release is the widescreen support and the general visual overhaul that the entire ROM has received. While those still stuck in the ’80s (you know who you are…throw those jelly bracelets and Hammer pants away already—D) will probably want to play Turtles In Time in standard format, battling with the added pixels nearly makes it seem like you’re playing a new indy XBLA release featuring those lovable mutants.
As said, HD support really helps TMNT: Turtles In Time Re-Shelled come alive, but Ubisoft did more than just add resolution in its quest for aesthetics. Both backgrounds and characters have received a healthy bump up in quality—not a jaggy to be found. Turtles In Time Re-Shelled doesn’t quite look cel-shaded, but it does have a fancy sheen that completely modernizes this code. Again, some will no doubt complain about the heavy visual polishing, but Ubisoft really did a fine job here of adding artistic brilliance without sacrificing the essence of the original experience in the process. It’s worth noting that referenced visual polish for Turtles In Time Re-Shelled carries throughout—from the shell-pattern menu screens to the fancy H.U.D. graphics, complete with a commendable font choice. The only real downside to the superior look is a bit of loading time, but it’s more than bearable. Bottom line: It’s one of the better classic coin-op’s graphic re-imaginings that you’ll find on XBLA.
Gameplay changes to the original code are much more transparent than those of the visual kind. If you’ve played either of the early TMNT coin-ops (or the early ’90s Nintendo versions), you’ll have a good idea of what Turtles In Time Re-Shelled on XBLA is all about. This is a straight-up hack-and-slash—side-scrolling—with the ability to move laterally within each frame.
Each turtle has certain attributes—and if you know the TMNT backstory, unique weaponry tied into these ratings. For instance, Donatello wields a bo-staff, so his range is superior to the other turtles. Furthermore, Raphael’s sais make him the most agile combatant, and Michelangelo’s nunchaku give him an advantage when it comes to special attacks. And speaking of specials, each turtle has a unique move that can clear multiple enemies with a single blow. These aren’t the screen-filling specials of a fighting game—rather, an added attack that can get you out of the multi-enemy jams that occur often in Turtles In Time Re-Shelled.
Four difficulty levels and slightly reworked enemy AI (that keeps the emphasis on the user playing well to progress, not on ramped-up difficulty with the goal of eating more of an arcade player’s quarters) makes for an entertaining pick-up-and-play experience. Yes, it’s important to know that it takes very little skill to do well in TMNT: Turtles In Time Re-Shelled. The only technique that will make you better at than the next guy is probably a bit of a cheater quirk—if you attack enemies while moving in what would be the Z-axis, they become somewhat defenseless.
Moving fore and aft in the Z axis, attacking all the while, is the quickest way to take down the baddies of Turtles In Time Re-Shelled. If you don’t use this trick and are playing as a single turtle, you’ll more than likely get a severe, gang-up-style beatdown in the higher difficulty settings. This tough solo gameplay could also say something about the original game’s design and the way in which Ubisoft set Turtles In Time Re-Shelled up. This hack-and-slash is meant to be played cooperatively (either locally or via Xbox Live) with a total of four users. Four strong—that’s how turtles roll.
To Konami’s credit, the original TMNT: Turtles In Time is worlds better than its predecessor, even though only a few years separated their arcade appearances. This in itself makes Turtles In Time Re-Shelled better than the XBLA version of TMNT from the get-go. Add to the mix the meticulous reworking by Ubisoft and a fair 800 Microsoft Point price tag (about $10), and you’re suddenly staring at one of the best XBLA hack-and-slash classics ever to grace Xbox Live Arcade.
Achievements
You won’t find many easier Achievement lists than the one in TMNT: Turtles In Time Re-Shelled. You’ll pretty much be rewarded for doing what is necessary to beat the game in its various modes. You won’t have to go out of your way too often to score an achievement, nor will you have to venture online. The only achievement that will take some work is the 30-point “Heroes in a Half-Shell” milestone that requires a user to beat the Story Mode four times before it’s all said and done.
Here’s the full list for reference:
- The Inflatable Reptilian Hero—Get flattened by any trap. (5 points)
- Seen My Bones?—Get zapped by any laser traps or attacks. (5 points)
- Invincible—Complete a level without having to use a single Power-up. (5 points)
- Turtle Tantrum!—Destroy more than 5 enemies using a destructible object. (5 points)
- Slow as a Turtle—Complete a level in under 3 minutes. (10 points)
- Lean, Green and Mean—Achieve more than 8,000 points. (20 points)
- Toe Be or Not Toe Be?—Avoid all traps in Level 3. (20 points)
- Ice, Ice Turtle—Avoid Ice Ray traps in Level 8. (20 points)
- Staying Alive—Defeat the Final Boss without dying. (25 points)
- Turtle Power—Complete the game in Story Mode. (Normal difficulty onwards) (25 points)
- I Will Survive—Complete a Survival Mode game (Normal difficulty onwards). (30 points)
- Heroes in a Half Shell—Complete the game with all 4 Turtles. (30 points)
