Remember the latest Ninja Turtles movie? If so, there’s the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chaos Mutante review to refresh your memory, but know that in 2023 Paramount was the protagonist of an effective cinematic relaunch of the beloved TMNT, revisited in a more adolescent key than in the past. Written by Seth Rogen, Mutant Chaos was distinguished above all by its artistic direction, close in all respects to the youthful scribbles and caricatures that we all (more or less) made at school. In continuity with the feature film directed by Jeff Rowe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed arrives on October 18, a video game set in the same narrative universe as the film, ready to further enrich it.
A full-fledged sequel
Developed by AHeartfulofGames, Mutants Unleashed is an action adventure with platform elements, chronologically set after the events of the feature film released in 2023, since it represents a sequel to all intents and purposes. In the setting of Gamescom 2024 we were able to try a very short demo, which allowed us to try our hand at one of the various levels of the adventure.
We don’t have much information about the plot or even about the weight that the story could have for the entire franchise (here the review of Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesa series in turn set after the film), but we were happy to note the stylistic continuity between the videogame and the main work: in terms of artistic direction, the title published by Outright Games follows the example of the animated film, characterised by dark and dirty photography and by that exquisitely irregular, angular character design, almost “kneaded” by the imperfections of adolescence.
In short, anyone who plays Mutants Unleashed will first of all feel a reassuring sense of familiarity with the atmospheres of the much-loved Mutant Chaos, because in some sequences (especially cinematic ones) it really seems like they are seeing some frames from the film again.
A modest but effective action?
The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles title presents itself as a modest adventure in structure and content. Wanting to make a somewhat “romantic” argument, one could say that the simplicity and immediacy of the experience – including some naivety regarding the combat system – are the result of a vision in line with the tone of the franchise, which now more than ever is aimed at a very young audience.
For example, the animations didn’t seem particularly fluid and the impacts of the blows a bit rough, in a game that seems to want to offer a decidedly accessible experience even in terms of difficulty. After all, we’re not talking about a big triple A, but a production made by a young team, which from 2016 to today has published a handful of small-scale titles that in turn look to the brawler scene (above all Hear&Slash and Dynasty Feud). Now, Muntants Unleashed is an adventure divided into “corridor” levels in which 3D action mixes with short platform segments and two-dimensional progression: the goal is obviously to exterminate as many evil mutants as possible along the way until reaching the end of the stage, and maybe collect some themed collectibles in the meantime.
At the beginning of each chapter, you can select your favorite turtle, among Leonardo, Raffaello, Michelangelo, and Donatello. Although each brother has a different fighting style (after all, each weapon is different from the other), the basic gameplay formula is extremely basic, and allows you to alternate different combos with jumps and dodges to turn the fights to your advantage.
Sometimes, after filling the appropriate indicator, the four mutants will be able to unleash a powerful finishing move that can highlight the peculiarities of each of them, in a rather spectacular sequence. The combat system, in essence, does not want to reinvent the wheel, but we have been shown that the moves of each turtle can be enhanced and expanded through a skill tree that could make the battles a little more stratified.
Living New York
Mutants Unleashed also supports a co-op mode for up to 2 players: it will therefore be possible to tackle the various levels in the company of a second user, an option that will potentially increase the chaos on the screen. We have not yet been able to try this feature first-hand, but we can vaguely imagine a fair amount of fun in defeating mad mutants in co-op.
But Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed isn’t just about fighting, as players will be able to access several iconic locations in the film’s dark, scribbled New York. Through a main map, in fact, players will be able to travel through small areas where they can perform optional activities, such as talking to some supporting characters, changing the protagonists’ outfits, and interacting during specific secondary events. In the recently released trailer, for example, we see the four brothers sneak into a sort of mutant rave party, where none other than Bebop and Rocksteady are putting on a concert. About these contents, however, we will only be able to say more in the review.
