Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate Review
- Taylor Rioux
- Jun 16
- 5 min read
Growing up in the 90s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were my everything. I collected all the toys we could afford, wore shirts, and read books and comics that featured the shelled heroes. My love of the turtles became almost a running joke among my family, with many of the more unkind members using that to belittle or demean me in one way or another. But it didn’t really matter to me so long as I got to spend my time with the four brothers.
Publisher: Super Evil Megacorp Developer: Super Evil Megacorp Platform: Played on Windows PC (Steam) Availability: Released on May 4, 2023 for Mac and iOS, July 17, 2024 on Nintendo Switch, November 6, 2024 for Windows, May 20, 2025 for PS4/5, and June 24, 2025 for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. |
Perhaps my two greatest obsessions within the TMNT universe were the 1990 film (where I learned my first swear word, gleefully screaming “Damn!” to any and all who would listen), and the NES games. For me, it wasn’t just that I thought the games were good — it was a bonding experience between myself and my father. My father is an outdoorsman; he’s the type of man that would much rather feel blades of grass entwined between his toes than hold a controller in his hand. Me? Not so much. Where his favorite activities were fishing and hunting, I spent my days on the floor drawing pictures or playing video games. But dad always made time to do things that I liked, and he would seat himself next to me in front of that old, knobbed CRTV and join me in defeating the foot clan.
Of course, most of those attempts ended in failure. I was a young child and my dad was not a gamer, but just being there with him and trying to work through it together meant the world to me. I still remember the first time we beat Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project. I had lost all of my lives just before the final fight with Super Shredder, and my dad was on his last legs, but through sheer force of will (or perhaps divine providence) he came through and beat him. Crying from joy, I leapt into the air and hugged my dad, his prickly stubble poking me as I squeezed him. Those are the type of moments I’ll always remember with my father — spending time together (doing things perhaps one of us didn’t necessarily love) just to feel joy and closeness, to make one another happy and whole.
The art design is stellar and there are a ton of different systems to play around with.
While a title like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge may better replicate or advance the specific gameplay elements that those older titles developed, in many respects I feel more at home in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate. This title could best be described as a Hades-like, a roguelike action game with quick, reflexive combat, varied areas that culminate in large boss battles, and all of the power-ups and progression systems that come along with the type of game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is attempting to replicate — something it does perhaps better than any other Hades-like I've ever played. I have no real issue with the closeness of this game to its inspiration, as I find it hard to fault a game for doing something that works really well and making it their own. Though the counter-argument that it is not its own could be made in this case, I find it does enough to mechanically differentiate itself.
It’s true that many titles have attempted to mimic or cash-in on the success of Hades, but few have managed to actually nail the non-combat aspects that made it great. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate fulfills this by leaning into the bonds of the family throughout the story, and to some extent in the gameplay as well, with the turtles being able to take inspiration from their brothers in the form of abilities or tools. The story begins by seeing your father, the rat-ninja Master Splinter, abducted by the Foot Clan. As the titular reptilian brothers, your goal is to get him back through a series of combat trials. What stuck with me most throughout all of the game was not so much the combat, but how well they nailed that familial aspect of the core group. Throughout the game, the turtles express fear, worry, and sorrow for their missing father; they doubt that they’ll be able to save him. And while you get glimpses of Splinter as you finish a run, he is frequently torn away from the turtles again and again by a mysterious man in a portal, who only presents the ninjas with keepsakes of their father upon a victory.
It is in these moments that you are shown what each member means to their family. With every keepsake, the boys are reminded of how their father loved to spend his time — what his favorite foods are, and what he does for them. Their love is expressed through these bursts of dialogue with one another, supporting and uplifting one another throughout the process. Super Evil Megacorp has done such a phenomenal job of faithfully representing the characters in this title, with each not only retaining their notable personality quirks, but translating how special they are together. All of which is supported by stellar character portraits and voice acting throughout.
Super Evil Megacorp has done such a phenomenal job of faithfully representing the characters in this title, with each not only retaining their notable personality quirks, but translating how special they are together.
A mirror to my own family, the brothers may not always get along and they may squabble, but there is a deep love between them. The turtles’ desire to help their father at any cost speaks to me, and while the exact scenario is never one I could experience in real life, the pain of that loss resonates within me all the same. Every scene with Splinter and the TMNT left me thinking about my own father, and just how much I love him. How every time I fell down he was there for me — a man who did his best to prepare me for a world that is often unforgiving, but made sure I knew that I was loved and appreciated. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
Verdict Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate manages to not only be a fantastic action roguelike, but also an excellent vignette of what makes these characters so special to millions of people worldwide. The beautiful artwork, great voice acting, and excellent sound design do the game a great service in creating the atmosphere necessary to tell a tale like this one — one that is both light-hearted at times, and at others a powerful portrayal of what it means to be family. ![]() |
Image credits: Taylor Rioux
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