Summary
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revengeis the best TMNT game of all time. There’s some strong competition with Turtles in Time,Splintered Fate, and even hidden gems like the 2007 movie tie-in, butTribute Games’ masterpiece is second to none when it comes to turtle-y awesome games.
I thought as much two years ago when Shredder’s Revenge first launched, and it’s only gotten better with time. The excellent Dimension Shellshock DLC, which added a new mode alongside Usagi and Karai,pushed it even closer to perfection and set a new bar that I didn’t think could be lept over. Especially since that expansion felt like the perfect place to end Shredder’s Revenge.
You know what they say about not keeping a good mutant down, though. Earlier this week,Tribute Games surprised us all by revealing a new DLC for Shredder’s Revenge called Radical Reptiles. It’s a slimmer offering than Dimension Shellshock, being more of a character and music pack than an expansion, but what it does bring to the pizza table is further proof that Shredder’s Revenge is king of the beat ‘em-ups.
Mondo Gecko? More Like Mondo Awesome
The main selling point of Radical Reptiles is its two new playable characters, Mondo Gecko and Mona Lisa, who make perfect sense as the next mutants to join the expansive crew. I’ve been wanting Mondo Gecko to be added ever since Shredder’s Revenge was announced, and he absolutely lives up to the two-year wait.
Shredder’s Revenge game designerFrederic Gemus previously told me that he’d love to add Ray Filet to the game, so who knows if this really is the end?
Fittingly, Mondo’s combat revolves around his skateboard, which he uses to move around at high speed and combo enemies like there’s no tomorrow. His jump-kick lets him hop between foot soldiers like there’s no tomorrow and he even has a unique aerial dodge using his deck that gives him way more control than other characters while in the air.
Shredder’s Revenge has plenty of speedy characters (Mikey and Usagi instantly come to mind), but Mondo is on another radical level. Call it recency bias, but he’s undoubtedly the best character in Shredder’s Revenge and feels so good to play that I’ve already nearly finished the campaign again while getting to grips with him, something that even Karai and my previous favourite Usagi couldn’t do.
Mona Lisa Is Shredder’s Revenge’s Most Unique Character
Then there’s Mona Lisa, who is just as unique as Mondo Gecko, but for entirely different reasons. While she does have the melee attacks you’d expect, some of her moves incorporate her love of science and have her chucking explosive beakers filled with mystery fluid at unsuspecting Mousers. There’s no other character on the roster like her and, even if she’s not as close to my heart as Mondo, it’s nice to see Tribute Games outdo itself once again.
I would have been more than happy if the latest update just added those two into the mix,but it also brings along a brand new remixed soundtrack, fittingly titled Radical Remixes. Shredder’s Revenge already has a banger of an OST that has remained in my most-played on Spotify since 2022, but these new tracks all sound just as great and give you another reason to go through the game again.
Unsurprisingly, Anamanaguchi’s remix of Panic in the Sky! is the highlight of the new soundtrack and something I’ll be listening to for the rest of the year.
And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. Despite it being an incredibly busy year for gaming, Mondo Gecko, Monda Lisa, and the new music have pushed me to yet again finish the Shredder’s Revenge campaign, for what now must be the fifth or sixth time. The latest DLC might not include any new missions or levels, but what it does add feels so great to play that I once again can’t put the game down.
Radical Reptiles doesn’t do anything groundbreaking for a DLC pack, but it’s still placed Shredder’s Revenge in a new light for me. Not only is it the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game that there ever was and likely ever will be (no pressure, Rise of the Ronin), but I’m more confident than ever that it’s also the best beat ‘em-up of all time.
That’s a bold claim with Streets of Rage 4, River City Girls, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World all eyeing up the crown, but it’s one that Shredder’s Revenge has time and time again proven that it’s worthy of. I’m a bit biased as a certified shellhead, but I dare anyone to look at what Shredder’s Revenge has become and tell me otherwise.
