Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan Review

Platinum Games managed to surprise many with their last take on a Transformers game with Devastation, giving many hope that there is still a place for licensed games. When it was revealed the developer’s next title would be one based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, that hope lingered in what fans dreamed of being a long-overdue established game for the heroes in half shells. Having a story penned by Tom Waltz, a comic writer at IDW should help craft a worthwhile tale in the franchise surely? It can’t be as disappointing as the 2014 live action movie starring Megan Fox right? Alas, it very much can.

Gameplay is immediately tired. Missions within levels lack imagination or even effort to tie in to the overall plot. Either simply defeating a horde of enemies, defusing bombs or interacting with terminals (both are done in the exact same way, by just holding down one button) serve to just pass the time until you face off with that stage’s villain, whether that be Rocksteady, Bebop or another of the Turtles’ adversaries. Doesn’t matter if Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael are traversing the city streets, a train station or the sewers, each environment feels lacking, with very little to do or see before the showpiece fight. At one point, the skyline of Manhattan surrounds you and the in-game world has never look more majestic. The gameplay however, pins you down into a dull skyscraper location with nothing visually appealing in sight.

In boss battles, there’s a feeling that players with a bit more time and a lot more patience will be able to work out a stylistic combat system. Thrown in with upgradable special Ninjutsu moves and usable items, the game is trying to mix things up but combat inevitably comes down to hacking and slashing. There’s the ability to switch control of each turtles by holding the left trigger and pressing a direction on the d-pad. Having each turtle playable constantly at your will makes complete sense. However, it’s not as swift or effective as a quartet of ninjas should be and suggests that maybe it is always meant to be played co-operatively.

Multiplayer mode does allow you to have friends join in but they will have to be online, on their own console and copy of the game, as bizarrely there’s no drop-in, local co-op option. This mode also allows you to start from any level of your choosing even if you haven’t completed it in single player story mode. If you don’t have any friends ready to play online though, it remains a lonely affair.

The Design of the turtles and likewise the main villains themselves are great, with inspiration for their looks taken straight from the latest comics. The way they move in combat at least is done with some flair. It’s just such a shame that that doesn’t translate into the actual feel of the game or contribute to any enjoyment.

The biggest downfall of Mutants in Manhattan is how it made me not want to play it anymore. It was a slog through a sewer of boredom. Cutscenes in between story levels, with safely humorous dialogue and voice acting of the iconic characters, worthy of an animated series is a respite but a short lived one as the characters and story doesn’t get enough room to breathe. It does show that there is a desire to do justice to the Turtles somehow but unfortunately the game makes it stay in its shell.