Review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed

Forgiveness might be divine, yet paying the full price for a late pizza or a shaky video game feels far from heavenly.

When the 2023 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem hit the screens, it became an instant favorite at my place. My two boys and I were thrilled. So naturally, when Outright Games announced TMNT Mutants Unleashed, a game inspired by the movie, I was pumped to keep that turtle passion alive with a promising gaming experience. Alas, that excitement was short-lived, as Mutants Unleashed, despite some decent ideas and faithful visuals, fails to deliver a consistent gaming adventure.

Mutants Unleashed offers a surprisingly intricate storyline that picks up right after Mutant Mayhem concludes, exploring the aftermath of our heroes’ acceptance in society. New mutants, humorously dubbed “Mewbies” by the turtles, are introduced mainly to give players something to pummel in classic beat-’em-up fashion. The game also brings in a host of teenage human allies for our reptilian protagonists. As a hallmark of Outright Games’ titles aimed at younger audiences, the voice acting is plentiful, which young players will undoubtedly enjoy. The dialogue perfectly captures the movie’s spirit; however, the narrative leans more into side story territory rather than a central plot, yet it remains engaging.

With TMNT’s history in beat-’em-up games, I had high hopes for some exciting co-op action. Unfortunately, the game’s combos and systems feel half-baked, swaying more towards character action, but not quite nailing the execution. Each turtle boasts unique skills and abilities even though multiplayer is limited to two players. While the combat didn’t fully captivate me, it’s undeniably easy to grasp, making it accessible for a wide age range. Yet, unlike other toddler-friendly Outright titles like Bluey or Paw Patrol, Mutants Unleashed is geared toward a slightly older crowd, so the simplicity of the combat ends up being a drawback.

What caught me off guard was the presence of interactive social segments echoing games like Persona and modern Fire Emblems. Players can guide a turtle through various social events to hang out with friends, though these stages drag on without much voice acting, causing the game’s pace to stall, particularly since cooperative play is sidelined. These segments unnecessarily stretch the gameplay to 15-20 hours, which doesn’t do the overall experience any favors. Adding insult to injury, the Switch version struggles with technical issues and painfully long load times. The delay was so drawn-out, I genuinely wondered if the game had crashed.

TMNT Mutants Unleashed houses some intriguing concepts, but they fail to gel into a stellar game. The combat is serviceable but forgettable, and although the social RPG angle is original, it’s poorly executed. This mishmash is particularly disheartening because the engaging plot writing shines. I can’t help but wish this game had been given more development time, as it has the potential to be something truly fantastic. Instead, it languishes in the shadows.