Whether you had the cash to shove into the slot or not, gamers of a certain age can't help feel a shiver of nostalgia for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle arcade machines of the late '80s and '90s whenever they see a certain pixellated shade of green. It's abundantly clear that the developers at Tribute Games feel it too, and TNMT: Shredder's Revenge faithfully channels the 1989 original as well (fittingly) as 1991's Turtles in Time. Crucially, they have evolved the coin hungry format of the original into a more layered brawler for the 2020s. So, the sidescrolling beat-'em-up style is here in spades, as is the 16-ish bit art style and a host of nods and Easter eggs for players old enough to remember the originals, but gone are the gameplay quirks that were mostly designed to get you to put another coin in the slot. You now have the ability to dodge left and right, for example, as well as offensive abilities like a heavy attack that you can charge and a screen-clearing mega move that you can activate once you've filled a meter. The upshot is a game that keeps you in the right place along its difficulty curve, delivering a satisfying feeling of accomplishment rather than an infuriating sense that somewhere out there is an arcade owner who wants your money. Up to four players can get into the fight simultaneously, with Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, April and Splinter all bringing their own abilities to the fight!
