| TMNT Mutants Unleashed | |||
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| Gameplay & Story | Release Date | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
The halfshell heroes are back, and they have to save New York again from the Mewbies! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
TMNT Mutants Unleashed Review Overview
What is TMNT Mutants Unleashed?
Based on the TMNT: Mutant Mayhem movie, TMNT Mutants Unleashed is a 3D beat ‘em up game where you control one of four titular ninja turtles. The game features couch co-op, where you could play up to 2 players in one system. Explore the streets and boroughs of New York as you defeat the mutant newbies, or "mewbies," who are threatening the peace that the halfshell heroes worked hard to protect.
It also features a unique progression system where you interact with different characters to unlock more of the turtles’ skill trees. The combat is a DMC-inspired action game where encounters are ranked on style and will need you to avoid damage and do combos to get a high rank.
TMNT Mutants Unleashed features:
⚫︎ 3D Action Beat ‘Em Up
⚫︎ Based on Mutant Mayhem Film
⚫︎ 2 Player Couch Co-op
⚫︎ Simple Skill Tree Progression For Each Ninja Turtle
⚫︎ Unique Moveset and Gimmicks
⚫︎ DMC-Inspired Combat
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about TMNT Mutants Unleashed’s gameplay and story.
 TMNT Mutants Unleashed |
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 Switch |
 Steam |
 Playstation |
 Xbox |
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TMNT Mutants Unleashed Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Surprisingly Difficult Captures the Movie’s Art Style Unique Progression |
Dated Combat Unchangeable Binds Missed Opportunity for 4 Player Co-op |
TMNT Mutants Unleashed Overall - 66/100
TMNT Mutants Unleashed is a decent 3D beat ‘em up that has its hits and misses. It has a surprisingly unique progression system that works since it builds up on existing characters while building the world around the main cast. However, its gameplay problems, missed opportunities, and not-so-great voice acting do more harm than good. It’s quite clear that the target audience is for the younger generation similar to the film, and not a lot of people might appreciate its simple gameplay, stylistic and cartoony visuals, and snarky dialogue.
TMNT Mutants Unleashed Story - 7/10
The story picks up months after the end of the film. It’s not entirely necessary to watch the film before you play the game, but it does give you more context on the characters’ personalities. It’s a pretty simple story, one that isn’t entirely compelling or engaging. After more mutants appear around New York, they attempt to coexist with the humans around them. However, things don’t go as planned, as now it’s up to the four ninja turtles to stop the rampaging "mewbies."
TMNT Mutants Unleashed Gameplay - 7/10
The combat is reminiscent of a very simplistic Devil May Cry-esque style and the classic 3D beat ‘em up games that the franchise was always known for. Despite the simplistic combat, it distinguishes itself with a surprising way to apply the Persona-esque Social Links for progression, which means that players hang out with the different characters in the game to upgrade the ninja turtles.
TMNT Mutants Unleashed Visuals - 6/10
Following the aesthetic of the film, TMNT Mutant Unleashed looks very much like the source material. The only issue being that not everyone likes the art style that was on the film, including myself. Other than the actual art direction, the biggest problem is the significant lack of animations that the characters had when it came to expressing themselves, where the animation was one of the main draws of the movie.
TMNT Mutants Unleashed Audio - 6/10
The overall sound design of the game is average at best. The music and sound effects aren’t exactly the best, but the voice acting was pretty bad. This is especially true during gameplay, as some of them have lines that don’t fit the attacks they’re doing. It isn’t usually a dealbreaker for myself, but this example was so egregious that I couldn’t ignore it.
TMNT Mutants Unleashed Value for Money - 7/10
The game is priced at $39.99 and it offers a fair bit of stuff to do. For one, it actually has couch co-op, and the multiplayer is pretty decent. My biggest complaint is that you can’t play with 4 people so that all of the turtles get their shine. For the target audience, I would say that this is a pretty good price point. Especially since the gameplay is very simple and very straightforward. It’s a lighthearted game that’s meant to be enjoyed in bits and pieces with a friend rather than a hardcore action game like DMC.
TMNT Mutants Unleashed Review: Missed Angles of Attack
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise is a well-known series, so it’s surprising to me if someone hasn’t heard of them. Even today, where they’re making a conscious effort to market the franchise to younger audiences with their latest movie. Enter Mutants Unleashed, where they adapt the film into video game form.
To put it simply, the game is meant to be enjoyed as a casual action game that you can enjoy with a friend and marketed for an audience that doesn't take the game design too seriously. While you could certainly enjoy the game that way, there are still a couple of missed opportunities that the game didn’t capitalize on.
50-50 Adaptation
In terms of visuals and overall aesthetic, the game does a great job of following the theme. One of the key things that was different in the Mutant Mayhem movie was the overall look of the characters in general, opting for a more cartoonish design. It certainly looks the part, as evidenced through the stylistic visuals in the game, and they even include how the turtles dress casually for different occasions.
The biggest issue of the adaptation is the lack of animations that the movie had an abundance of. The turtles themselves were a very expressive bunch in the film, and seeing the dialogue unfold in the game where they only have a few Disney expressions was a big letdown. The overall aesthetic could be subjective, but the animations in the game were objectively lackluster.
To add to this, the voice acting in the game isn’t very good as compared to the actual film. It already took me a while to get used to their new younger voices, but for some reason they sound very bad in the game. This isn’t necessarily a knock to the actual voice actors, as they did a good job in the movie, but maybe the delivery for the game was lacking.
The Game Has Social Links?!
One of the weirdest yet well-thought-out of inclusions in the game was the existence of Skill Trees. While this may be a basic part of almost every action game nowadays, TMNT Mutants Unleashed has a unique way for you to progress on each respective turtle’s tree. You have to do events on your free time where each turtle gets the spotlight on their own and interacts with the different characters in the world. If you’re familiar with Persona, it’s kind of like Social Links where you have to do them periodically to get the next tier of skills that each turtle has.
This was honestly a weird addition to the game, but I have to give the devs credit for making it a way to build on each of the ninja turtle’s characters and the world as well. It wasn’t just another gated story progression where you need to complete a certain stage to unlock the next tier of skills. It’s also another good way of getting players to acclimate with the dialogue, as you could classify the lingo as modern or very Gen-Z, so to speak.
A Relic of the Past
The combat of the game is very nostalgic, as it reminded me of the older 3D beat ‘em up games that TMNT used to have. They were never really known for having a complex game, which isn’t bad. In similar fashion, Mutants Unleashed still follows that formula, making the game very simple to execute and understand.
The big surprise in the game was that just mindlessly attacking can get you killed. You’ll quickly find out that the enemies are pretty relentless and that you’ll need to actually defend yourself. This was a good kind of surprise, as you wouldn’t really survive just mindlessly button mashing.
But even then, the combat itself is very dated, as I’m pretty sure that the other TMNT games have done this before as well. The only difference is that the visuals are very different. Every ninja turtle has their own unique gimmick, and each of them has their own combos, but most of the time you’ll be doing the same sequence of attacks to access them.
Awkward Controls and Binds
As an action game, part of the game is learning the game’s controls and making the most out of the game’s mechanics. One big problem that the game has is that both the Dodge and Block button are on the same bind. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal until you find out that you have to hold the button to actually block.
Can’t you just rebind the controls? That’s the thing, you can’t. If you could change the bind on blocking, it would be a big lifesaver as you could take advantage of perfect blocking. The game has Block Counters and it’s pretty hard to use, especially since enemies tend to come at you from all directions.
Big Misses
One of the biggest missed opportunities is that the game can’t be played with 4 players. Now, I get that they made the Assist feature to showcase the other unused turtles, but there’s a reason why there are four of them fighting together most of the time. Call it a limitation or not, it’s definitely awkward to only see two out of four turtles out and about.
It’s a decent game that has its fair share of bad takes and dated game design. Even if it’s marketed for younger audiences, it could’ve been way better than it already is. Regardless, it’s good that the franchise is still getting video games, as I feel that it’s been a series that has seen a lack of attention for the past few years. While this game doesn’t really scratch the itch for an actual TMNT action game, I’ll still be waiting for a video game adaptation for The Last Ronin.
Is TMNT Mutants Unleashed Worth It?
Not Really. Only If You’re a Big Fan.
The TMNT franchise has been a long-standing series that has had its fair share of media, including video games. Mutants Unleashed is an okay game at best, and it has some issues that could dissuade you from playing the game. Those who were fans of the movie and the franchise might appreciate their characters in this iteration, but it’s definitely not for everyone.
The game is intended to target younger audiences based on the dialogue and overall simplicity of the actual gameplay. Even if it’s priced at $39.99, which is pretty good, it’s a hard sell for those who aren’t super invested in the franchise. You can opt to buy a different game from the historic franchise where you could probably buy a 4-player co-op game instead.
| Digital Storefronts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Switch |
Steam |
Playstation |
Xbox |
| $39.99 | Wishlist only | ||
TMNT Mutants Unleashed FAQ
Do You Need to Watch the Film Before Playing TMNT Mutants Unleashed?
Not really, but you’ll get a lot of context if you do so. They build on the existing characters based on the movie’s depiction of them. They quickly brief you on what happened at the end of the film, so there’s really no need to worry about watching the movie beforehand.
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TMNT Mutants Unleashed Product Information
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| Title | TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANTS UNLEASHED |
|---|---|
| Release Date | October 18, 2024 |
| Developer | AHEARTFULOFGAMES |
| Publisher | Outright Games Ltd. |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | Action, Beat ‘Em Up |
| Number of Players | 1-2 Players (Offline) |
| Rating | E 10+ |
| Official Website | TMNT Mutants Unleashed Official Website |
