A return to the original arcade titles of yesteryear with all the accouterments you would expect of it, including a gorgeous new coat of paint. The sprite detail is impeccable here, the fighting as simple as you’d hope, and level structure like those of classic beat-em ups. With a large cast of characters that lets you play as all the turtles, Splinter, April O’Neil, and eventually Casey Jones, they do a good job of making each one transparently distinct. At the same time they don’t feel so wildly different as to discourage me from constantly cycling through each character. It helped keep the game fresh by encouraging running through levels over again to get missed items and level up specific characters.

Whether you’re an OG arcade veteran or a newborn gamer, it’s easy to get lost in the breezy combat of Shredder’s Revenge. Each side scrolling level is beautifully crafted and animated, replete with secrets, pizza boxes, and awesome boss fights starring nearly all longtime TMNT villains. Culminating in a cartoon-worthy finale where you have to face Shredder and a robot Statue of Liberty controlled by Krang in the heart of New York City. A fight that I would argue is the only truly difficult level of the game. Now at its core Shredder’s Revenge is a very basic arcade game. Extremely polished no doubt, but as deep as the games it emulates. If its structure doesn’t entice you, if you want a little more out of your time-wasters, then don’t pick it up. I think Shredder’s Revenge makes the right move in keeping it as simple as possible, but I can recognize it’s not for everyone.