Dotemu and Tribute Games’ excellent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge recently ignited our passion for half-shell heroes in a way we haven’t felt in a long time. With the imminent release of Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, we’re gearing up to dive into other wave of emotion and nostalgia very soon.
With so many TMNT games making their way to Nintendo consoles over the years, it’s hard to know exactly where to start, let alone which Ninja Turtle (or Hero Turtle in the UK) to choose from once you decide on a game. So, to help you rank them all, we asked the lovely readers of Nintendo Life to rate the Turtles games they’ve played and help us rank every single TMNT game on Nintendo systems, and the result is below.
Remember: the following order is updated in real time according to each game’s corresponding user rating in the Nintendo Life game database. Even as you read this, it’s entirely possible to influence the ranking below. If you haven’t rated your favorites yet, simply click the ‘star’ of the game you want to rate below and give it a rating right now.
And what about Konami’s aforementioned Cowabunga Collection? We’ll add it once you’ve had some time to test it out, but as a compilation made up of many of the best games on the list below, we hope this helps you decide what to play first once you finish the game. releases
So, ready to eat a delicious pizza in the sewer? Grab your favorite color mask and let’s give the Foot Clan a good kick…
Editor: activision / Developer: magic pockets
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (also known simply as “Ninja Turtles”, to avoid confusion with the 2013 3DS game) is an isometric action game based on the 2014 film of the same name produced by Michael Bay. You can play as any of the four turtles, and each one has its own special ability: tank, healer, mage, rogue.
Fun fact: Danny Woodburn, who voiced Splinter in the 2014 reboot, reprized his role in this game.
Editor: Ubisoft / Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
This game created by Ubisoft and based on the 2007 movie was inspired by Prince of Persia with its rooftop acrobatic platform, plus the usual “play as any of the Turtles” option. Released on almost all platforms at the time, the PSP and DS version was obviously significantly downgraded to meet the requirements of handheld consoles.
Editor: activision
True to the classic TMNT gameplay and atmosphere, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an energetic beat ’em up with character upgrades, secondary items, and multiple game modes. It tells a Turt-tastic story through animated TV reboot-style cut scenes, and handles the source material with care. However, since the game is usually shallow and quickly repetitive, it failed to reach the heights of retro TMNT games.
Editor: Konami / Developer: Konami
This 2005 Konami version of the TMNT series is based on the 2003 TMNT TV show, which was a bit edgier and more adult-oriented than the original 1980s TV series. The “Mutant Nightmare” in the title is refers to the last of the game’s four chapters, which has the Turtles fighting bosses in their dreams, after defeating all of their usual enemies like the Shredder and the Foot Clan.
Editor: Konami / Developer: Konami
One of many TMNT games inspired by the 2003 TV reboot, Mutant Melee is Turtley’s take on the Smash Bros. formula, with 22 playable characters to unlock and face off against each other in “Last Man Standing.” There are other modes available to mix it up a bit, such as “Knock Out”, a timed challenge; “King of the Hill”, where players can earn points by staying in certain areas longer; and “Keep Away,” which doubles as an Overwatch-esque escort mission for an important chest.
Editor: activision / Developer: WayForward
Developed by Shantae’s WayForward studio, with a soundtrack composed by Jake Kaufman (later Shovel Knight’s composer), this game was designed to bridge the gap between seasons two and three of the 2012 TV show, with elements of the history of both. as well as references to the NES game. It was also one of Three TMNT Games 2014!
Editor: activision / Developer: magic pockets
A companion game to the Nintendo 3DS Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this was the second TMNT game published by Activision, and the first game based on the 2012 Nickelodeon show. As Turtles games go, this is a fee of much lower level.
Developer: Ubisoft
This single-player action-adventure game was based on the 2007 CGI movie and was developed by Ubisoft after getting the rights from Konami. Like the DS and GameCube releases, this game focuses on a darker, more edgy tone for the Turtle brothers, a bit more in keeping with the original comics.
Editor: Konami / Developer: Konami
Battle Nexus is a stealth-focused action platformer featuring stories from the second season of the 2003 animated television series and includes single-player and four-player local co-op. On the Game Boy Advance, it is a very different game from its console counterparts and features the voices of Sam Riegel (Phoenix Wright in the Ace Attorney games and Donatello in many TMNT incarnations) and Michael Sinterniklaas (Leonardo and Taki Tachibana in Your name).
