Ah, the heroes in a half shell. Having been a mere teenager when the Turtles broke out and hit their prime, I’ve played quite a lot of hours as one of the quartet, though I’ll admit that I’ve always gravitated more to Donatello than the rest for that reach of his. It has been fun the last year or so if you’re a fan of the franchise, what with the release of a collection of their old-school hits, as well as a modern retro remake that managed to take so much of what worked in the original beat-em-ups and to then improve on them.

Wrath of the Mutants may have a look and style all its own, but it is clearly inspired by the arcade originals for the most part. You and up to 3 of your friends will get to choose which locale to play in, which will then dictate which segments and enemies are included, with you trying to survive and get through both a mini-boss and a main boss before being able to consider each stage completed. Then, once you complete all of the ones unlocked at the beginning, you’ll also have the opportunity to match up with Shredder himself as an added bonus challenge.

As the genre tends to go, the core move set feels limited initially, but as you get used to and then attempt to make special moves you’ll find more depth than expected. That’s not to say that there’s as much variety as in the likes of Streets of Rage 4 or even some more humble options out there, but on a general level the lack of depth can lead the game to having a bit of a button-mashy feel. Worse, while it’s nice to see cameos from characters who are both well known and more obscure, the boss fights in particular feel like a bit of a mess to not so much conquer but merely endure for a while.

I suppose if the other versions of the arcade game weren’t already out there, this would have had more of a chance. The Turtles are well-known and there’s a generation of folks out there who still love the original beat-em-ups, so anything showing some of that same energy could easily generate some interest. The problem is, the other options are now already out there, and while this can keep you entertained for some nostalgic fun it struggles since, modern or not, the quality of play isn’t there. Of course, that’s not even getting into Shredder’s Revenge, which upped the ante with improvements on the classic mechanics while making the experience more accessible to everyone. While its art style is at least something that sets it apart from the pack, Wrath of the Mutants’ gameplay sadly doesn’t quite get to that same level.