tnmt fall of the foot clan

content/games/gameboy/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-fall-of-the-foot-clan.md

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+---
+title: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Early Fall of the Foot Clan"
+date: 2022-07-03
+score: 2
+howlongtobeat_id: 9654
+howlongtobeat_hrs: 1
+game_name: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan'
+game_genre: "Beat 'em up"
+tags:
+  - turtles
+game_release_year: 1990
+game_developer: 'Konami'
+---
+
+The release of [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge](/games/switch/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-shredders-revenge) last month made my inner child very happy. That child still remembers fondly the old TNMT (typing _Teenage Mutant..._ is getting old) Game Boy games, and although I never owned the first one back then, I reckoned I'd start there: Konami's 1990 release and first attempt to draw some ninja shells in a petite resolution devoid of color. How will these Turtles now be recognized? By their weapon, of course!
+
+_Fall of the Foot Clan_ isn't the first Turtles game on a Nintendo system, the 1989 NES version preceded it. The Game Boy games aren't the most popular Turtles versions either, but some of them are really, really good---we'll eventually get to them. This one isn't. It does deserve credit to some degree. The Game Boy was very new, Konami also fucked up the first Castlevania handheld game, so let's assume they had quite a bit of trouble mastering the development for the system. Here, the Turtles and enemies have nice big sprites, and some backgrounds are detailed adequately enough for such an early release. 
+
+![](lvls.png "Stage 1 and 4, respectively.")
+
+Perhaps it's precisely because of those fairly large sprites, but the game is far from a smooth beat 'em up. It looks like Konami interpreted "turtles" too literally; at one point I had the feeling that I was crawling just to reach the end of a stage. Furthermore, ghosting issues persist to haunt the player (ha!)---I _think_ the Foot Clan employed these techniques by accident, but it's funnily enough something that could match a sneaky ninja trying to backstab the do-gooders. 
+
+What are the key characteristics of a beat 'em up? Smooth running from left to right: che---erhm, fail. Lots of beating, check? That'll depend. Enemies jump at you from all angles: they appear to the left and to the right of you, jump at you from below or from above. But in the end, it feels more like a rhythm game: if you change directions on the right time and press `A` to attack, a short **kapow** signifies all enemies that have been neatly lined up exploded into a small dust cloud. Only in the very last stage, stage 5, the pesky robots with electric leashes take two hits to kill. 
+
+There isn't a lot of variation either. Later (handheld) Turtle games involve elevator fights, avoiding stuff coming out of windows, the iconic sewer pitfall, and so forth. In the first iteration, it's ninja's, robots (the pesky flying ones and the even peskier hungry ones), falling bricks (that can be destroyed?), and an awful lot of rolling barrels to avoid. No skateboard or airboard chase scenes, no vehicles, no local link multiplayer.
+
+![](boss-still.png "Bebop's unavoidable bullet with one live left... ")
+
+Each stage---there are five of them---has a first part (for instance, the what I presume are New York streets, the riverside/swamps? Not sure?) and a second part, which is almost always in the sewers. The musical score changes accordingly, which by the way is quite good; a lot better than the gameplay. At the end of that section, you'll encounter one of the iconic Turtle bosses: Bebop, Rocksteady, Shredder, and so forth. Shredder is the boss of stage 4, and he doesn't do a whole lot except swing a silly looking sword and disappear to change positions. If it's life points you're going to lose, it'll be because you were overwhelmed _before_ approaching the boss. 
+
+In-between stages, _Fall of the Foot Clan_ does its best to tell a story using stills, such as the Technodrome image in the screenshot above. You'll have to imagine it moving and making excruciatingly loud noises. Again, for being 1990, it's a commendable effort that could have been left out. 
+
+There's no password or save system, but instead, you can select which stage you'd like to tackle with a Ninja Turtle of your choice---given that he's not been "captured" (died) before. Unfortunately, the stages are _very_ short. Being `128 K`, the game ROM is twice the size of [Super Mario Land](/games/gameboy/super-mario-land), but that's still very small and just using one memory bank. Given the relatively impressive sprite size and detail, the game can't really be faulted for that. Still, you'll help The Foot Clan fall faster than an average dinner. 
+
+In 2022, _TNMT: Fall of the Foot Clan_ is an interesting curiosity that played a role towards handheld Turtle mastery, but it was the first of three entries, and it's also the least interesting to go back to. The cart is pretty cheap, so if you're so inclined, feel free to check it out, or wait for the [TNMT: The Cowabunga Collection](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1659600/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_The_Cowabunga_Collection/) instead.
+
+

content/games/switch/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-shredders-revenge.md

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+---
+title: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge"
+date: 2022-06-26
+score: 5
+game_release_year: 2022
+howlongtobeat_id: 89573
+howlongtobeat_hrs: 2.5
+game_name: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge"
+game_developer: 'Tribute Games'
+game_genre: "Beat 'em up"
+tags:
+  - turtles
+---
+
+From the moment the publisher Dotemu released the first trailer a year ago, I've been excitedly and anxiously looking forward to the release of _Shredder's Revenge_: beautiful 2D pixel art, a beat 'em up in the same grand scale as _Turtles in Time_, up to six player local co-op play support, a banger soundtrack---what else do you want from a game like this? Luckily, my anxiousness immediately waned as soon as I started playing it. From the moment I booted up the game---where you're greeted with a beautifully animated nineties-inspired intro cinematic---until the very end, the big grin on my face only went bigger. _Cowabunga!_
+
+For those of you looking for a completely unique experience that reinvents the beat 'em up genre, you're going to be disappointed. But for the rest of you, those of you expecting to have a blast while bashing some ninjas: you definitely will highly enjoy _Shredder's Revenge_. The game indeed perhaps plays it a bit too safe when it comes to level design: mostly a from-left-to-right affair with the expected skateboard/airboard levels and a few elevator stops that spawn lots of baddies. But again: I didn't expect it to be radically different, I just hoped it to be really good. 
+
+![](sewers.jpg "Shredder's Revenge takes you through conventional levels like the sewers, but also more original ones, like the city zoo.")
+
+And it is. Each turtle handles great, the controls are sharp, and there are more combo moves available compared to the SNES classics. Dealing an uppercut is done by pressing `Y` and `B` at the same time, and that was the only one I had a bit trouble with, especially with the Siwtch's inferior Joy-con controllers. The more ninja ass you kick, the fuller a super meter becomes, that allows you to pull off a super move, destroying everything in the vicinity. Your meter completely discharges as soon as you become hit though, so there's a nice trade-off. 
+
+Each playable character (there are 6 from the start: the 4 Ninja heroes, Splinter, April, and unlockables) has a few different attributes such as speed, power, and range. Donatello's bo staff has the best range while Raphael's weapons do more damage. The difference is noticeable enough to warrant another play-through, but not completely different. Since the single player campaign or "story mode" is over after two to three hours, it's good to have the option to switch to another character.
+
+![](map.jpg "In story mode, you can navigate between episodes using the Turtle Mobile on a map.")
+
+The story mode is divided between sixteen episodes, each ending with a boss fight. You'll likely finish each episode within 6-7 minutes, but I didn't find that to be a problem: _Shredder's Revenge_ keeps the dopamine and energy flowing, rushing from one stage to the next, in pursuit of Krang's exoskeleton android pieces, initially stolen by Bebop and Rocksteady. There are secret things to find in the stage, but they only yield extra points or achievement unlocks, which didn't interest me as much as having another unlockable character or super move.
+
+_Shredder's Revenge_ is simply stunning. The animators have really pulled all stops here: all frames are gorgeous and I couldn't stop looking at the background and silly animations or enemies idling about before a turtle arrives and tears the place apart. Some enemies can be seen stealing a wheel of the Turtle mobile, licking icicle pops, working behind a desk, selling vegetables, sleeping on a bench, ... These little details all add up to the prolonged presence of that big grin on my face. 
+
+![](dojo.jpg "The 'Dojo' is a place to meditate, lick your wounds, and inspect achievements.")
+
+The last Turtle games I played intensively were the [Game Boy](/games/gameboy) ones, where I remember the music being especially good. This is also true with the latest Turtle installment. It even boasts some really big names: the fight with Shredder (Spoiler!) is backed up by Ghostface Killah and Raekwon's beats and lyrics of the Wu-tang Clan. Other level soundtracks remind me of [Sonic Mania](/games/switch/sonic-mania), where the upbeat retro vibes also sent chills down my spine. _Shredder's Revenge_ soundtrack must be among the best I've heard this year. Perhaps that's because the brilliant [Tee Lopes](https://www.teelopesmusic.com/music), the music artist, also composed Mania's offical soundtrack!
+
+As far as enjoyable beat 'em ups go, this game just can't be faulted. Sure, it's quite short, plays it safe, and hasn't got too much enemy variety. So what? Are you going to play this for ten hours straight like a complex RPG? No. Are you expecting intricate level design from something like this? No. Do you want chaotic co-op gameplay? Yes. A great soundtrack, gorgeous pixel art and satisfying moves that send enemies flying all over the place? Yes, please! 
+
+![](golems.jpg "Later episodes throw harder enemies at you, like these golems and spider-like robots. Nothing Ralph can't handle though.")
+
+I can easily see myself enjoying _Shredder's Revenge_ for years to come, in small but regular play sessions, among friends (in which this game clearly shines), but also by myself. I haven't explored the online co-op play options, but for those who want it, it's there. I'm more interested in the couch experience where you can yell to your friends and possibly throw a controller at them. 
+
+This is an exceptionally well done tribute from Tribute Games to both the nineties _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ and the beat 'em up genre, in the same league as the recent _Streets of Rage 4_. Cowabunga indeed.
+

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+        "name": "June 2022 In Review",
+        "content": "June 2022 is no more—this marks yet another midpoint of yet another year. June is traditionally a month filled with exam/master thesis/course project preparation and grading work. It’s the first time I’ve seen students' Android/Kotlin projects ...",
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+        "name": "Shredder's Revenge's Soundtrack Is Amazing",
+        "content": "Finally, a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles beat ‘em up game arrived that aims to recapture the spirit of the nineties side-scrolling pixelated vibe that many arcade machines and home conversions offered—of which probably Turtles In Time is one o...",
+        "published": "2022-06-29T00:00:00+00:00",
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+        "content": "Thanks for that Bloodstained report, I love posts like this! As a hardcore Castlevania fan, I had high hopes for this one—that partially waned as the development process dragged on and on. I played it on the Nintendo Switch and hated it. The perfor...",
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