5.3 KiB
| title | date | score | howlongtobeat_id | howlongtobeat_hrs | game_name | game_genre | tags | game_release_year | game_developer | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue | 2023-04-09 | 4 | 9652 | 2.6 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III Radical Rescue | Metroidvania |
|
1993 | Konami |
Two years after the latest Game Boy installment, Back from the Sewers, Konami gave the TMNT franchise yet another try---third time's a charm, as they say. For Radical Rescue, in my opinion, the statement holds true. The first game, Fall of the Foot Clan, didn't have any meat to the bone, that was corrected with the second installment, although the visual representation of the Turtles themselves could be called questionable.
This time around, the beat 'em up genre evolved into a real Metroidvania-esque experience: by gradually rescuing the Turtles crew, you gain access to other areas of the map through unique abilities of each crew member. For example, Donatello can climb walls, and Leonardo can drill through certain blocks with his two katanas. There's also a bit of key card collecting involved that opens one-way or two-way doors---occassionally bumping into a boss's lair.
The direction of Radical Rescue feels like a breath of fresh air, especially for a Metroidvania sucker such as myself. Don't get too excited tough; it's still a 1993 Game Boy game with focus on simple platforming. Yes, areas are interconnected, but the map---as seen in the above screenshot---hardly reveals anything useful: what are those black squares anyway? Strangely enough, the Japanese version of the game shows more info on the map, such as the five bosses, the four key card locations, and the five prison cell doors. Why this was removed for the European release I played baffles me.
Another problem is, since Metroidvanias rely on gradual exploration, the lack of a savegame RAM chip. Instead, you'll have to make due with 7-digit passwords that mark specific events in the game (e.g. before/after a particular boss fight or rescue mission). For a '93 game, it's an odd decision, probably an economic one, but it's much better than no password at all like in the previous two games. Even stranger is the fact that this installment is only 128 KB big, while Turtles II: Back from the Sewers is twice as big! The bank controller chip, MBC1, is can handle 2 MB max, so there's plenty of room left, but probably a smaller (and thus cheaper) chip was soldered on.
Still, the core of an exploration-oriented atmosphere is there: new areas are accompanied by unique themes including a superb soundtrack. You start on the upper left as Michelangelo, outside, and after quickly enter mining caverns, the mood promptly shifts. A few minutes later, a secret lab is discovered, and metal-like tile-sets replace the murky cave ones. Backtracking of course also is a thing, and although I got lost a few times thanks to one-way doors I accidentally took, the game isn't particularly big and can probably be finished in three hours.
The sprite work of the turtles themselves was "radically" (hah!) changed compared to Back from the Sewers. They look a bit more gritty and the sprites are smaller to accommodate for the evolved game genre: less beating, more platforming and exploring. When going down a ladder, you can throw shurikens at bats hanging from ceilings, which is a nice touch. Unfortunately, enemy reappearance rates are a tad too high, making backtracking a bit of a chore.
This game is expensive: it can get up to $100 for a used cart. I can't find a lot of sales information, perhaps it wasn't distributed well enough. Luckily, the 2022 Cowabunga Collection fixed this, and I highly recommend to play the game through the collection if you don't have a genuine cart. CVG UK 144 rates the game 8 (look), 9 (sound), 7 (feel), 9 (value) (p. 103)---overall: 90. The sound indeed is, just like its predecessor, excellent at all rates. The roughness of the backtracking could make up for the 7 in feel.
As a kid, I never got that far into the game: it's pretty challenging, and I got easily confused by the level design, as it's not a run-from-left-to-right affair of the previous TMNT entries---something I now appreciate even more. To me, TMNT III is the best of the three Game Boy entries, and perhaps also the most overlooked one.
If you're interested in a bit more substantial Turtles platforming/exploring, give Radical Rescue a try. It's readily available through the Cowabunga Collection compilation that also includes the Japanese version with the more complete map.