And to think that, not long ago, we were still living in a drought period for any kind of TMNT-related interactive media. I am quite off the loop regarding the current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-related “canon” aired by Nickelodeon, and the sole fact that channel owns the IP nowadays is baffling to me, but I guess that worked out wonderfully, as we are now living in a glorious period for fans of the Toitles. First there was Shredder’s Revenge, then there was the Cowabunga Collection, the promise of a grittier game based on The Last Ronin, and even a VR title in the works. And let’s not forget about the TMNT take on roguelikes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, now available on Xbox.

I hate sounding reductive, but there’s no denying that Splintered Fate is heavily, massively inspired by the belle of the ball in the roguelike market, Hades. It somewhat resembles Hades‘ gameplay, with an isometric perspective, emphasis on hack n’ slash combat, and even its cel-shaded visuals, but it also tries to add more depth to an otherwise lore-optional genre, trying to tell a deeper story and introducing loads of characters throughout your runs. You don’t need to complete everything right from the getgo in order for the story to move forward; in fact, the game kinda expects you to die a few times just so you can get back to your headquarters and meet up with NPCs for some well-deserved character development.

But there’s more to Splintered Fate than just being a Hades clone. What makes it stand out from other roguelikes, and especially its more famous (and, admittedly, vastly superior) source of inspiration is that multiplayer is available right off the bat. Be it locally or online, co-op is available, and highly recommended. It doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun by yourself, but having friends helping you out makes things more bearable when you’re fighting against a literal dozen mousers and Foot Clan ninjas at once.

It’s never a game that feels completely unfair, mind you. In fact, there’s even a difficulty slider that allows you to play the entire game on a more relaxed setting if you’re new to the genre. There are other accessibility tools, such as an auto-aim for your projectile, but in this case, I don’t think that’s helpful at all. In fact, in the heat of the moment, when you’re just facing a foe, only for the shuriken to fly towards someone closer, things feel a bit frustrating. Thankfully, it is a setting you can turn off in the pause menu. You can even turn off some visual effects enhancements, things you only see in PC games, mind you.

As for the lasting appeal, I initially thought I’d dislike having to revisit each level from the beginning with each new run, but Splintered Fate is very generous in handing out currency for you to improve your stats permanently, making earlier levels feel like a breeze. You can still get money for temporary powerups while doing so, making each new run progressively easier than the previous one. The aforementioned emphasis on storytelling is also helpful as it fleshes the world and characters out with new lines of (well-voiced) dialogue uttered in each new run.

Look, no matter how I try to put it, there’s no denying that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is basically Hades, but with more reptiles and pizza. But let me reiterate, that ain’t a bad thing. Sure, if you’re expecting for it to be as good as Hades, then you’re out of luck, but this is still a fun roguelike with a neat combat system, fun character interactions, and some great multiplayer support. It could have just been mediocre licensed shovelware (looking at you, Wrath of the Mutants), but the folks at Super Evil Megacorp took their time to craft a neat TMNT game that deserves to hang out alongside its older, more important Konami peers.

Graphics: 7.0 It’s not the most detailed game in the world, but it’s colorful, with varied environments, and a stable framerate even when there are dozens of enemies onscreen at once.	Gameplay: 7.5 It plays like Hades, but with a bit less finesse. I think the projectile auto-aim just doesn’t work as well as it should, but thankfully, you can turn it off. The overall roguelike gameplay loop works well enough.
Sound: 8.5 Decent music all around, but what really stands out is the top-notch voice acting. That being said, I would have been okay with just a bit less one-liners.	Fun Factor: 8.0 There’s no denying that Splintered Fate is heavily based on Hades, not only in terms of gameplay, but also how it tries to convey a larger plot inside a roguelike. It is still fun and very appealing, with co-op being its biggest selling point.
Final Verdict: 7.5

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Switch.

Reviewed on Xbox Series S.

A copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate was provided by the publisher.