Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate Review

by

As someone who grew up in the era of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and has fond memories of their Saturday morning cartoons, I can confidently say that Super Evil Megacorp’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is a delightful throwback. The game feels right at home on PC, offering an addictive roguelike experience that harkens back to the golden days of arcade gaming.

For some time now, Super Evil Megacorp’s game titled “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate” has been available on Nintendo Switch and iOS devices, delighting players with its user-friendly combat system and multiplayer capabilities. Excitingly, PC users will have the opportunity to play this Hades-like game on November 6, 2024. This announcement is welcome news for many, as it’s shaping up to be a fantastic gaming experience.

In terms of its influences, TMNT: Splintered Fate strongly resembles Supergiant’s 2020 hit roguelike game, Hades. The similarities extend to almost every aspect of the game design, from user interface and dialogue presentation to the overall feel of the game. This close connection is a powerful asset for TMNT: Splintered Fate, particularly when it effectively captures the intense combat and rewarding progression of its predecessor. However, these similarities can also highlight that it’s not quite as polished or unique as the original.

If you eliminate “Splintered Fate” from the perpetual darkness of “Hades”, you could stumble upon what Super Evil Megacorp worked diligently to construct: an unyieldingly addictive roguelike, boasting impressive multiplayer and a distinct, nostalgic allure. It doesn’t strive to redesign the existing wheel, yet it was never a wheel that needed such a transformation in the first place.

TMNT: Splintered Fate Succeeds Where It Counts

Fractured Destiny

These upgrades offer valuable insight into how Super Evil Megacorp approached Splintered Fate‘s overall design through the lens of Hades. In a word, they are uninspired, not doing much to differentiate themselves from the basic stat boosts and elemental buffs present in just about every other action-RPG, and unlike a game like Hades, which contextualizes its power-ups within the narrative, Splintered Fate just hands them to the player, which seems like an odd missed opportunity. Additionally, these upgrades can be hit-or-miss in terms of their utility, as some will offer only the most incremental and bland advantages, like an extremely short-lived conditional shield from projectile attacks, while others will be absurdly overpowered.

In a peculiar twist, the unrefined nature and imbalance of these upgrades make “Splintered Fate” more entertaining. It’s surprisingly simple to assemble an unintended powerful build early in a game, thanks to potent elements such as Utrom and Ooze significantly boosting damage per second (DPS). Opting for these over less influential elemental enhancements like Water or Astral can result in tremendous damage potential that harmonizes well with various playstyles.

In Splintered Fate, the focus on player empowerment is evident in its unique approach to cross-run progression or permanent upgrades. Unlike many games of this genre, Splintered Fate provides two types of in-game currencies, Dragon Coins and Dreamer Coins, which can be used to buy a variety of upgrades at the Dojo without any trade-offs. These upgrades could boost attack damage, movement speed, or other aspects of gameplay, all freely available for purchase. This design choice offers players an aggressive power boost while maintaining dynamic gameplay and personal expression. However, those who prefer intricate progression systems or detailed stat adjustments might find the game lacking in depth.

Some Notes On TMNT: Splintered Fate’s PC Performance and Multiplayer

The best part about Splintered Fate could very well be its multiplayer. I only got the chance to play local co-op during my time with the game, and it worked well, for the most part. There were a few odd glitches here and there, mostly while attempting to operate menus in co-op, but these appear to have been patched out at the time of writing. Assuming that there are no more similar shortcomings, I can confidently recommend Splintered Fate to those looking for a Hades-adjacent experience with friends.

Up to four people can play
TMNT: Splintered Fate
through local or online co-op.

Regarding technical performance, the game “Splintered Fate” on PC performs quite well and is generally stable. Throughout my gaming session, I didn’t encounter any significant bugs or crashes. The game maintained a high frame rate with no obvious lags. Although it isn’t graphically demanding and can be found on less powerful devices like the Switch, the seamless transition to PC deserves recognition.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fractured Destiny

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is now playable on both Nintendo Switch and iOS devices. On November 6, 2024, it will also be available on PC and Mac platforms. This review was made possible with a Steam code provided by Game Rant.

Read More

2024-11-05 17:04