Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed Review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed is a 3D beat-’em-up based on the TMNT: Mutant Mayhem movie, and it lets you play as one of the four iconic ninja turtles. You don’t need any prior knowledge of the movie, as the story explains itself well. The action moves quickly, but it can get repetitive, which might make it hard for adults to stay engaged. Fortunately, my kids really enjoyed it, and I think younger players will be drawn to the fun one-liners and bright, colourful visuals.

In the game, you get to explore the streets and boroughs of New York, fighting off the mutant newbies—or “mewbies”—who are disrupting the peace that our half-shell heroes fought so hard to protect. The fast-paced gameplay and simple controls make it easy to jump right in, and while it’s not the deepest experience out there, it’s a lot of fun—especially for fans of the movie like us.

The 3D beat-’em-up, developed by AHEARTFULOFGAMES and published by Outright Games, can be played solo or couch co-op with another player. I tried both modes, and my kids and I had a blast working together, smashing every mutant in sight. And smashing is the name of the game—whether you’re sliding, jumping, or bashing, it’s all about pounding enemies into submission. That said, the gameplay is pretty shallow, and things start to feel repetitive after a while. However, the simplicity works well for its target audience, making it easy for younger players to enjoy. 

In true Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fashion, the story takes us to New York City, where mutants living below the streets aren’t exactly a shock. But when these mutants start causing chaos and attacking people, the turtles jump into action. Determined to protect their friends and family, the four heroes, with a little help from their allies, uncover the cause of the outbreak and save the day once again. 

The plot may be thin, but I enjoyed how it played out, and the pacing kept things engaging. The characters are fun, with some genuinely funny moments scattered throughout. If you’re a fan of the franchise, you’ll love the fresh spin on each protagonist and the evolving relationships between them. Even as the story gets a little wild, the familiar Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle essence holds everything together. The new art style might not appeal to everyone, but I appreciated how some classic characters anchor the experience, giving it a nostalgic touch amidst the new design.

The gameplay in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed is split into two main areas. First, you have the core missions, which range from taking down contaminated mutants to delivering pizzas. You can also train in the dojo or advance the story. Each mission is tied to a timer, so you need to start it before the time runs out. The game follows a day/night cycle, with the turtles able to take on just one activity per session. This means you might spend some time meditating before diving into the main story objectives. 

If you have extra time, you can swing by to visit friends in the city. These interactions boost your relationships and unlock new skills, which I thought was a refreshing take on the typical skill tree. While these meet-ups are pretty laid-back, they added some nice flavour to the story and gave the world more depth. I also came across a few side quests, which were unexpected and made for a pleasant surprise. 

As you progress through the game, you will explore several small arenas. Each area has its share of mutants to fight, along with collectibles to find and graffiti to photograph. While the collectables and graffiti are optional, clearing out all the mutants is mandatory to finish each level. The combat, however, felt a bit repetitive, with little skill required to advance. That part was a bit of a letdown for me, but my kids didn’t mind at all—they had a blast with the simple, button-mashing action.

I understand that the hand-drawn art style might not appeal to everyone, but I found it striking. The grungy textures combined with the vibrant colours really made the visuals pop. The turtles looked fantastic, each with their own distinct flair, and the variety among the mutants kept things fresh. However, the game falters in its execution when it comes to animation and camera work. The animations felt stiff and robotic, lacking the fluidity and energy that could have elevated the combat. Movements were too uniform, making it hard to feel immersed in the action.  The camera angles, unfortunately, were another frustration. Navigating certain platforming sections became more of a chore than a challenge, as I frequently ended up falling into the sewers. Precise jumps were difficult to judge, and these missteps disrupted the flow of the gameplay. It’s disappointing because a few tweaks here could have made the experience much smoother, and it undermined what was otherwise a visually polished game. 

The audio, while fitting the tone, also became overwhelming. The one-liners, while funny at first, were repeated so frequently that they quickly became grating. I found myself hoping for occasional silence just to get a break from the nonstop chatter. The upbeat soundtrack complemented the fast-paced gameplay, keeping the energy high, but the relentless noise felt exhausting after a while. There were few quiet moments, which made the experience feel a bit chaotic. That said, my kids had a completely different reaction. They couldn’t get enough of the goofy dialogue, laughing at every silly remark and quip. They also loved the button-mashing combat, fully engrossed in smashing their way through waves of mutants. Although the repetitive gameplay and noisy presentation weren’t really for me, it’s clear that the game hit the right notes for a younger audience. Watching how much fun they had, I could see that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed accomplished exactly what it set out to do—it delivered a chaotic, colourful, and kid-friendly adventure.

Button mashing for endless combo attacks isn’t really my style. I prefer more precise commands, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed doesn’t punish you for going full button-masher mode. That approach might not have appealed to me, but I have to admit the controls are smooth and responsive. The game also provides a helpful tutorial to get you started, along with a guide that lists every combo you can pull off. In that sense, the developers did a solid job making the control system accessible and easy to master, regardless of your playstyle. 

There are plenty of collectibles to hunt down, including graffiti tags and robotic mutants scattered across the world. Personally, I didn’t find much joy in tracking these down—it felt a bit too tedious for the limited payoff. However, if you’re the kind of player who enjoys scouring every corner for hidden items, you’ll definitely find some satisfaction here. For completionists, the game offers good replay value and some added longevity, though I didn’t feel compelled to dive back in to hunt everything down.

Unfortunately, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed suffers from some frustrating bugs. One of the most annoying moments was when I couldn’t reach an enemy because it got stuck behind the invisible wall that defines the arena’s boundaries. These issues only seem to get worse in co-op mode—while playing with my kids made the experience more fun overall, it also introduced more glitches, which made things more irritating. On several occasions, the invisible barrier created by the arrow that guides you through levels would reset, blocking our progress.

The only way to fix it was to backtrack a considerable distance and then move forward again, which really disrupted the flow. At another point, we kept respawning in hazardous water, forcing us to restart sections repeatedly. It was incredibly frustrating, especially since we were making good progress before getting stuck in that loop. The frequent load screens were another letdown. For a PS5 game, I expected smoother transitions, but the constant loading really dragged down the momentum. It’s disappointing when technical issues like these undermine what could otherwise be an enjoyable experience, especially since the core gameplay has so much potential.

I had a fantastic time with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed, especially enjoying the co-op gameplay with my kids. The characters were memorable, each bringing their own charm, thanks to some excellent voice acting that really brought them to life. That said, the game feels like it came out of the oven a bit too early—it has great potential, but a few rough edges and bugs hold it back from being truly exceptional.

This review utilised a PS5 key provided by Swipe Right and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed is out now for Playstation 4/5, Xbox, PC and Nintendo Switch.

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