Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate Review

I’ve been a huge fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for as long as I can remember. I’ve loved them in comics, TV shows, and action figures. But it’s the TMNT video games that have always been my favourite.

Ever since Hyperstone Heist on the Sega Mega Drive back in 1992, I’ve been a bit obsessed with their digital adventures. I’ve made it my mission to play them all, from classics like the 1989 arcade game to forgettable ones like Danger of the Ooze. So you can imagine my surprise when I found out that one of the most interesting titles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, had completely flown under my radar for over a year.

Originally released in 2023 for Apple Arcade (which explains why I totally missed it), the first TMNT roguelite, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, has finally come to Switch this year. Imagine mixing everyone’s favourite ninja turtles with the roguelite awesomeness of Hades – that’s Splintered Fate for you. The game has you zipping through randomly generated levels, fighting off hordes of bad guys, and grabbing upgrades to power up your abilities. Every run feels different, keeping things exciting and challenging. Each Turtle has their own personality and fighting style, so you get to mix and match based on what you need in the moment.

It might not reach the epic heights of Hades and sticks a bit too closely to its formula, but Splintered Fate nails it with fun combat and a heartfelt tribute to the TMNT. The vibrant graphics and engaging story capture everything we love about the Turtles, making it a blast for both longtime fans and newcomers. I’m seriously kicking myself for missing out on it for so long. This game is hands down one of the best modern TMNT titles, blending nostalgia with fresh gameplay that keeps you hooked. If you’re into roguelites or just love the Turtles, you’ve got to check out Splintered Fate on the Switch.

Splintered Fate is set in its own unique universe, not connected to any of the TV shows, but it definitely takes a lot of inspiration from the IDW comics. In this cool world, the Turtles are seasoned pros, at the top of their game. They’ve tackled all sorts of challenges together, but things get real when a mysterious enemy kidnaps Splinter. This bad guy has some serious tricks up their sleeve, forcing the Turtles to go through a bunch of twisted trials to get Splinter back. Each trial is tougher than the last, packed with tricky enemies and tricky obstacles. The Turtles need to use their skills, smarts, and teamwork to make it through and save Splinter.

As the story unfolds, you learn more about this shady villain and their plans. The Turtles are pushed to their limits, and their drive to rescue Splinter makes for an engaging and exciting journey.

Even though having the Turtles rescue Splinter from Shredder isn’t exactly a new twist in the TMNT world, Splintered Fate brings a fresh vibe with its unique universe and deep-cut characters like Nobody and Slash. For a long-time fan like me, who’s already well-acquainted with the core four and their usual crew, this is a welcome change. The game doesn’t just rehash the old stories; it adds new layers to the Turtles themselves, keeping things interesting even with the familiar setup. So while it’s packed with fan service and callbacks, the Turtles get some memorable new twists that make the experience feel fresh and engaging.

Splintered Fate keeps the Turtles you know and love but adds some interesting new twists. Mikey is still the ‘funny one,’ but his role as the youngest brother is highlighted more than ever as he struggles the most with Splinter’s abduction. Raph is as hot-headed and rude as always, but he’s also portrayed as the least intelligent Turtle, which adds depth to his infamous attitude. The voice cast is fantastic, making Splintered Fate one of my favourite recent takes on the characters, despite the somewhat generic visual designs. Even though the story itself isn’t groundbreaking, it resonates thanks to its clear love and understanding of the source material.

What really makes Splintered Fate stand out from other TMNT adaptations is the gameplay. Instead of the usual 2D side-scrolling beat-’em-up, it goes for a roguelite approach. Let’s be honest, Splintered Fate is a Hades clone. From character progression and perk-granting artifacts to buffs and boss encounters, if you’ve played Hades, the cycle of challenging runs, permanent upgrades, and story snippets will feel very familiar.

One unique feature is the multiple playable characters. You can only play as one Turtle per run, each with unique abilities and stats—Donnie regains health when entering a room, Raph has a higher critical hit chance, and so on. The Switch version also adds couch co-op, so while it’s odd seeing the Turtles fight solo in single-player, you can fix that if you have friends to join in. This feature is a nice touch that plays to TMNT’s strengths but doesn’t completely shake the strong sense of déjà vu for Hades fans.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate may not have much to set it apart from its inspiration, but it captures some of Hades’ magic. And honestly, if you’re going to take cues from any roguelite, Hades is a great choice.

The combat is fast-paced and satisfying, though not as complex as Hades. Each Turtle has a simple moveset with basic attacks, dodges, tools, and a unique special move, but there’s not a lot of depth even with buffs and modifiers. Unlike Hades, where each run feels unique due to strategic weapon choices and boons, Splintered Fate’s combat options are slimmer, making repetition more noticeable.

I aimed for the perfect ending and completed over ten runs, leveling up my characters a lot. By the end, I was running out of new things to see and do, aside from occasional boss variants. That didn’t stop me from playing repeatedly, but the formulaic structure of the runs became more apparent. Boss encounters offer some variety, with unique forms like Leatherhead teaming up with the Punk Frogs and Karai having a rage-fueled shadow mode.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate might not reach the heights of Hades, but aiming to be as good as Hades is a high bar for any game. It comes close, providing a satisfying roguelite experience with one of the best TMNT interpretations I’ve seen in a while. It might not replace Shredder’s Revenge as the best modern TMNT game, but it comfortably takes second place.

This review utilised a key provided by ICO Partners and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is out now for Nintendo Switch and the App Store.