It's the year of the Ninja Turtles, with not one, not two, but three TMNT games coming out in 2024. The second of those titles is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, which has just arrived on Switch courtesy of Super Evil Megacorp. Splintered Fate is the first Turtles roguelite, and it features 4-player local and online play. We've spent some time in co-op in order to bring you these detailed impressions.
Splintered Fate opens with a brief scene of the Turtles staring into a purple portal, but there's no actual introduction. From the title screen, players can select solo, local, or online play. Note that online play does not have matchmaking, so you'll need to know someone else with the game in order to play online. Might we suggest you look for co-op partners on the Co-Optimus Discord server?
At the start of the game, players will take turns selecting their Turtles. Like TMNT Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants, only the four Turtles are playable. Each character has unique perks (called "Inspirations" here) and a tool, a power that can be upgraded or swapped out during runs. Having selected characters, the team will start out in the Turtles' lair. There, players can purchase upgrades between runs. The team will take a sewer exit to the east in order to start the run.
Levels in Splintered Fate are made up of a series of randomized rooms. The heroes in a half-shell must defeat all of the enemies in a room before they can move on. Bad guys include foot soldiers, mousers, giant rats, and other threats. After clearing a room, each player will select from a randomized group of rewards such as skill upgrades and Dragon Coins. The latter is the currency that can be spent between runs, so earning more coins will make future runs easier.
Combat is fairly simple; only the four face buttons are used. Each turtle has a main attack, a dash, and two unique attacks. The dash and personal attacks must be charged up after use. You do this simply by hitting enemies, so they tend to charge up quickly. There being only one standard attack button means that combat involves a lot of button mashing, but using powers and dashes wisely is still important.
Unlike most TMNT games, the Turtles won't find health-restoring pizza on the floor. Instead, health refills must be purchased from the shop that appears shortly before the boss of each level. Bosses are big and challenging. Mid-level bosses tend to be generic enemies like giant rats and robots, but the actual level bosses are established TMNT characters such as Leatherhead and Karai. Story scenes play out before and after each boss fight, and they are fully voiced.
Given that Splintered Fate is a roguelite, the challenge level is high at the start. Playing multiple runs and earning Dragon Coins for upgrades will help players get farther each time. Co-op makes things easier as well. While players can't revive each other, downed players will be revived with partial health if any remaining players manage to clear a room. We'll wait until the Steam version comes along to do a full co-op review, but the game is really fun and addictive so far. Fans of roguelikes and the TMNT in general are going to enjoy this one.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate costs $29.99 on Switch. The Steam version will arrive later in 2024.