Turtles shred their way back to the 1990s!

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: SHREDDER’S REVENGE

PS4, also Xbox, Switch & PC

★★★★

AT the impressionable age of about 16, I heard the call of “Cowabunga” echo out of a local arcade and stumbled upon a freshly installed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game.

After we realised it hadn’t been taken out of Free Play mode yet, an entire playthrough ensued with a few friends, making us late for PE at school but full of joy.

That four-player side-scrolling beat’em-up is an arcade classic now, perfectly evoking the cartoon series of the time with some enjoyable Foot clan whacking button mashing.

So many years later, Shredder’s Revenge has arrived, perfectly encapsulating that vintage magic in a loving homage to the past but with some tasty modern tweaks.

Shredder’s Revenge is a satisfying arcade game with a combat system that adds more depth than games of old but remains as accessible as ever.

Again, it perfectly evokes the old 1990s cartoon while adding a few extra playable characters and online play for up to six players.

With many a nod to the past, each level is a blast, with familiar and notso-familiar characters brought back to life in a lovely, chunky pixel art style.

There’s plenty of variety on display, too, though the game does run a little too short despite it being a lot of fun.

In the early 90s, these games were everywhere – from the iconic Final Fight to lesser-known gems such as Warriors Of Fate – teaming up with friends to take on waves of bad guys was all the rage.

These days, not so much, so it’s a real treat when something like Shredder’s Revenge comes along.