Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a 2D brawler game developed by Tribute Games and Dotemu. The game offers multiplayer for up to six players. It is based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series from the late ‘80s and even maintains the art style of the older TMNT games developed during the same era.
This makes for a very nostalgic feel, allowing a lot of older players to relive their childhood memories using modern settings and capabilities. To add to the nostalgia, all of the original voice actors from the series reprised their roles in this game. The game was released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC on June 16 and has already received favorable reviews from players on every platform.
Also reprising their roles from the series are all of the original characters, with more than just the Turtles being playable this time. We have made a list of all of the playable characters, ranking them from worst to best, taking only the single-player mode into account. This list is entirely subjective and we understand that opinions may vary from player to player.
7) Master Splinter
Looks like the students have definitely surpassed the master because Splinter takes the lowest spot on this list. Master Splinter took the four Ninja Turtles in as their adoptive father and teacher, training them to fight and survive after their mutation took place. Splinter is essentially the reason why the Turtles do what they do today.
In the game, however, Splinter is far less impressive. He is a good fighter in co-op party play, but he falls short in solo runs. He does have good stats, but his speed is definitely not one of them, being arguably the slowest fighter on this list. Splinter holds his own in lower difficulties but greatly struggles in higher difficulties because of this.
His powerful special attack is the only thing that keeps him viable but the slow speed is definitely the bane of his existence. When paired with other characters that can keep enemies busy, he definitely shines as a powerhouse.
6) Casey Jones
The only unlockable character in the game, Casey Jones boasts a lot of power behind his moves. Casey is the typical vigilante character that appears in most other comic books and series, however, he is more of a parody version of other vigilantes. This aspect drew the Turtles to him and they got along splendidly with each other.
Casey Jones has an overall balanced mix of power and speed, making him quite useful in most situations. That can be the problem sometimes as well since he doesn’t really excel in either department. His special attack can pack a serious punch, making him viable against most enemies in lower difficulties.
He tends to fall off in higher difficulties, but the range of his attacks saves him on more than one occasion. The special attack is even more effective due to this and can make short work of his enemies while covering a huge distance. Definitely one of the more fun characters in the game.
5) April O’Neil
For the first time in TMNT history, everyone’s favorite reporter April is a playable character. While not as powerful as the Turtles, April is more than capable of holding her own in battle. With her power being her biggest weakness, she more than makes up for it with her incredible speed.
Since her attack damage is lacking compared to the other characters, what keeps her strong is her high-speed attacks, with almost every variation of her attacks being capable of dealing multiple hits. This makes her an incredibly strong combo character and could even be higher up on this list if the Turtles weren’t so strong already.
Another huge advantage she has is the fact that her special attack is a moveable one. This is unique to April since other characters’ specials are all static attacks. Players able to utilize her high speed can make good use of this mechanic to tackle her foes as well as sustain high mobility around the battlezone. This, in combination with being able to always maintain a high combo meter, can make her unstoppable in certain situations.
4) Donatello
Bringing up the rear of the ninja turtles, Donatello is the premier middle-of-the-road character in the game. He isn’t exceptional at anything, but he is above average in most aspects of combat, barring his speed. But what he lacks in speed, he more than makes up for in his range.
Wielding a staff, Donatello can keep his enemies at bay with no trouble while also dishing out high damage attacks. He may be slow, but he is still faster than Master Splinter. This gives him a good advantage by positioning himself in ideal locations to utilize his heavy-staff attacks to their maximum potential. The range of his staff also allows him to tackle multiple enemies at once with relative ease.
Even though his brothers are much faster than him, Donatello is definitely a sleeper pick in this game, waiting for a talented player to bring out his true potential in battle. The range makes it more forgiving for players if they mess up his attack combos, making him more newbie-friendly as well.
3) Leonardo
The samurai of the group and our personal favorite, Leonardo is a force to be reckoned with. His overall balanced stats make him good in almost any situation. His sword has good range, keeping him safe while he dishes out damage. The sword also deals a decent amount of damage and his above-average speed makes it easy for Leonardo to maintain a favorable position in battle.
Leonardo is also the most newbie-friendly choice to start off the game with. Being able to attack from a safe distance makes it easier for new players to get into the game. Apart from this, he is also a capable face-to-face fighter, should players choose to go down that route. This would be recommended for more experienced players once they get used to the game and are more comfortable with Leonardo’s toolkit.
Some players might argue that Leonardo is too straight-laced and not very exciting in the long run as compared to the more complex and fun mechanics of his brothers. But rest assured, Leonardo’s balance is a good thing to have throughout all difficulty levels solo and he fits in very well with any sort of party lineup as well.
2) Michelangelo
If charisma was a factor, Michelangelo would be leading this list. Unfortunately, since that isn’t part of the ranking criteria, we will have to stick to his actual skills in the game, which are definitely not half bad. This is what gets him up to the number two spot on this list, almost competing for the top spot in some of his combat aspects.
Let’s get his one glaring weakness out of the way first, which is his abysmal range. This is partly due to his weapon of choice being nunchucks and partly due to his combat style demanding him to get up close and personal with his enemies. This is by no means a detriment because his impressive power and speed allow Michelangelo to go toe-to-toe with the toughest of foes the game can dish out.
Another big advantage is his rising attack which utilizes his high speed and power to their fullest, dealing multiple hits of damage in one attack. As powerful as Michelangelo is in battle, unfortunately for him, quick wit and charisma are not viable weapons in this game and he just barely falls short of the final brother who takes the number one spot.
1) Raphael
The self-proclaimed leader of the heroes in a half shell, Raphael also leads this list with his powerful, high-speed attacks. Just like his brother Michelangelo, he also suffers from terrible range, which is similarly also due to his choice of weapons. This is his only weakness though since he is a beast in battle.
The quickness of Raphael’s attacks is only overshadowed by their sheer power. This materializes well through this combo abilities. His special attack allows him to move as well, but in a limited capacity, allowing players to guide his movements in a certain direction during the attack’s duration. Adding to that, his sliding attack brings the full force of his power down, knocking around his foes before they get a chance to counterattack.
What keeps Raphael above his brother Michelangelo is his ability to flawlessly reposition himself in the heat of battle, keeping him at a safe distance from his enemies while utilizing his close-range attacks to take them down faster than his other brothers can. He might not have Don’s range, Leo’s balance, or Mike’s quick wit, but Raph fights better than everyone else in this game and excels at every difficulty level, making him the prime choice for any player.
And that’s all of the playable characters in the game. Did you agree with our choices? Remember, no characters are objectively bad and each of them still presents their own set of challenges. TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is still a new game and there are a lot of things that players are still learning about the game’s mechanics but we hope we have managed to make that journey easier. The game can be fun solo but it is best enjoyed with friends, making it the most ideal way for players to figure out the best combination of characters to clear that annoying level or defeat that difficult boss.
