The darkest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles timeline is getting a video game adaptation

We haven’t had a heavily story-focused Teenage Mutant Ninja game in a long time, but that’s about to change. 

During the recent THQ Nordic Digital Showcase on Aug. 11, the publisher announced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, an upcoming narrative adventure game developed by Black Forest Games that will release on  PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S at an unconfirmed date.

However, what’s interesting about the game is that it adapts one of the most famous storylines in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. The upcoming game adapts the 2020 graphic novel mini-series of the same name and takes place in a “battle-ravaged New York City” controlled by Shredder’s grandson. It follows a single surviving turtle who’s on a “seemingly hopeless mission seeking justice for the family he lost.”

The narrative is quite grim as players will control a single surviving turtle whose identity is kept secret until the end of the original graphic novel. His brothers have been killed by The Foot Clan, and now he’s on a quest for revenge. According to Paramount Global’s senior vice president for games, Doug Rosen, who confirmed the game’s development before its announcement, The Last Ronin will be a more mature take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and is inspired by games such as God of War. Whatsmore, the source material tackles many heavy themes, including suicidal thoughts, and turns the otherwise popularly goofy series into a shockingly dark, melodramatic rollercoaster of emotions. 

Related: All games included in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection

While a teaser trailer was released alongside the announcement, it doesn’t show much, and as a release date has yet to be revealed. So we’ll just have to wait for more information to see more of the game and how well it adapts the somber storyline.