Up to this point, most TMNT games have featured the four main turtles only. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge bucks the trend by including three more fan favorites: April O'Neil, Casey Jones, and Master Splinter. April might be the biggest deal since she’s the only girl on the team.
Plus, like many '80s and '90s video game plots, she used to be relegated to a damsel in distress. So, altogether, that gives Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge a roster of seven characters to choose from. Everyone, except Casey who unlocks after finishing the campaign, is available from the get-go. The game even features a six-player co-op mode. Who is the best character in TMNT: Shredder's Revenge?
7 Raphael
Raphael is the least fun character in the game in terms of variety. He has a short-range set of attacks which is his greatest weakness. However, his power is the best among the four turtles, and his special spin attack will decimate enemies quickly.
Raphael is a good character to play within a group. When trying to survive alone outside of co-op, that short-range means he is going to get hit a lot more. Raphael then is a vulnerable character to play as. He’s like a glass tank. If players get good at dodging then maybe he could work for solo play. Overall, there’s not much fun about Raphael aside from his original voice actor, Rob Paulsen, returning in all his goofy glory.
6 Master Splinter
Master Splinter’s power stat equals that of Raphael’s. His range and speed stats are switched though. When players attack normally, Splinter will lunge forward, which seemingly increases his range more. The end of his normal combo is worth noting as he ends in a giant bite. It’s a great animation sequence.
Splinter is the only character whose running animation looks like a true-to-form ninja. Some of his other moves are also interesting to witness. His special has him jump in the air so he can perform a series of slashes. Eating a power pizza will cause him to do an air kick spin similar to Chun-Li from Street Fighter. While these moves can be fun to watch, Splinter is not as exciting to play because of his lumbering speed.
5 Michelangelo
Michelangelo, as the theme song says, is a party dude; consequently, his animations make him out to be one of the goofier characters in Shredder’s Revenge. He has a shorter range, like Raphael, and his power level is only two. However, his speed more than makes up for his loss of strength.
Michelangelo can whip around his nunchucks so fast that he is the easiest character in the game to deflect attacks with. The Foot Clan’s hordes of dangerous ninjas and their weapons are no match for the speed of Michelangelo. Also of note, his running animation makes him look like he’s afraid to miss out on pizza. Not the strongest playable character by far but Michelangelo is another that is just fun to watch.
4 Casey Jones
Casey is the only unlockable character in the game, although Tribute Games and DotEmu have been quiet about the possibilities of future DLC characters. Players must beat Shredder’s Revenge before they can play Casey.
This should clue people in that he is a powerhouse. His speed and power stats are both at two while his range is his strongest quality. Casey flips between using hockey sticks, baseball bats, and golf clubs as he pummels foes. He hits hard and has a decent range. However, Casey is a slow-moving character on the ground and in the air. He may be able to dish out and take damage, but this lack of flexibility is why he’s not higher.
3 April O'Neil
April usually gets the short end of the stick in the TMNT games. She either is a background character or she gets kidnaped and needs rescuing. Therefore, it’s a big deal that she is playable in Shredder’s Revenge. Thankfully, the developers also made her a blast to use.
April's power is low, but she has a decent range with her speed being her highest stat. She’s just like Michelangelo as far as her stats are concerned, but she is somehow way faster than him. She uses a microphone and a tripod with a camera attached as her weapons. She’s more like a melee character though. Her air juggling ability is without rival. Plus her win animation is great as she drops the mic with a smirk. Don’t mess with this news reporting, gaming femme fatale.
2 Leonardo
Leonardo is the leader of these crime-fighting turtles. He is a middle-of-the-road character as far as his stats go with two stars going into each category. He may be a Jack of all trades and a boring figure to grab as one of the least fun characters personality-wise; however, Leonardo will get the job done. There is no denying his power behind the blade.
His twin sword action is lightning fast. The best move he has is his double jump ability. If players attack while in the air, Leonardo will go into a spin roll attack. It’s kind of like Samus’ Screw Attack in the Metroid series. Maybe Samus inspired Leonardo for this game.
1 Donatello
Donatello is the best TMNT: Shredder's Revenge character for solo runs. This is true for a majority of the TMNT games. His staff has the longest reach meaning that players can be safer with Donatello than anyone else. His weakest stat is speed but honestly, he doesn’t feel that slow.
Donatello is slower than April for sure, but he’s not a slow hulking brute like Casey either. One of the coolest things about Donatello is his taunt attack. He will start playing with a handheld machine that is probably a Game Boy. Big points for being the nerd of the group. There might be better characters to choose during co-op, but Donatello is still great as an overall playable character.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge was released on June 16, 2022 and is available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.