In 2023, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem movie was a big hit in my home, delighting both me and my two young sons. So, when Outright Games rolled out TMNT Mutants Unleashed—a game inspired by the film—I couldn’t wait to dive into more turtle adventures. Unfortunately, that excitement was short-lived. Despite some promising concepts and a visual style that echoes the movie, Mutants Unleashed struggles to pull everything together.
The game features a surprisingly deep storyline that picks up right after the events of Mutant Mayhem. It explores the aftermath of the turtle brothers’ victory and newfound acceptance. New mutants, affectionately dubbed “Mewbies” by our heroes, are introduced mainly as targets for the fast-paced beat-’em-up gameplay. In addition to these new characters, a group of teenage human friends joins the mix for the turtles to bond with. As is typical in Outright Games’ kid-friendly titles, the voice acting shines, especially for young players. Although the story sways more towards a side quest than the main event, it still manages to be engaging and does a good job of capturing the spirit of the movie.
Given the Ninja Turtles’ legacy in beat-’em-up games, I was eager for some cooperative brawling fun. However, the game’s combos and mechanics seem underdeveloped. It leans more towards character action rather than classic brawler, which could have worked if the action felt more polished. Each turtle has unique abilities and skills, although the multiplayer mode only supports two players. While the combat wasn’t completely disappointing, it does fall short due to its lack of depth, which is less of an issue in games aimed at toddlers, like Bluey or Paw Patrol. Mutants Unleashed targets a slightly older audience, and the shallow combat doesn’t quite meet expectations.
Interestingly, Mutants Unleashed also incorporates interactive social segments reminiscent of Persona and recent Fire Emblem titles. These portions let you participate in various activities with friends, but they’re sluggish and drawn out, lacking much-needed voice acting. This feature significantly slows down the pacing, especially disappointing since cooperative play doesn’t really factor in here. These segments unnecessarily extend the game’s length to 15-20 hours, which is overly ambitious given the content. The Nintendo Switch port also suffers, struggling with technical issues and painfully long load times—it took so long to start that I initially thought the game was broken.
Ultimately, TMNT Mutants Unleashed has some promising ideas, but they just don’t come together effectively. The combat feels lackluster, and the novel social RPG elements aren’t executed well. What’s frustrating is there’s a solid plot that’s quite engaging. With more polish, this game could have been something special. Instead, it remains mired in the depths, not quite reaching the potential lurking beneath the surface.
