Ninja Turtles gets the Hades rogue-lite treatment | First Impressions - TMNT Splintered Fate

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TMNT Splintered Fate is a rogue-lite hack and slash action RPG game featuring kinetic action-packed gameplay, fluid combat system, and an addictive dungeon crawling element.

In TMNT Splintered Fate, players will take on the role of any of the four Ninja Turtles; Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo. All four are playable and have different weapons, fighting styles, and starting abilities that players can freely choose and switch between them at the hideout, depending on their preferred playstyle.

TMNT Splintered Fate features a story that involves Master Splinter being kidnapped by Shredder, as well as mysterious portals appearing everywhere across New York. The story feels like something we’ve already seen with the countless Ninja Turtles stories, and it is mostly just a fitting excuse to set up the rogue-lite action, which is the main highlight of the game. These rogue-lite runs are totally part of the game’s continuity and the various runs made by the player will reflect in the game’s evolving narrative.

The game starts off the runs with the players’ chosen character, clearing room after room of waves of enemies. Every after level, a new Turtle Power or an upgrade must be chosen from a randomized list. All four characters start with a base ability called “tool”, but it can be upgraded, or even replaced entirely during runs.

The combat in this game is incredibly fluid and satisfying, especially considering that it is primarily controlled using touch screen inputs, which are usually considered an inferior control method for hack-and-slash games. The flashy yet fluid animations, subtle pauses during hits, visual and sound effects, and even the slow-motion effect when clearing a room all contribute to the game's amazing combat feel.

For those who are highly familiar with the game mechanics of Hades, TMNT Splintered Fate is undoubtedly inspired by it and closely follows in its footsteps by featuring extremely similar game mechanics and formula. There is no shame in that as TMNT Splintered Fate is incredibly fun to play and can even rival Hades in terms of content and quality of gameplay.

As part of the Apple Arcade experience, TMNT Splintered Fate also offers proper support for Bluetooth controllers, including Xbox and Playstation controllers, as well as offering a cooperative multiplayer option up to four players.