Platinum Games is taking the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles out of their shells

Platinum Games has had an unexpected hit working with old cartoons from the 1980s. Transformers: Devastation drew favourable reviews by going back to the original animated series for inspiration. Hoping to find a similar kind of success, the Japanese developer is turning again to a beloved children’s series – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

But the studio’s approach with TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan will be slightly different this time around. The team won’t be cribbing notes from the original cartoon. Director Eiro Shirahama says his take on the heroes in a half shell doesn’t borrow from a single source. It’s an amalgam of the old shows along with the comic books and Nickelodeon programmes.

On the surface, the visuals look aggressive and dark like the Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird comic books but the tone has the levity of the ’90s cartoons. Meanwhile the turtles’ character design looks a lot like the recent CGI incarnation on Nickelodeon.

All of this combines for an unusual take on the Turtles that remains singularly a Platinum Games project. That means it has quick-twitch action and a solid combat system, but Shirahama and his team add multiplayer to the mix. It’s an obvious decision given that we’re dealing with a franchise known for its four heroes: Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo.

Each turtle shares the same move set, up to a point. There is a light and hard attack, but in addition, each has his own signature set of moves that can be accessed by holding down the left trigger. The moves coincide with the role that each has on the team. For example, Donatello is the healer and revives the group if they’re knocked out or low on health. Meanwhile, Michelangelo has a move that will reset the cool-down on everyone else’s special abilities. This pushes players to talk with each other when they play online co-op. (Sorry, there’s no couch co-op in this one.)