[This review is based on SOLO play. I have not tried co-op, and have no intention of doing so.]
This game rekindled my love for TMNT. I grew up with the Turtles; a 90's kid who watched the cartoon religiously, the first three movies until the VHS tapes wore down, played all the games I was allowed, even consumed regularly the oft-forgotten Live-Action series. On a whim, I saw that Splintered Fate was on sale, and purchased it after watching a review from 'Retro Rebound'. He claimed that 'this' was the best Turtles game out there; I honestly scoffed at the notion. The 'best'? When Turtles in Time and Hyperstone Heist exist (Yes, TiT is better, but I do prefer the slower HSH)? Well, I was certainly put in place after a run. The humor, the dialogue, the fluid play, I can say for certain that this is something special. With familiar characters for old fans as well as a slew of 'newer', everything just fits right in. Alopex? Who the heck is that? Well, now I know, and now I'm a fan. Splintered Fate is like a reintroduction, a pull-back-in for the older gen who haven't kept up with the comics and increasing iterations. I find myself scouring the TMNT wiki, learning about the characters I don't know, the events I missed out on. I've even gone back to play some of the older games, purchasing the Cowabunga Collection on PS5 and running through those nostalgic entries once more. Whenever I fight Shredder, I can't help but rasping in Krang's voice "Orroookkuuu Saakkkkiiii".
Splintered Fate isn't perfect by any means, and in fact, I myself find it a little too simplistic for long-term play. One of the biggest flaws is the lack of information; skills stack, add negative/positive effects, yet you have no idea how these are applied apart from slight visual cues. You can't even see your stats during the run, which makes it difficult to build at times. IE if I take a skill that increases my critical chance, outside of that skill saying '+20 crit', I have no way whatsoever to tell my total crit chance. Within 11 hours Solo, I have already become unstoppable. At 24ish hours now, all I need is to farm coins and finish wins to snag everything the game has to offer. Taking from the 'Hades' formula, runs have you encountering and unlocking new dialogue and artifacts for your disposal. Characters interact realistically, with plenty of cheesy/humorous dialogue that floods you straight back to what made the originals so endearing. What does hold the game back is the lack of an ending. Splintered Fate released in 2024, yet still lacks the final chapter. You are left not knowing exactly what's going on, who or what you are waging war against, and what your fate ultimately is. DLC is still coming out, but even then, it's been too long for a game to go incomplete. The soundtrack is another issue to note; perfectly suitable, however it is simplistic and becomes dull far too quickly.
Regardless of flaws and the incomplete story, I can't recommend this game enough for fans and those interested in getting into TMNT. I do hope this series does well enough that a sequel or new iteration can come about as it feels apart from standard beat-em-up that this style of game is exactly what the Turtles are made for.
