Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown review: a fresh type of superpower

      Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown

      "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown infuses turn-based tactics with the speed of a John Wick fight scene."

      Pros

      - Unique take on TMNT

      - Well-crafted character development

      - Swift-paced tactics

      - Its compact nature is beneficial

      Cons

      - Missions can be repetitive

      - Lacks a climax

      - Launch issues with bugs

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      Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown exemplifies how gameplay can significantly affect a game's representation of its characters. My childhood view of New York’s iconic turtles was shaped by brawlers, with GameCube titles like Battle Nexus portraying them as boisterous jokesters: formidable yet haphazard. In contrast, Tactical Takedown presents them as highly skilled assassins who execute every move with precision. They are not merely a team relying on one another to defeat enemies; each turtle is a formidable force on their own. I can’t help but ponder how powerful they must be as a united front.

      The fast-paced strategy in Tactical Takedown gives the turn-based gameplay an active feel akin to an arcade beat-'em-up. Each level delivers a surge of arcade excitement, allowing every turtle a chance to shine, rather than treating them as interchangeable characters. Its limited scope makes it prone to bugs and repetition; however, Tactical Takedown's strongest attribute is its willingness to innovate and offer a fresh take on a familiar TMNT fantasy.

      Together apart

      Instead of revisiting overused scenarios, Tactical Takedown carefully avoids TMNT clichés. It introduces a new Foot Clan leader who fills the void left by Shredder. The turtles face this threat while displaying a growing distance among them as they confront the realities of becoming adults. Surprisingly, they never appear together during their mission; an assault on the Turtle Lair disrupts their communication. Each turtle embarks on solo objectives, only interacting through dialogue between missions. The malfunctioning Turtlecom serves as an apt metaphor for their emotional distance.

      Initially, this might seem misplaced, but it’s a deliberate choice. This physical separation underscores their growing estrangement throughout the narrative. It evokes a sense of melancholy, akin to realizing you've lost touch with cousins you once spent all night with during Christmas. We rarely see a version of the Turtles this solitary and reflective. Distance can deepen connections, and I concluded Tactical Takedown with a renewed understanding of their dynamics.

      Tactical Takedown is not an expansive licensed endeavor and should not be viewed as one.

      However, this separation is not presented as a negative. Instead, developer Strange Scaffold uses it to highlight each hero. Every level has you control a specific turtle, each employing their unique abilities toward a common goal. Michelangelo confronts foes directly, Donatello operates from the sewers, Raphael traverses rooftops, and Leonardo navigates the subway like a true New Yorker. In other TMNT games, these locations might be accessible to all turtles by the end. Here, every area feels like a specific turtle's territory, granting them a distinct advantage that their brothers lack.

      This leads to a predictable yet unexpected climax. We never have a moment where all four heroes play together, working collectively and synergizing their skills. This interpretation of their teamwork diminishes their individuality. While functional, the finale feels more like a concession than a fitting conclusion to the tactical framework. This philosophy leads to some repetition, as each of the 20 levels unfolds similarly, only differing by which turtle is in control.

      Strange Scaffold

      Tactical Takedown is a small-scale indie game and shouldn’t be treated like a major release. It's from a studio known for its unconventional approach. As with many Strange Scaffold titles, I encountered various game-breaking bugs that will likely be resolved by the time you play. These included a faulty special attack I could exploit repeatedly, levels resetting due to a malfunctioning “end turn” button, and a loadout menu that was confusing to navigate. I don’t hold these issues against the game, much like I didn’t mind the few frustrating glitches in I Am Your Beast that paused my progress. They will be patched quickly by the agile team, yet I sometimes wonder how additional development time could refine some of their best concepts, whether by perfecting them or incorporating an extra creative twist.

      All action

      Despite the constraints of its compact design, Tactical Takedown's focused scope is its greatest strength. Each concise level drops a turtle onto a small grid-based map, gradually changing shape every few turns. It mirrors the feel of an old-school beat-'em-up, pausing the action to allow players to engage in combat before encouraging them to advance. It’s a clever way