Check out our video review:
Turtles in Time is one of those games I never owned as a kid but remember playing it somewhere. The Super Nintendo version, specifically. I also remember enjoying it quite a bit. When I got older, I befriended someone who does own it and we fire it up every now and again just to play through it because it is indeed an excellent game. And now that I’ve played through the games that precede it, I appreciate it a lot more. Developed and published by Konami, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time was released as an arcade game in 1991. A port for the Super Nintendo titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time was released in 1992. Both games were released as part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection. For this review, we played both from the collection for PC.
As expected, the story is simple. It opens with the Turtles watching a newscast with April O’Neil reporting from Liberty Island. Krang shows up and steals the Statue of Liberty and then Shredder laughs at the Turtles. Why does Shredder want the Statue of Liberty? We have no idea. But it’s the catalyst for the Turtles to jump into action. The arcade version does include voice acting and some of it is carried over to the SNES version. Turtles in Time is structured very much like the previous games. You go from stage to stage, defeating enemies and bosses. The arcade version does support four players whereas the SNES version supports two. Before jumping in, the players must choose one of the four Turtles; Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, and the manual for the SNES version indicates each one has different stats.
There are some significant differences between the two versions but we felt neither is as brutal or relentless as the NES games and first arcade game. Both versions are easier and, in our opinion, more enjoyable with multiple players but playing solo can still be a great time. The versions of these games in the Cowabunga Collection come with enhancements, some of which alleviate the challenge making both games more accessible so anyone get through them. The arcade version is more challenging than the SNES version and the SNES version comes with more content. In fact, it kind of feels like an expanded version of the game. In addition to the story or arcade mode is a Time Trial and Versus mode. In Time Trial, the objective is to defeat enemies as fast as possible and the Versus mode is where two players can fight each other.
Many of the mechanics from the previous games are present here along with some new stuff. You can now dash or run, perform power attacks, a sliding attack, different kinds of jump attacks and a back attack which can prove to be quite helpful when you’re surrounded. You can throw enemies towards the screen and slam them on the ground repeatedly and damage nearby enemies in the process. It’s a lot easier to pull off the throw and slam moves in the SNES version and performing a special attack in this version does drain a little bit of health. I think it’s also worth mentioning that landing attacks feels much more impactful this time and as a result, defeating enemies feels more satisfying. The scoring system for both games tracks how many enemies you’ve defeated but is slightly more involved in the SNES version if only because defeating enemies with certain moves awards you more points.
The SNES version of the game does include all the stages from the arcade game, some of which feature noticeable changes. It also contains an additional stage. Each version of the game features an exclusive enemy and while some bosses are the same between the two, others are different. In the Prehistoric Turtlesaurus stage, you’ll fight Cement Man in the arcade version and Slash in the SNES version. In Sewer Surfin’ stage, there’s no boss in the arcade version but Rat King on the footski appears in the SNES version. And in the Skull and Crossbones stage, Tokka and Rahzar are the bosses in the arcade version and Bebop and Rocksteady are the bosses in the SNES version.
One of our favorite things about Turtles in Time is how much more accessible it is compared to the previous games. It’s definitely more forgiving but we won’t say it’s a breeze to get through. We feel it lands right in the sweet spot in terms of difficulty. If you’ve played any of the previous Turtles beat ’em ups, you should know what to expect here but the new moves and less spongey bosses make things a little easier and, in our opinion, make for a more enjoyable experience. You can still get your ass kicked if you don’t know what you’re doing and mastering the game will require multiple playthroughs. But in general, we feel the pacing of Turtles in Time is much better than that of the previous games. None of the stages feel as if they go on for too long and the bosses don’t feel as relentless or cheap. As mentioned before, they feel less spongey. They don’t take what feels like forever to defeat.
As it relates to the difficulty, as mentioned before the arcade version is definitely more challenging and the Cowabunga Collection allows you to make it even more difficult. The SNES version comes with multiple difficulty levels and the only way to see the true ending is to beat the game on Hard. While most of the enemies are the same between the two versions, the gameplay is faster-paced in the arcade version and the enemies feel more relentless. However, some enemies do exhibit different behavior between the two versions. For example, certain Foot soldiers can block attacks in the SNES version. The throwing and slamming moves are pretty significant here because they’re some of the easiest ways to defeat foes, and even earn more points in the SNES version.
Out of all the Turtles beat ’em ups we’ve played up to this point, we would say Turtles in Time has the best variety of stages by far and part of the reason is due to the story’s time warp gimmick. At a certain point in the game, Shredder sends the Turtles through a time warp so in addition to some familiar locations, they’ll also have to battle their way through the stone age, wild west, and the future. As expected, you can use parts of the environments to your advantage but will also have to be mindful of hazards. Pizza, a pickup which replenishes health, returns and Power Pizza or the Box of Hard Knocks pickup will cause your Turtle to spin around for a limited time allowing you to easily defeat multiple enemies.
The arcade version of Turtles in Time definitely looks and sounds better than the SNES version but that’s to be expected. The sprite work in both versions hold up well in our opinion so the games still look pretty good today. They showcase colorful presentations, excellent music, and good animations which look better and smoother in the arcade version. The stages are visually diverse, the environments are well detailed, and the SNES version utilizes the system’s Mode 7 technology which results in the Neon Night-Riders stage playing out differently than in the arcade version. On the technical side, we encountered no problems in either game.
We had a wonderful time with Turtles in Time. But we expected to because we’ve played this numerous times over the years. It’s our favorite beat ’em up of all time. It is more enjoyable with multiple players but can still be a blast solo and while it may not contain as much depth as others in the genre, it’s still a ton of fun, whether you like the Turtles franchise or not. The gameplay is solid. It’s easy to pick up and play, the combat is satisfying and fun, the presentation is colorful, and the action is backed by excellent tunes. We do feel the SNES version is the better of the two. It basically contains everything the arcade game does and more and it’s not designed to eat your money. There are noticeable differences between the two but the SNES version features more content, it’s not as brutal as the arcade version but it’s not a cakewalk, either, and it simply gives you more reasons to return. Additional game modes, multiple difficulty levels, etc. That said, the Cowabunga Collection does allow you to easily activate additional modes for the arcade version, like the Turbo Mode and Nightmare Mode, if you’re looking to mix things up. But, overall, we feel the SNES version is the better experience.
We would recommend Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time and we would recommend the SNES version over the arcade version. We also feel the Cowabunga Collection is a great way to experience these titles. It’s available for multiple systems, it comes with both games, and the enhancements make them more accessible so anyone can jump in, play, and beat them. Ultimately, the SNES version is our favorite beat ’em up of all time and our favorite Turtles game of all time. Definitely check it out.