Great Momemnts in Licensed Gaming: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

I'll not give the usual speech about licensed video games and how they can be great when given a proper budget and a good developer. So instead, I'll just go right to the point. TMNT IV: Turtles in Time isn't just a great licensed game. It's a damn fantastic video game in general.

You'd be hard pressed to find a more hardcore game cover than this.

TMNT IV is the Super Nintendo port of the 1991 arcade hit, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. While the arcade version was the sequel to the original TMNT arcade game released in the late 80's, the Super Nintendo port billed it as TMNT IV, as three TMNT games had already appeared on Nintendo home consoles at that point: The (imfamously) horrible TMNT 1, The okay-ish NES version of the original arcade game (titled TMNT II: The Arcade Game on the NES), and the surprisingly great TMNT III: The Manhattan Project.

Most of the game translated pretty well to Super Nintendo. Some concessions had to be made, however: The game can't have as many enemies on screen as the arcade version, and the 4 player mode was narrowed down to 2 players instead. While the latter is slightly disappointing (Especially considering one of the draws of the arcade game was being able to have 4 different people control every turtle), it doesn't stop the game from being the definitive version. Because of the concessions made to get the SNES port functional, Konami decided to add some new content in the game that wasn't in the arcade version, as well as tweaking some already existing things. The changes ranged from adding in new characters from across the TMNT spectrum, be it the cartoon, or even the movies in a few cases! I'll explain the additions below:

Sewer Surfin'

My toe, My toe!

In the arcade version of the game, Sewer Surfin was a relatively short surfing level. It was simple, really: Fight waves of Foot Soldiers until Shredder inexplicably shows up out of nowhere and transports the turtles into the past, where the time traveling portion of the game begins. In the Super Nintendo version however, the level is mostly unchanged, although it's now considered one of the game's "Bonus Stages". However, the biggest change is when you complete the level: Instead of Shredder coming out of nowhere and getting rid of the turtles, a new boss takes his place: The Rat King!

While the battle isn't too difficult, it's a nice addition to what was otherwise a short, but still enjoyable level.

Technodrome: Let's Kick Shell!

Above, I mentioned that in the arcade version of the game, ol' Shred-head appeared at the end of Sewer Surfin ' and transported the turtles into the past. This isn't the case in the Super Nintendo version. Instead, the turtles take the fight to Shredder in the SNES exclusive Technodrome level. And it's really a quite awesome level.

Tons of Foot soldiers, robot dogs biting your toes... it's pretty hectic. The mid bosses for this level, are Tokka and Rahzar, from the TMNT II movie. In the arcade version, they were the bosses of the Skull and Crossbones stage, but they've been moved to the Technodrome level in the SNES version.

Now before I go into the next addition, I want to highlight one of the features in Turtles in Time: the screen throw. Basically, there's two types of throws in the game: One where the turtles will slam the enemy  back and forth a few times, and one where the turtles toss the enemy right at the screen, hilariously breaking the fourth wall. It's pretty hilarious. The SNES version of the game actually takes this and does something unique with it...

New Boss: Battletank Shredder

Shredder confronts the turtles in a shiny new battletank, with the intention of getting rid of turtles (Or so we think...?) once and for all. But wait... the battle starts, and we actually witness the boss battle from the perspective of Shredder himself! To beat Shredder, you have to grap the foot soldiers and throw them into the screen, which deals damage to shredder. It's one of the most uniquely designed boss battles I've ever seen in a game, and it's definitely pretty damn fun to play. At the end of the level, Shredder decides he's had enough fun for one day, and sends the turtles far back in time so that they'll never bother him again.

New Boss: Slash

Instead of the somewhat boring Cement Man in the Arcade version, the Super Nintendo version replaces him with an awesome (But difficult; In fact, he's generally considered to be the hardest boss in the game) battle against Slash, the mutant turtle created by Bebop and Rocksteady in the cartoons. Speaking of which...

New Bosses: Bebop & Rocksteady

Aww yeah, everyone's favorite duo of idiots get added to the SNES version of the game, in place of Tokka and Rahzar, who were the bosses of this stage, previously. They're even decked out in pirate wear! The best part about this boss fight is when you get both characters down to one bar of health, they'll eventually start bickering with each other and end up killing themselves in the process. Ha!

Neon Night Riders

In the Arcade version of the game, Neon Night Riders was another stage in the vein of Sewer Surfin' but with surfboards subbed out for hoverboards, and the sewers of 1991 New York subbed for the mean highways of 2020. It also has the best level theme in the game. Seriously. Listen to it.

The SNES version completely remakes the stage and turns it into an F-Zero esque stage using the Super Nintendo's Mode 7 technology to give things a 3D feel.

I actually prefer the hectic pace of the Arcade version to the more relaxed SNES counterpart, but it's still a pretty sweet stage overall. Like Sewer Surfin' before it, it's also been made a bonus stage now.

A "Super" surprise lying in wait...

When the turtles finally confront Shredder for the last time in the arcade version, he throws off his cape, draws his lightsaber, and awesomeness ensues. However, Konami pulled one hell of a bait and switch for SNES players. When the level starts, Shredder rises into the air for a bit... and transforms into his Super Shredder form from the TMNT II movie! You know... the form he takes for all of five seconds before unceremoniously getting crushed by debris?

Yeah, that guy!

 As a kid, seeing Super Shredder in the movie for under a minute, only to end up not getting to see him fight felt like a huge rip off. Finally getting to experience a proper fight with him was just the cherry on top of an already awesome game.

The boss fight itself is actually radically different from the original battle with him in the arcade version. Whereas the arcade version mostly had him fencing with his sword with an occasional energy attack, Super Shredder teleports wildly around the arena, using different elemental attacks, including one that turns the turtles into... well, regular turtles. It also instantly takes a life away, no matter how much health the turtle had.

So yeah, if you have any nostalgia for the ninja turtles and want a really well crafted side scrolling beat 'em up, the SNES port of Turtles in Time is your best bet. Unfortunately, it'll likely never see release on Virtual Console, as it's a licensed title. Your best bet to acquire it would be on eBay or Amazon, though prices for it have been rising as of late. Copies start at $35 and only go up from there. But it's definitely worth the money for the definitive version of one of the best beat 'em ups ever made, and one of Konami's finest games.

And this has been "Great Moments in Licensed Gaming". Maybe I'll make this a regular thing.