People play this game for like 15 minutes or watch a review and think its good. But once you play through the game all the way through you will realize that this game actually sucks ass. Horrible stage design and the sprite is way too big for the enemy placement. Crazy how this game does things worse than the first game. Graphics are better though.
Hmmmm.. This was definitely one of the weaker Turtles games by a considerable margin..
Played via The Cowabunga Collection
Certainly better than Fall of the Foot Clan on an audio/visual front, and for the first four levels I would be inclined to say it's even better on a gameplay front. Unfortunately, the last two levels showcase some horrible 2D platformer bosses, level design, and enemy placement, swiftly ramping the difficulty for the final stages for the scummiest reasons.
Certainly better than Fall of the Foot Clan on an audio/visual front, and for the first four levels I would be inclined to say it's even better on a gameplay front. Unfortunately, the last two levels showcase some horrible 2D platformer bosses, level design, and enemy placement, swiftly ramping the difficulty for the final stages for the scummiest reasons.
Functionally the same game as the first one with slightly better graphics and animation but the "Pizza Time" pause screen is in the pantheon of pause screens. That alone is worth an extra star.
Another decent entry in the TMNT series for the Game Boy. Plays pretty similar to the first Game Boy game.
Turtles II - Back from the Sewers does a lot better than its direct predecessor Fall of the Foot Clan in many cases. You notice this as soon as you start the cartridge, which plays a wonderful Gameboy version of the cartoon intro. The music is varied and catchy. There are even two scratchy voice samples. After each level start, a euphoric "COWABUNGA!" is heard, and "Pizza time!" when you pause. Can it get any more charming than that? The levels are also more dynamic and no longer consist of bluntly running to the right and beating everything that runs in front of your green nose. Instead, there are autoscrolling sequences on a skateboard or surfboard in which you have to dodge all kinds of obstacles and defeat foot soldiers and more. The graphics have of course also been improved and now offer more detail and depth. It is simply satisfying to see the flips of the four boys while jumping. With each level, however, the difficulty level increases considerably. Already in Act 3, it gets annoying because the game throws endless spawning mousers at you. In the Technodrome at the latest, the difficulty level has reached its maximum with more Mousers, Roadkill Rodneys, which this time are unfortunately not stunned when we hit them. Instead, they can counterattack directly after we hit them. Again, there are openings that spit out enemies endlessly until you pass them, which often results in a hit to the Turtle. You eagerly await the next pizza in this Endurance test. Where Konami has also tightened up are the bosses, which now not only take 5 hits but have a life bar like us. Especially in fights where the map goes into depth, it is almost impossible to hit the boss without taking a hit yourself. Here they have cranked the dial a little too far. And after each of the Turtles has been defeated once, it's game over, so you have four attempts. Back from the Sewers is an improved, albeit really tough game that you can really cut your teeth on.
compared to the first GB game it's an upgrade in both sound and looks, in actual gameplay it's much worse with how cheap it can feel, too many enemies on the screen for you to take care of, and boss battles that don't telegraph their attacks.
This is still a pretty good game, I like this just as much as the first one but for every different reasons.
This is still a pretty good game, I like this just as much as the first one but for every different reasons.
Unplayability
The mousers ruin this game. Annoying.
Another one of the early GB cartridges we had that I played an insane amount of, usually with the help of Game Genie. Revisiting it on the Cowabunga Collection, it actually held up better than I was expecting
Never has there been a more apt title for a video game. Legitimately one of the worst I've ever played, with the most absurd, Adderall-fueled level design and bosses in the history of the medium. I genuinely, 100% believe this was not tested before it was released. I have no idea how a game as mind-numbingly simple as the first game is better, but somehow it is.
An improvement over the first GB game, as there's at least some strategy involved when going from left to right. I enjoyed it for the most part but then area 5 I think, the weird sky platform level, just sucked. It throws everything at you.
It does improve after that but there's some absolutely horse shit enemy placement in the technodrome level that can just get fucked. I liked the fight with Shredder and Krang at the end though.
A decent enough game that I've probably rated rather generously but this was quite fun when it wasn't being annoying.
It does improve after that but there's some absolutely horse shit enemy placement in the technodrome level that can just get fucked. I liked the fight with Shredder and Krang at the end though.
A decent enough game that I've probably rated rather generously but this was quite fun when it wasn't being annoying.
Version: TMNT the Cowabunga Collection
It's worse than the first game in almost every way. I'm a real gamer of course 😎, but couldn't beat it without using the new features sadly.
My thoughts:
(+ = (mostly) positive; - = (mostly) negative)
- Gameplay;
Bad, there were multiple cases where you just couldn't continue without getting hurt. All characters played the same and when the game forgets to offer you pizza after a hard part.
- Music;
Nothing to mention.
- Graphics;
Worse than the first game...
- Story/Characters;
Nothing to mention.
Recommend?
Only if you have to collection.
It's worse than the first game in almost every way. I'm a real gamer of course 😎, but couldn't beat it without using the new features sadly.
My thoughts:
(+ = (mostly) positive; - = (mostly) negative)
- Gameplay;
Bad, there were multiple cases where you just couldn't continue without getting hurt. All characters played the same and when the game forgets to offer you pizza after a hard part.
- Music;
Nothing to mention.
- Graphics;
Worse than the first game...
- Story/Characters;
Nothing to mention.
Recommend?
Only if you have to collection.
The entire time I kept playing this game, I couldn't stop thinking how weird this game was. Back from the Sewers kinda felt like they tried to combine elements of each TMNT up until that point and what they made was the turtles and enemies had huge sprites with weird hit boxes like TMNT(NES), a constant jump in of enemies like Fall of the Foot Clan, animations trying to call back to TMNT (2 as well) arcade and Turtles in Time. In theory this should be good but...
I always said I love the GameBoy because a lot of the times, games made for it weren't just mini copies of bigger games, they were game meant to compliment the series and the bigger games, and in a sense this kinda does that...but it feels more like an amalgamation of the series and lacks it's own identity.
I'll say the animations and sprite work looks good though the backgrounds are bland. The music is actually very forgettable save for the second to last level. The game does have like a cute pause menu, but honestly the bosses are very cheap with huge hit boxes and some bosses have counter attacks that require split second movement to not get hit.
I know it sounds like I didn't like the game, but I honestly did, it was just a weird way of going at it, but it was definitely an experience and I'm glad I played it as a bit of history of one of my favorite consoles.
I always said I love the GameBoy because a lot of the times, games made for it weren't just mini copies of bigger games, they were game meant to compliment the series and the bigger games, and in a sense this kinda does that...but it feels more like an amalgamation of the series and lacks it's own identity.
I'll say the animations and sprite work looks good though the backgrounds are bland. The music is actually very forgettable save for the second to last level. The game does have like a cute pause menu, but honestly the bosses are very cheap with huge hit boxes and some bosses have counter attacks that require split second movement to not get hit.
I know it sounds like I didn't like the game, but I honestly did, it was just a weird way of going at it, but it was definitely an experience and I'm glad I played it as a bit of history of one of my favorite consoles.
This is a tough one to review because on one hand they made some great improvements over the first GB game. On the other hand they added an extremely unnecessary difficulty spike. Enemies are almost unlimited spawning in some cases and with the bosses, the hit window is minuscule. I really enjoy the first one for what it was and ya they just went too far in trying to make it harder. These stars are for all the good things it did though
While nothing really that special, compared to the previous Game Boy game, I would say it is quite an improvement, both visually and in gameplay. There were some fun moments like in the fifth level, though the constant use of the same enemy types got annoying pretty quickly.
Switch Cowabunga Collection
They tried so hard to make a fun turtles game on Game Boy. They all fell flat.
'Back to the Sewers' is a 'TMNT' game with unlimited continues, and this is so forgiving that beating it is guaranteed on first playthrough. I, however, only learned about the continues after spending a day unnecessarily training on levels and bosses. To make sure this game provided me with a challenge, I only declared the game completed once I beat it all the way through without using any continues. Now doing this is MUCH harder than it was in the original 'TMNT' Game Boy game, 'Fall of the Foot Clan.' And not in the fair way you'd hope for in a precision action game.
There are sections of this game where the pattern and pace of enemy introductions are such that there is absolutely no way to avoid taking damage. Sometimes considerable damage. The liberal offerings of pizza throughout seem to be an admission of the developers' mistakes. The boss patterns are much more difficult here than in the original game and require pixel perfect accuracy and perfect execution of the slide move. That slide move sucks, let me also say, considering it involves pushing both jump and attack buttons simultaneously and usually results in a jump or an attack rather than the desired slide.
The graphics are more detailed here than in 'Fall of the Foot Clan' but the turtles look dopier and the reach of the weapons is reduced to an absurdly short distance. The hit boxes make less sense here. The level design is messier. And as mentioned, the enemy encounters are poorly designed. A more challenging game, and I felt great beating it without using continues (and with two turtles left in the bank), but I still prefer the elegance and simplicity of 'Fall of the Foot Clan.'
There are sections of this game where the pattern and pace of enemy introductions are such that there is absolutely no way to avoid taking damage. Sometimes considerable damage. The liberal offerings of pizza throughout seem to be an admission of the developers' mistakes. The boss patterns are much more difficult here than in the original game and require pixel perfect accuracy and perfect execution of the slide move. That slide move sucks, let me also say, considering it involves pushing both jump and attack buttons simultaneously and usually results in a jump or an attack rather than the desired slide.
The graphics are more detailed here than in 'Fall of the Foot Clan' but the turtles look dopier and the reach of the weapons is reduced to an absurdly short distance. The hit boxes make less sense here. The level design is messier. And as mentioned, the enemy encounters are poorly designed. A more challenging game, and I felt great beating it without using continues (and with two turtles left in the bank), but I still prefer the elegance and simplicity of 'Fall of the Foot Clan.'
too long for short and bad game
It's ever so slightly better than the first.
Better than the first in some ways, and also worse. I'm glad it's been included on the Cowabunga Collection for preservations sake, but this feels like KONAMI was just trying to get as many TMNT games out as they could while the brand was still relevant. An easy skip unless you're a completionist.
Technically played via the Cowabunga Collection on Nintendo Switch.
Those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made a decent enough leap to the Game Boy with 1990's Fall of the Foot Clan so naturally a sequel was bound to happen and it arrived a year later in the form of Back from the Sewers.
It's a game that does play a lot like the previous title but unfortunately in this game's scenario, our turtle friends seem to have taken a few rather nasty things with them out of the sewers... like the fact that they seem to walk at the speed of treacle and that their hit boxes seem to have taken a turn for the worse, or the enemies being more annoying this time around or the screen crunch fucking you over in certain cases or the poor bosses.
There's not even any funny story text to laugh at unlike the previous game so no Shredder milkshakes for you this time.
:(
But there are some voice clips though which is kinda impressive for the Game Boy so there's that I guess.
I wanted to like this just as much as the first GB game but I'm afraid to say, this wasn't much fun to play and is a massive stepdown in quality. Better to just leave this one in the Turtles time machine.
Anyway, "Pizza time!"
Those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made a decent enough leap to the Game Boy with 1990's Fall of the Foot Clan so naturally a sequel was bound to happen and it arrived a year later in the form of Back from the Sewers.
It's a game that does play a lot like the previous title but unfortunately in this game's scenario, our turtle friends seem to have taken a few rather nasty things with them out of the sewers... like the fact that they seem to walk at the speed of treacle and that their hit boxes seem to have taken a turn for the worse, or the enemies being more annoying this time around or the screen crunch fucking you over in certain cases or the poor bosses.
There's not even any funny story text to laugh at unlike the previous game so no Shredder milkshakes for you this time.
:(
But there are some voice clips though which is kinda impressive for the Game Boy so there's that I guess.
I wanted to like this just as much as the first GB game but I'm afraid to say, this wasn't much fun to play and is a massive stepdown in quality. Better to just leave this one in the Turtles time machine.
Anyway, "Pizza time!"
remember how fall of the foot clan was very basic and bland with no variety
back from the sewers fixes that problem, and honestly it almost seems ambitious. at its core, its still a sidescroller where an enemy jumps at you from the border of the screen and then he dies in one hit, but now, every few minutes the levels will be... not 3d, but you can move in all directions like in most beat-em-ups (but enemies still die in one hit and theres no combos or throws or anything so i wouldnt classify it as a beatemup), and there are even skateboard sections and more enemy variety
problem is
the level design is ass, the enemies will SWARM you, especially mausers, and bosses cant be stunlocked anymore and just take forever to kill
by all accounts everything added should make the game better, but it just ends up making the game worse
its not good
back from the sewers fixes that problem, and honestly it almost seems ambitious. at its core, its still a sidescroller where an enemy jumps at you from the border of the screen and then he dies in one hit, but now, every few minutes the levels will be... not 3d, but you can move in all directions like in most beat-em-ups (but enemies still die in one hit and theres no combos or throws or anything so i wouldnt classify it as a beatemup), and there are even skateboard sections and more enemy variety
problem is
the level design is ass, the enemies will SWARM you, especially mausers, and bosses cant be stunlocked anymore and just take forever to kill
by all accounts everything added should make the game better, but it just ends up making the game worse
its not good
Just the pure rhythm of this game makes me come back to it a lot. I recommend it for a nice chost game boy experience.
Nuevamente muy pocos juegos de Game Boy han envejecido bien y desafortunadamente este no es la excepción. Una cosa que no me gusta nada aqui son los sprites de las tortugas. Parece que tuviesen sueño siempre.
Graphically, a big step up from its predecessor, but also more difficult, and I don’t mean that in a good way. On later stages, enemies will rush you from all angles causing you to stop moving every few seconds to dispose of them, and the final stage in particular is very long (relatively speaking) with multiple boss fights.
This was a major improvement over the first one it was decent at best.
Marginally better than Fall of the Foot Clan but it still controls weird and everyone walks strangely upright like they're all in a PSA for good posture to prevent smartphone crookback. I can't hate this too much because it does what a retro turtles game is supposed to do, which is feature Krang in his robot body as a final boss and play his goofy-ass arcade theme song. By that rubric it should be a way better game than Turtles in Time, but then again, I mean, there's the rest of the game here.
This game really took everything nice I had to say about Fall of the Foot Clan - namely the part where I was like "wow, they gave you enough reaction time for enemy spawns despite your character moving so slow!" - and decided to just throw all of that in the garbage.
As your selected turtle gently strolls through levels and attacks with a hit box best described as "pathetic", the sound of your teenaged reptile taking damage will start to become rhythmic as you slog through a tidal wave of relentless enemy spawns and asshole traps. I can't even compliment the more detailed sprites here either because some of the characters (like Bebop, good lord) inexplicably look worse in this game.
The only silver lining in all of this? This game is pretty short and, hey, it has voice clips and they're actually pretty good! Congratulations, TMNT II: Back from the Sewers, you made audible voice clips play through my Game Boy speakers.
As your selected turtle gently strolls through levels and attacks with a hit box best described as "pathetic", the sound of your teenaged reptile taking damage will start to become rhythmic as you slog through a tidal wave of relentless enemy spawns and asshole traps. I can't even compliment the more detailed sprites here either because some of the characters (like Bebop, good lord) inexplicably look worse in this game.
The only silver lining in all of this? This game is pretty short and, hey, it has voice clips and they're actually pretty good! Congratulations, TMNT II: Back from the Sewers, you made audible voice clips play through my Game Boy speakers.