Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an adrenaline-charged adventure based on of the hit cartoon series. You and a friend can control Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, or Donatello, as you battle the Purple Dragon gang, deadly robots, and the minions of the evil Shredder. The first level of the game is a basic warm-up to get you acquainted with the turtle-style combat. The second level opens with a quick cut scene that introduces Nano, a childlike mechanical being that can assimilate nearby machinery and reshape it to his own needs. After Nano wipes the floor with an ally of the Turtles, the boys decide they must take this mechanical monstrosity down.
In addition to the thugs from the Purple Dragon gang, you’ll also have to deal with the Nano’s smaller robot minions. Each foe requires a different strategy, so let’s take a look at them in more or less the order that you’ll encounter them.
Nanobots They’re blue, human-sized, and on the slow side. They’ll try to clock you with their oversized club hand or rabbit-kick you with both “feet.” Don’t ever let yourself get surrounded, or they’ll just take turns pounding you and never give you a chance to hit back. These blue ‘bots quickly learn to shoot projectiles at you, but they only have one shot each, and these missiles don’t home.
Use your speed and agility to run rings around these bozos. Hit them hard and often with aerial attacks, and never stand still. Continue to stick and move until one of them falls apart. The nanobots explode after being defeated, which can damage or even destroy anything within the blast radius (including you, so don’t get too close). After you beat one, stay near the pieces, and try to lure the survivors close to the wreckage—it won’t be too hard. When the dead ‘bot explodes, it’ll do your work for you. If you time it right, you can get a chain reaction going, where each exploding ‘bot destroys the next. Or, if there are handy oil drums nearby, hurl a shiruken into one, and use that explosion to trigger the chain.
Purple Dragons/Mousers These grunts are the same as the ones on the first level. They have no ranged attacks but can lay you out with their melee attacks. They’re only dangerous in groups or if they catch you from behind. Remember that mousers also explode when defeated, so keep clear of their bodies.
Nanobot Upgrade They’re yellow, larger, and they use their extending arms as a ranged attack. They also fire missiles that home. These ‘bots can kill you from a distance, so get them before they get you. Use your shiruken (the shock variety are the best) to stun them, so you can get close enough to polish them off. If you’re out of shiruken, keep moving and hit them with jump attacks until they drop.
Nano You’ll face this boss three times before the final showdown, and each time he has better attacks. Until the last battle, treat him like every other ‘bot. Stay clear of his powerful offense and use shiruken and jump attacks to whittle down his health until he crumples.
When he becomes the humongous robot at the end, you have to change your approach. Only his head is vulnerable, so get up on the scaffold where your jumps will put you in range (and also keep you safe from his trampling feet). Before you take it to him directly, kick as many of the exploding barrels into his face as you can. Never stay in one place for too long, though, or his devastating ranged attacks will finish you. After all the barrels are gone, go straight for his face, and string together as many jump attacks and combos as possible. If you’re nimble, you’ll have little trouble hacking this giant down to size. After Nano goes down, the level ends, and you get to enjoy another cut scene of the Turtles celebrating their victory.
