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00:00Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we're taking a look at 20 things you may not have known
00:05about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video games.
00:18Before we begin, we publish new videos all week long, so be sure to subscribe to Mojo
00:23Plays and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
00:28Konami's arcade game used custom hardware.
00:35Most people just remember pumping quarters into the 1989 Konami arcade cabinet without
00:41questioning what made it feel so different from everything else at the time.
00:44The secret was Konami's proprietary Konami Twin 16 hardware, a custom system designed
00:50to push graphical performance beyond standard arcade boards.
00:54This specialized setup allowed up to 4 players simultaneously, which was genuinely rare for the era.
01:01The hardware also supported vibrant, large sprite animations that made the turtles feel alive on screen.
01:07Surprisingly, Konami would only use this hardware for a handful of other arcade games before moving on to newer tech
01:14in later years.
01:15The original NES game had no multiplayer.
01:26Here's something that still stings a little bit.
01:28The original 1989 NES TMNT game forced players to go it alone.
01:34Despite the franchise being built around four distinct turtle brothers, the game was strictly a single player experience.
01:41Players switched between turtles on the fly during gameplay, but no second controller could join the mission.
01:47It remains one of the more puzzling design decisions in the franchise's early gaming history, especially given TMNT's roots in
01:54multiplayer-induced chaos that would become an expected feature for later games.
01:58The NES game was initially released in Japan.
02:10Released in Japan for the Famicom as Gekekame Ninja Den, the NES TMNT game hit shelves in May 1989 before
02:18making its North American debut a month later.
02:21Interestingly, the Japanese version retained identical gameplay but featured a number of different sound effects and dialogue compared to the
02:28North American release.
02:30According to former Sega CEO Mike Hayes, Gekekame Ninja Den did sell well in both North America and Japan.
02:37If anything, the game did not perform well in Europe at all and was regarded as, in Hayes' words, a
02:42failing brand.
02:44The Konami Code was featured in a TMNT video game.
02:54Few cheat codes carry the legendary status of the Konami Code, and naturally, it found its way into a TMNT
03:01title.
03:02In the NES game, entering the famous up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-ba sequence on the title
03:07screen granted players 10 additional lives.
03:10For a game notorious for its punishing difficulty, this secret felt less like a cheat code and more like a
03:16survival necessity.
03:17Several other TMNT games would include the Konami Code, as well as including Turtles in Time, Tournament Fighters, and even
03:24the GBA versions of Battle Nexus and Mutant Nightmare.
03:28Turtles in Time was originally an arcade exclusive.
03:39Before we got to experience it in our living rooms, Turtles in Time was born exclusively in arcades in 1991.
03:45Konami built the cabinet using their powerful arcade hardware, delivering a visually stunning beat-em-up that stunned players at
03:52the time.
03:53The game's time travel premise sent the Turtles across ancient and futuristic settings, all rendered with incredible color and animation
04:00for its era.
04:01Its success in arcades was undeniable, which is exactly what motivated Konami to bring it home to the Super NES
04:07the following year.
04:08That transition, however, wasn't a simple copy-paste job, and the differences between versions are more significant than many fans
04:15may realize.
04:17Turtles in Time's SNES port added an exclusive bonus stage.
04:27When Turtles in Time made the jump to Super NES in 1992, Konami didn't just shrink the arcade experience down
04:34for home play.
04:35The SNES version introduced an exclusive bonus stage that had never appeared in the original cabinet along with other sound
04:41effects and animations.
04:42This extra content tasked players with throwing foot soldiers directly at the screen in a memorable and satisfying interactive moment.
04:50Beyond that, the home version featured remixed music and additional story elements that fleshed out the experience further.
04:56Rather than simply delivering a lesser version of the arcade game, Konami gave SNES owners genuine reasons to celebrate having
05:03the port at home.
05:04Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Hyper Stone Heist was a Genesis exclusive.
05:12Sega Genesis owners watching SNES players enjoy Turtles in Time didn't have to feel left out for long.
05:18Konami developed the Hyper Stone Heist specifically for Genesis in 1992, creating a unique TMNT experience rather than simply porting
05:27the SNES title.
05:28While it borrowed some visual assets and gameplay mechanics from Turtles in Time, Hyper Stone Heist featured entirely different level
05:36layouts, bosses, and a distinct storyline involving Shredder shrinking Manhattan.
05:41The game moved faster than its SNES counterpart, giving it a noticeably different feel.
05:45It remains an underappreciated gem in the TMNT library, often overshadowed simply because Turtles in Time gets more historical recognition.
05:54The Tournament Fighters games were largely ignored at launch.
06:09Cowabunga!
06:10Released in 1993, the TMNT Tournament Fighters series arrived at the absolute worst possible moment in fighting game history.
06:18Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat were dominating living rooms worldwide, leaving little room for a newcomer, even one carrying
06:25a beloved franchise name.
06:27Three separate versions launched across NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis, each with different characters and mechanics, which fragmented the already
06:35limited audience further.
06:37Critics and consumers largely shrugged at all three releases.
06:40Decades later, retro gaming communities have revisited Tournament Fighters with considerably more appreciation, recognizing genuine ambition buried beneath the unfortunate
06:49timing of its original release.
06:52Cowabunga!
06:53Karai was a playable character in Tournament Fighters.
06:56Fight!
07:00Long before Karai became a fan favorite figure in TMNT animated series and comics, she was kicking shells in a
07:07video game.
07:08The SNES version of Tournament Fighters featured Karai as a fully playable character, making it one of her earliest appearances
07:15in any TMNT media outside of the original Mirage comics.
07:19Her inclusion was surprisingly forward-thinking, given how obscure she was to mainstream audiences at the time.
07:25Players who chose her found a technically demanding fighter with a distinct playstyle that set her apart from the rest
07:31of the roster.
07:31For long-time fans, seeing Karai recognize this early in gaming history feels like a well-deserved piece of trivia.
07:38The Turtles made an appearance in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5.
07:52Nobody expected to see Leonardo grinding half-pipes alongside Tony Hawk, yet here we are.
07:58In 2015, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 added all four Turtles as playable character skins through downloadable content.
08:05The timing was tied to the release of the film TMNT Out of the Shadows, functioning as a cross-promotional
08:11marketing effort.
08:13Unfortunately, Pro Skater 5 itself received a notoriously rough reception from critics and fans, which meant the Turtles were along
08:20for an embarrassing ride.
08:21It remains one of the stranger chapters in the franchise's crossover history, a fun idea trapped inside a game that
08:27most people would rather forget entirely.
08:30TMNT Smash Up was developed by the team behind Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
08:40TMNT Smash Up might seem like a forgettable 2009 Wii title at first glance, but the development story behind it
08:46is truly remarkable.
08:48The game was built by GameArts, the same studio that co-developed Super Smash Bros. Brawl alongside Nintendo's internal teams.
08:55That pedigree directly shaped Smash Up's platform fighter mechanics, which borrowed liberally from the Smash Bros. formula.
09:03The result was a surprisingly competent brawler that felt familiar to anybody who had spent time with Brawl.
09:09Critics acknowledged the game's solid foundation, but lamented its thin content, suggesting the developer's talent significantly outpaced the limitations placed
09:17on the project.
09:18A TMNT fighting game featured guest characters.
09:29While we're talking about Smash Up, this was one of the strangest TMNT games to ever exist because of who
09:36were featured as guest fighters.
09:38Joining the Turtles, Shredder, and Fugitoid were, oddly enough, the raving Rabbids.
09:44And they took up three whole slots.
09:47You could play as a regular Rabbid, a ninja Rabbid, or even a Rabbid dressed as Sam Fisher from Splinter
09:54Cell.
09:54We suppose these inclusions make some sense, given that Ubisoft was the publisher, and both IPs would have some presence
10:01on Nickelodeon and its sister channels.
10:03Even so, we gotta wonder what the pitch was behind this crossover.
10:19The Turtles made an appearance in Injustice 2.
10:23This fight's got me a little nervous.
10:26You got your hands plenty full with me!
10:30No one is invincible.
10:32NetherRealm Studios raised eyebrows and excitement in equal measure when all four Turtles arrived as downloadable fighters in Injustice 2.
10:40Rather than selecting just one Turtle, players could choose their favorite by simply switching out weapons in the customization menu.
10:46And each weapon played differently from the rest.
10:49The characters were also voiced by the cast from the 2012 Nickelodeon animated series, adding an extra layer of authenticity.
10:56On top of that, NetherRealm's signature cinematic style gave each Turtle individual intro dialogues, creating a treasure trove of hilarious
11:04and heartfelt character interactions with DC's roster.
11:09Leonardo wins.
11:10Now that'll hit the spot.
11:13Mmm.
11:16April O'Neil almost never made it into early games.
11:20For a character so central to the TMNT story, April O'Neil had a frustratingly small footprint across early video
11:28games.
11:28Many of the earliest titles either reduced her to a damsel in distress cutscene, or omitted her entirely from meaningful
11:35gameplay interaction.
11:36Her role was often limited to providing mission briefings rather than participating in the action alongside the Turtles.
11:42Some development teams reportedly struggled to justify including a non-fighting character within the beat-em-up genre framework.
11:49And it wasn't until later generations of TMNT games that April received proper playable roles,
11:55finally reflecting the capable and resourceful character that comic and cartoon fans had always known her to be.
12:01Out of the Shadows had a troubled development and poor reception.
12:10Out of the Shadows
12:12Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Out of the Shadows arrived in 2013 with considerable promise and delivered considerable disappointment.
12:20Developed by Redfly Studio, the game was designed as a modern beat-em-up that would return the franchise to
12:25its cooperative roots,
12:26and early trailers generated genuine excitement.
12:29However, the finished product suffered from repetitive combat, technical issues, and a visual polish level far below than what had
12:37been marketed.
12:37Reports suggested that development timelines were compressed significantly,
12:41leaving the team unable to address poor gameplay problems before release.
12:45The game quietly faded from the public consciousness, becoming a cautionary example of franchise potential squandered by an underpowered production.
12:53We need to regroup and figure out what's going on.
12:56We need to regroup and figure out what's going on.
12:57The Turtles made an appearance in SMITE.
13:00Woohoo!
13:09Feature delivery!
13:11Of all the gaming universes one might expect to find the Turtles,
13:15a mythological third-person MOBA probably wasn't high on anybody's list.
13:19Hi-Rez Studios brought all four Turtles into SMITE as limited skin bundles, mapping each brother onto an existing playable
13:27god in the game.
13:28Leonardo was paired with a warrior-type deity, while the other Turtles were matched according to their individual fighting styles
13:34and personalities.
13:36You could also play as Splinter, Shredder, Krang, and even Slash.
13:40The crossover was a purely cosmetic collaboration, but it introduced the Turtles to a gaming audience that had little prior
13:47connection to the franchise.
13:48Splinter was playable in only a few titles.
13:52Master Splinter commands enormous respect within the TMNT universe, yet game developers rarely gave fans the chance to actually play
14:00as him.
14:00Across decades of TMNT titles, Splinter appeared far more frequently as a mentor figure, offering guidance between stages than as
14:08a fighter players could control.
14:09His playable appearances were scattered across only a small handful of titles, including the SNES version of Tournament Fighters and
14:17the more recent Shredder's Revenge.
14:19Given his status as a martial arts grandmaster, the reluctance to make him a primary playable character feels like a
14:25missed opportunity.
14:26Fans have long argued that a Splinter-focused game could explore fascinating narrative territory the series has barely scratched.
14:33The Sudden Nickelodeon Crossovers
14:47When Nickelodeon acquired the TMNT brand, the franchise suddenly found itself sharing playgrounds with SpongeBob SquarePants and other Nicktoons in
14:56ways nobody had anticipated.
14:58Games like Nickelodeon Kart Racers placed the Turtles alongside characters from entirely separate Nick universes, creating crossovers that felt surreal
15:06to long-time TMNT fans.
15:09These collaborations made complete sense from a business perspective, but they represented a dramatic departure from the franchise's somewhat grittier
15:17roots.
15:17A second Nickelodeon Kart Racers entry doubled down on this approach, further cementing the Turtles' place within a broader Nick
15:24gaming ecosystem.
15:26Love it or question it, this era fundamentally reshaped how TMNT has existed as a gaming property.
15:33The Turtles made an appearance in...
15:35Call of Duty?
15:41Well, not necessarily the Turtles themselves, but the IP did at least.
15:46Yeah, Modern Warfare 2 had some bizarre crossovers between Lara Croft from Tomb Raider and some characters from the Amazon
15:53Prime TV series, The Boys.
15:55But with its TMNT crossover, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 added Shredder as a playable operative.
16:01Look, we can appreciate Shredder getting his own guest role separate from the IP, but to see him running around
16:07with assault rifles and shotguns is just... weird.
16:11It doesn't help that they went with a design reminiscent of his appearance from the original cartoon.
16:15Now he just looks like a dude in a weird suit.
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16:46The TMNT video game release dates often coincided with movie premieres.
16:57Look back at the history of TMNT gaming and a clear pattern emerges that explains more than almost any other
17:03fact on this list.
17:04Nearly every major TMNT game release was deliberately timed to coincide with a theatrical film premiere.
17:10From the early Konami titles aligned with the original 1990 movie, to modern releases synced with the Michael Bay produced
17:17films.
17:18This strategy prioritized marketing momentum over development quality, which directly explains why so many TMNT games feel noticeably rushed.
17:26Publishers understood that franchise enthusiasm peaked around film releases, making those windows commercially irresistible regardless of whether developers had sufficient
17:35time to finish their games properly.
17:37It's a pattern that shaped the franchise's gaming legacy more than any single title ever could.
17:46Did any of these facts surprise you?
17:48Let us know down in the comments, and don't forget to subscribe to MojoPlays.