Here’s Why April O’Neil Is the Best Part of ‘TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge’

I already knew I would love TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge from the start, but what really got me excited was the inclusion of April O’Neil as a playable character. Before even knowing a solid release date, I knew I would end up making April my main—sorry to my wife, who also loves April, but she was content with picking Raph, her favorite turtle. Early impressions of the game solidified my excitement, including the one from our very own Ana Valens, a newcomer to the franchise who immediately fell in love with how charming the game is. Now that I’ve played it for myself I can honestly say that it’s one of my favorites of 2022.

After playing TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, April O’Neil is on the same “this character is mine to pick, don’t fight me” level as Yoshi is in Mario Kart. When I play this game with friends, April is who I’m racing to grab first. I seriously can’t get over how great she is in this game. I hope future TMNT game developers keep letting April join in on the action. No more having to untie her at the end of a stage so she can run back to the turtle van and stay inside, she is clearly capable of kicking some serious shell.

Her moves are totally tubular

As I mentioned when pointing out the different fighting game references in TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, April’s moves pull a lot of inspiration from Street Fighter. The nods to characters like Chun-Li, Karen, and Akuma (yes, AKUMA) are a lot of fun to use against a swarm of Foot Soldiers, especially when you add in the special moves that April gets. Tribute Games made sure to have as many reporter references as possible when it came to April’s playstyle. She gets to use her camera equipment as a weapon, and even drops the mic when you beat a stage.

It’s these moments where it really feels like you’re playing as a fed-up April who decided to just grab a camera and slam it into whoever was trying to kidnap her. That’s the vibe I got from the opening cinematic where we see Foot Soldiers at the Channel 6 news station and April takes them out during her broadcast… WHILE holding her camera!

Let April say COWABUNGA!

What I really appreciated about April’s inclusion as a playable character was the fact that there’s ZERO explanation for her fighting with the Turtles, Splinter, and Casey Jones (who joins the group later). April walking the streets and taking out multicolored Foot Soldiers isn’t treated as an oddity. Instead, it feels like April’s been fighting crime with the Turtles the whole time!

In the game’s first cutscene, she’s with the Turtles and Splinter watching as Vernon’s broadcast is interrupted by Krang during “Bebop’s Beat,” a segment that reveals Bebop’s passion for journalism. The Statue of Liberty is in trouble again (I see that Turtles in Time reference), so everyone gets ready for action.

Originally, I thought the game would open with April being the one with the interrupted broadcast so you set out to help her, leading to her joining you. Instead, April’s immediately a part of the fight from the start! It’s nice to see April as a fighter being treated as a regular occurrence and I really hope it’s something that continues in future games. We are getting future games, right? I could use a few more of these.

(Featured image: Tribute Games)

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