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Since there exists games released in 2003 and 2013 with the exact same title that have pages on this wiki, the contents of this page have been moved to VideoGame.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 and this will be turned to a franchise-wide redirect.
Changed line(s) 1,66 (click to see context) from:
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f7b6278de958eb128d8a2a1ca90d81be.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:349:Best enjoyed with [[{{TrademarkFavoriteFood}} pizza]], of course. [[NintendoHard Or Aspirin.]]]]
%%
->''"Anyone unfortunate enough to have a Nintendo device in the house will be familiar with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who star in one of the most insidiously addictive Nintendo games. The turtles live in the subways beneath Manhattan, where, exposed to radiation, they have grown into teenager-sized, intelligent creatures, and have absorbed such items from the culture as surfer jargon."''
-->-- '''Creator/RogerEbert'''
A side-scrolling {{platform game}} released in 1989 (1990 for the PAL region) for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem and 1991 for computers. As you could tell by the title, it was a video game adaptation of ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' which had become a cash cow franchise towards the end of TheEighties. Like the rest of the franchise it's ultimately based on [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage the original comic created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird]], but nearly everything about it (Splinter being Hamato Yoshi mutated, the Technodrome, The Shredder being alive and having a retromutagen gun, the existence of Bebop and Rocksteady, and April O'Neil as a reporter) came from the hit [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 cartoon]], though the box art and some of the in-game art style came from the comics. Perhaps due to brand recognition, this game was one of the best selling NES titles published by a third-party company.
The four eponymous characters – brothers Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael – are in hot pursuit of the Foot Clan, the most dangerous criminal empire New York has ever seen. Their babe-licious human friend, Channel 6 News field reporter April O'Neil, had just been kidnapped by the Shredder, the deadly leader of the Foot. To give you an idea of how deadly he is, the instruction manual describes him as "a villain more vicious than an army of mind altered Creator/{{Bruce Lee}}s." That's deadly. His plan? Brainwash April and train her in ninjitsu so she will become part of the Foot! The Turtles must save April, storm the Shredder's [[SupervillainLair Technodrome lair]], and steal his Life Transformer Gun, which can turn their beloved Master Splinter back to his original human form of Hamato Yoshi.
There are six levels total, and gameplay is divided into two modes: initially, you start the level in a top-down perspective [[TheOverworld hub world]], and you walk your way to a platforming segment. Progression to the next level is gained by beating each platforming segment.
Although only a single player game, you can switch between the Turtles on the fly at the pause screen. Each turtle is essentially a life, meaning you have four lives. When the vitality gauge of a Turtle is completely depleted, he is "captured." When all four are captured, it's GameOver, and you are only given a chance to continue twice. It can get very painful when you are down to only Raph and Mikey, as Donatello's bo staff has the longest range and strongest attack power, Leonardo's katana has middling range and attack power, Raph's sai has the worst range and strong attack power, and Mikey's nunchaku have short range and the weakest attack power. This means that if you're down to Raph and Mike, you're likely going to be taking a lot of damage since you have to be right up on the enemies in order to hit them, and most don't die in one hit. Still, you are given a few chances to rescue captured Turtles.
The most infamous aspect of the game is its difficulty, ultimately making it a divisive affair; you either love it because it's NintendoHard, or hate it because it's NintendoHard.
Released a little later in '89 was [[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTheArcadeGame the arcade game]], which was nowhere near as polarizing and is almost unanimously considered a classic in the BeatEmUp genre. Thanks to the arcade game's success, most games based on the Ninja Turtles henceforth would be {{beat em up}}s as well, although some, such as a couple of the UsefulNotes/GameBoy titles, would be platformers like this puppy.
LP'ed [[http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/TMNT/ here]] by LetsPlay/ProtonJon, of ''VideoGame/KaizoMarioWorld'' [=LPing=] fame, in honor of the game's then-recent re-release on UsefulNotes/{{Virtual Console}} (speaking of the VC release, it's 600 Wii points, instead of the usual 500 for an NES game, due to licensing issues; and said licensing expired, causing the game to be de-listed, although previous buyers can still re-download it).
In March 2022, the game was announced to be a part of ''[[CompilationRerelease Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection]]'', which would be released for all platforms later that year.
----
!! This game provides examples of:
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: As to be expected from he franchise, the sewers are huge.
* AdaptedOut: Even though the Technodrome is in this game (as a boss even), Krang is nowhere to be found despite his status as a series staple.
* AllThereInTheManual: It's only in the instruction book that it's mentioned that the Turtles are after Shredder's Life Transformer gun; as a result, those who don't have the manual are of course confused by [[spoiler:Splinter turning human]] at the end of the game.
* BeefGate: If you try walking around the building from the starting area, a roller (OneHitKO, except in the PC port) will approach as an attempt to guide you into the sewer. However, you can walk around it as it approaches by keeping to the left or simply hit it with your weapon.
* BigDamPlot: Area 2, which has you trying to stop the Foot Clan from blowing up a dam.
* BiggerOnTheInside: You actually ''fight the Technodrome as a boss'' in this game and enter it upon defeat. It's scaled down to fit on the screen but it serves as the final area of the game which is much, much bigger.
* CheckPointStarvation: There are no checkpoints inside the Technodrome. Losing a Turtle at any point results in resuming from the very beginning of the level. It's also chock-full of dangerous foes, most of which are unique to the final level, too.
* CompletelyDifferentTitle: The Famicom version's title, ''Geki Kame Ninja Den'', roughly translates "Fierce Turtle Ninja Legend". This was before the Japanese dubs of the cartoons and films were made, since the later games kept the original American moniker in Japan.
* CoversAlwaysLie: The cover would imply that the game is strictly based on [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage the Mirage comics]], but not only does the game adapt aspects of [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 the cartoon]], in-game, the turtles all have their colored masks, while the cover has them all wearing red.
* CriticalStatusBuff: Mike's attack strength doubles when he's down to half-health (Four bars). It kinda makes you want to [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential avoid healing him]] in order to abuse it.
* DamselInDistress: The plot kicks off with Shredder kidnapping April. You save her at the end of the first Area.
* DistressedDude: Splinter get captured by the Foot Clan at the beginning of the third Area. He is rescued at the end of the same Area.
* DownTheDrain: The dam in Area 2.
* DubText: ''Geki Kame Ninja Den'' turned April into Splinter's daughter.
* EternalEngine: The Technodrome.
* FinalBoss: The Shredder, naturally. This trend would continue for most future games in the franchise.
* GuideDangIt: Area 4's correct hatch sequence. Area 5 has the Technodrome, which is mentioned in depth below.
* HardLevelsEasyBosses: The further along in the game you get, the ''easier'' the bosses get. The final boss, Shredder, is considered the easiest boss because he has a very predictable movement pattern and takes knockback from any hit you do to him (a feature that no boss in the game possesses).
* HighVoltageDeath: The dam in Area 2 is filled with electric plants that can zap the turtles upon contact.
* JackOfAllStats: Leo is the most well-rounded of the Turtles with balanced range and strength.
* LuckBasedMission: In Area 5, the boss of the Area (the Technodrome) can be at the end of one of three caves. You have no way of knowing which one it'll be in short of trying each one and hoping it's there. Making this even worse is the fact that it's most likely (a one-in-two chance) to be at the end of the furthest, most difficult cave.
* ManOnFire: One of the enemies.
* MarathonLevel: Areas 3 and 4.
** Also, the final area.
* TheMaze: The third (where you rescue [[spoiler:Splinter]]) and fourth (the Foot Clan air base) areas have a maze of some sort.
* MightyGlacier: Don's has the most range and power with his weapon, but his attack is the slowest.
* NegativeContinuity: Though the villains are defeated and Splinter is turned back into a human, this has no effect on the story of subsequent games.
* NeverSayDie: The Turtles are always 'captured' upon losing all their health. Justified, in that you have a few chances to rescue captured Turtles later, clearly still alive.
* NintendoHard: Level 2 is the infamous swimming stage. Level 3 is a maze to find Splinter (though once you have the missiles, you can go right to where he is if you know the way, obviously). Level 4 is a "choose your path" with different roads to take to get to the end and towards the end are instant kill traps like fire pits and sliding spike walls. Level 5 is full of tough enemies and has a randomly placed boss who is difficult to defeat, and level 6 is FULL of tough enemies. The jet pack-equipped laser troopers will make you tear your hair out. This game is TOUGH. But it is certainly NOT impossible.
* NonStandardGameOver: If you fail to defuse the bombs in the underwater portion of Area 2, the bombs explode, causing an instant game over, regardless of how many Turtles were remaining.
* OddballInTheSeries: Overlapping with EarlyInstallmentWeirdness. Most of its successors were {{Beat Em Up}}s that are held up as [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames quality licensed games]]. This installment was a PlatformGame best remembered for being NintendoHard.
* OneHitKO: In addition to the rollers mentioned under BeefGate, there's a weapon called the Scroll Weapon which basically does this. Shredder's gun will also kill you in one hit.
* PointOfNoContinues: Your game will be over with no possibility to continue if all four Turtles are captured after continuing twice!
* RespawningEnemies: A common complaint about the game is that the enemies respawn and aren't always the same enemy that you killed.
* SecondaryAdaptation: A 1989 single player PlatformGame that took plot cues from ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'', despite basing more of the art style on the cartoon's comicbook origin, ''ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage''. It was initially released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem console.
* SuperDrowningSkills and SuperNotDrowningSkills: The Turtles know how to swim in Level 2 but they suddenly lose that skill afterwards. Justified in the latter case as the currents are too strong to swim. If a Turtle falls in the water, they aren't "captured". They're simply carried back to the beginning of the level.
* TimedMission: The dam in Area 2 gives you 2 minutes and 20 seconds to defuse all of the bombs.
* TotallyRadical: The instruction manual is full of flip lingo, dude.
* UnexpectedlyRealisticGameplay: In the first building in Area 3, just in front of the Turtle Van missiles, there's a gap between two platforms that is about as wide as your character and impossible to jump across, as the ceiling is too low and you end up hitting it and falling. The solution is to simply walk over it.
* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: The North American MS-DOS port features a jump that can't be made unless you cheat.
----
See ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' for information on the franchise in general and similarly named works.
----
[[caption-width-right:349:Best enjoyed with [[{{TrademarkFavoriteFood}} pizza]], of course. [[NintendoHard Or Aspirin.]]]]
%%
->''"Anyone unfortunate enough to have a Nintendo device in the house will be familiar with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who star in one of the most insidiously addictive Nintendo games. The turtles live in the subways beneath Manhattan, where, exposed to radiation, they have grown into teenager-sized, intelligent creatures, and have absorbed such items from the culture as surfer jargon."''
-->-- '''Creator/RogerEbert'''
A side-scrolling {{platform game}} released in 1989 (1990 for the PAL region) for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem and 1991 for computers. As you could tell by the title, it was a video game adaptation of ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' which had become a cash cow franchise towards the end of TheEighties. Like the rest of the franchise it's ultimately based on [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage the original comic created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird]], but nearly everything about it (Splinter being Hamato Yoshi mutated, the Technodrome, The Shredder being alive and having a retromutagen gun, the existence of Bebop and Rocksteady, and April O'Neil as a reporter) came from the hit [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 cartoon]], though the box art and some of the in-game art style came from the comics. Perhaps due to brand recognition, this game was one of the best selling NES titles published by a third-party company.
The four eponymous characters – brothers Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael – are in hot pursuit of the Foot Clan, the most dangerous criminal empire New York has ever seen. Their babe-licious human friend, Channel 6 News field reporter April O'Neil, had just been kidnapped by the Shredder, the deadly leader of the Foot. To give you an idea of how deadly he is, the instruction manual describes him as "a villain more vicious than an army of mind altered Creator/{{Bruce Lee}}s." That's deadly. His plan? Brainwash April and train her in ninjitsu so she will become part of the Foot! The Turtles must save April, storm the Shredder's [[SupervillainLair Technodrome lair]], and steal his Life Transformer Gun, which can turn their beloved Master Splinter back to his original human form of Hamato Yoshi.
There are six levels total, and gameplay is divided into two modes: initially, you start the level in a top-down perspective [[TheOverworld hub world]], and you walk your way to a platforming segment. Progression to the next level is gained by beating each platforming segment.
Although only a single player game, you can switch between the Turtles on the fly at the pause screen. Each turtle is essentially a life, meaning you have four lives. When the vitality gauge of a Turtle is completely depleted, he is "captured." When all four are captured, it's GameOver, and you are only given a chance to continue twice. It can get very painful when you are down to only Raph and Mikey, as Donatello's bo staff has the longest range and strongest attack power, Leonardo's katana has middling range and attack power, Raph's sai has the worst range and strong attack power, and Mikey's nunchaku have short range and the weakest attack power. This means that if you're down to Raph and Mike, you're likely going to be taking a lot of damage since you have to be right up on the enemies in order to hit them, and most don't die in one hit. Still, you are given a few chances to rescue captured Turtles.
The most infamous aspect of the game is its difficulty, ultimately making it a divisive affair; you either love it because it's NintendoHard, or hate it because it's NintendoHard.
Released a little later in '89 was [[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTheArcadeGame the arcade game]], which was nowhere near as polarizing and is almost unanimously considered a classic in the BeatEmUp genre. Thanks to the arcade game's success, most games based on the Ninja Turtles henceforth would be {{beat em up}}s as well, although some, such as a couple of the UsefulNotes/GameBoy titles, would be platformers like this puppy.
LP'ed [[http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/TMNT/ here]] by LetsPlay/ProtonJon, of ''VideoGame/KaizoMarioWorld'' [=LPing=] fame, in honor of the game's then-recent re-release on UsefulNotes/{{Virtual Console}} (speaking of the VC release, it's 600 Wii points, instead of the usual 500 for an NES game, due to licensing issues; and said licensing expired, causing the game to be de-listed, although previous buyers can still re-download it).
In March 2022, the game was announced to be a part of ''[[CompilationRerelease Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection]]'', which would be released for all platforms later that year.
----
!! This game provides examples of:
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: As to be expected from he franchise, the sewers are huge.
* AdaptedOut: Even though the Technodrome is in this game (as a boss even), Krang is nowhere to be found despite his status as a series staple.
* AllThereInTheManual: It's only in the instruction book that it's mentioned that the Turtles are after Shredder's Life Transformer gun; as a result, those who don't have the manual are of course confused by [[spoiler:Splinter turning human]] at the end of the game.
* BeefGate: If you try walking around the building from the starting area, a roller (OneHitKO, except in the PC port) will approach as an attempt to guide you into the sewer. However, you can walk around it as it approaches by keeping to the left or simply hit it with your weapon.
* BigDamPlot: Area 2, which has you trying to stop the Foot Clan from blowing up a dam.
* BiggerOnTheInside: You actually ''fight the Technodrome as a boss'' in this game and enter it upon defeat. It's scaled down to fit on the screen but it serves as the final area of the game which is much, much bigger.
* CheckPointStarvation: There are no checkpoints inside the Technodrome. Losing a Turtle at any point results in resuming from the very beginning of the level. It's also chock-full of dangerous foes, most of which are unique to the final level, too.
* CompletelyDifferentTitle: The Famicom version's title, ''Geki Kame Ninja Den'', roughly translates "Fierce Turtle Ninja Legend". This was before the Japanese dubs of the cartoons and films were made, since the later games kept the original American moniker in Japan.
* CoversAlwaysLie: The cover would imply that the game is strictly based on [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage the Mirage comics]], but not only does the game adapt aspects of [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 the cartoon]], in-game, the turtles all have their colored masks, while the cover has them all wearing red.
* CriticalStatusBuff: Mike's attack strength doubles when he's down to half-health (Four bars). It kinda makes you want to [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential avoid healing him]] in order to abuse it.
* DamselInDistress: The plot kicks off with Shredder kidnapping April. You save her at the end of the first Area.
* DistressedDude: Splinter get captured by the Foot Clan at the beginning of the third Area. He is rescued at the end of the same Area.
* DownTheDrain: The dam in Area 2.
* DubText: ''Geki Kame Ninja Den'' turned April into Splinter's daughter.
* EternalEngine: The Technodrome.
* FinalBoss: The Shredder, naturally. This trend would continue for most future games in the franchise.
* GuideDangIt: Area 4's correct hatch sequence. Area 5 has the Technodrome, which is mentioned in depth below.
* HardLevelsEasyBosses: The further along in the game you get, the ''easier'' the bosses get. The final boss, Shredder, is considered the easiest boss because he has a very predictable movement pattern and takes knockback from any hit you do to him (a feature that no boss in the game possesses).
* HighVoltageDeath: The dam in Area 2 is filled with electric plants that can zap the turtles upon contact.
* JackOfAllStats: Leo is the most well-rounded of the Turtles with balanced range and strength.
* LuckBasedMission: In Area 5, the boss of the Area (the Technodrome) can be at the end of one of three caves. You have no way of knowing which one it'll be in short of trying each one and hoping it's there. Making this even worse is the fact that it's most likely (a one-in-two chance) to be at the end of the furthest, most difficult cave.
* ManOnFire: One of the enemies.
* MarathonLevel: Areas 3 and 4.
** Also, the final area.
* TheMaze: The third (where you rescue [[spoiler:Splinter]]) and fourth (the Foot Clan air base) areas have a maze of some sort.
* MightyGlacier: Don's has the most range and power with his weapon, but his attack is the slowest.
* NegativeContinuity: Though the villains are defeated and Splinter is turned back into a human, this has no effect on the story of subsequent games.
* NeverSayDie: The Turtles are always 'captured' upon losing all their health. Justified, in that you have a few chances to rescue captured Turtles later, clearly still alive.
* NintendoHard: Level 2 is the infamous swimming stage. Level 3 is a maze to find Splinter (though once you have the missiles, you can go right to where he is if you know the way, obviously). Level 4 is a "choose your path" with different roads to take to get to the end and towards the end are instant kill traps like fire pits and sliding spike walls. Level 5 is full of tough enemies and has a randomly placed boss who is difficult to defeat, and level 6 is FULL of tough enemies. The jet pack-equipped laser troopers will make you tear your hair out. This game is TOUGH. But it is certainly NOT impossible.
* NonStandardGameOver: If you fail to defuse the bombs in the underwater portion of Area 2, the bombs explode, causing an instant game over, regardless of how many Turtles were remaining.
* OddballInTheSeries: Overlapping with EarlyInstallmentWeirdness. Most of its successors were {{Beat Em Up}}s that are held up as [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames quality licensed games]]. This installment was a PlatformGame best remembered for being NintendoHard.
* OneHitKO: In addition to the rollers mentioned under BeefGate, there's a weapon called the Scroll Weapon which basically does this. Shredder's gun will also kill you in one hit.
* PointOfNoContinues: Your game will be over with no possibility to continue if all four Turtles are captured after continuing twice!
* RespawningEnemies: A common complaint about the game is that the enemies respawn and aren't always the same enemy that you killed.
* SecondaryAdaptation: A 1989 single player PlatformGame that took plot cues from ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'', despite basing more of the art style on the cartoon's comicbook origin, ''ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage''. It was initially released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem console.
* SuperDrowningSkills and SuperNotDrowningSkills: The Turtles know how to swim in Level 2 but they suddenly lose that skill afterwards. Justified in the latter case as the currents are too strong to swim. If a Turtle falls in the water, they aren't "captured". They're simply carried back to the beginning of the level.
* TimedMission: The dam in Area 2 gives you 2 minutes and 20 seconds to defuse all of the bombs.
* TotallyRadical: The instruction manual is full of flip lingo, dude.
* UnexpectedlyRealisticGameplay: In the first building in Area 3, just in front of the Turtle Van missiles, there's a gap between two platforms that is about as wide as your character and impossible to jump across, as the ceiling is too low and you end up hitting it and falling. The solution is to simply walk over it.
* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: The North American MS-DOS port features a jump that can't be made unless you cheat.
----
See ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' for information on the franchise in general and similarly named works.
----
to:
[[caption-width-right:349:Best enjoyed with [[{{TrademarkFavoriteFood}} pizza]], of course. [[NintendoHard Or Aspirin.]]]]
%%
->''"Anyone unfortunate enough to have a Nintendo device in the house will be familiar with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who star in one of the most insidiously addictive Nintendo games. The turtles live in the subways beneath Manhattan, where, exposed to radiation, they have grown into teenager-sized, intelligent creatures, and have absorbed such items from the culture as surfer jargon."''
-->-- '''Creator/RogerEbert'''
A side-scrolling {{platform game}} released in 1989 (1990 for the PAL region) for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem and 1991 for computers. As you could tell by the title, it was a video game adaptation of ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' which had become a cash cow franchise towards the end of TheEighties. Like the rest of the franchise it's ultimately based on [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage the original comic created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird]], but nearly everything about it (Splinter being Hamato Yoshi mutated, the Technodrome, The Shredder being alive and having a retromutagen gun, the existence of Bebop and Rocksteady, and April O'Neil as a reporter) came from the hit [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 cartoon]], though the box art and some of the in-game art style came from the comics. Perhaps due to brand recognition, this game was one of the best selling NES titles published by a third-party company.
The four eponymous characters – brothers Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael – are in hot pursuit of the Foot Clan, the most dangerous criminal empire New York has ever seen. Their babe-licious human friend, Channel 6 News field reporter April O'Neil, had just been kidnapped by the Shredder, the deadly leader of the Foot. To give you an idea of how deadly he is, the instruction manual describes him as "a villain more vicious than an army of mind altered Creator/{{Bruce Lee}}s." That's deadly. His plan? Brainwash April and train her in ninjitsu so she will become part of the Foot! The Turtles must save April, storm the Shredder's [[SupervillainLair Technodrome lair]], and steal his Life Transformer Gun, which can turn their beloved Master Splinter back to his original human form of Hamato Yoshi.
There are six levels total, and gameplay is divided into two modes: initially, you start the level in a top-down perspective [[TheOverworld hub world]], and you walk your way to a platforming segment. Progression to the next level is gained by beating each platforming segment.
Although only a single player game, you can switch between the Turtles on the fly at the pause screen. Each turtle is essentially a life, meaning you have four lives. When the vitality gauge of a Turtle is completely depleted, he is "captured." When all four are captured, it's GameOver, and you are only given a chance to continue twice. It can get very painful when you are down to only Raph and Mikey, as Donatello's bo staff has the longest range and strongest attack power, Leonardo's katana has middling range and attack power, Raph's sai has the worst range and strong attack power, and Mikey's nunchaku have short range and the weakest attack power. This means that if you're down to Raph and Mike, you're likely going to be taking a lot of damage since you have to be right up on the enemies in order to hit them, and most don't die in one hit. Still, you are given a few chances to rescue captured Turtles.
The most infamous aspect of the game is its difficulty, ultimately making it a divisive affair; you either love it because it's NintendoHard, or hate it because it's NintendoHard.
Released a little later in '89 was [[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTheArcadeGame the arcade game]], which was nowhere near as polarizing and is almost unanimously considered a classic in the BeatEmUp genre. Thanks to the arcade game's success, most games based on the Ninja Turtles henceforth would be {{beat em up}}s as well, although some, such as a couple of the UsefulNotes/GameBoy titles, would be platformers like this puppy.
LP'ed [[http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/TMNT/ here]] by LetsPlay/ProtonJon, of ''VideoGame/KaizoMarioWorld'' [=LPing=] fame, in honor of the game's then-recent re-release on UsefulNotes/{{Virtual Console}} (speaking of the VC release, it's 600 Wii points, instead of the usual 500 for an NES game, due to licensing issues; and said licensing expired, causing the game to be de-listed, although previous buyers can still re-download it).
In March 2022, the game was announced to be a part of ''[[CompilationRerelease Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection]]'', which would be released for all platforms later that year.
----
!! This game provides examples of:
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: As to be expected from he franchise, the sewers are huge.
* AdaptedOut: Even though the Technodrome is in this game (as a boss even), Krang is nowhere to be found despite his status as a series staple.
* AllThereInTheManual: It's only in the instruction book that it's mentioned that the Turtles are after Shredder's Life Transformer gun; as a result, those who don't have the manual are of course confused by [[spoiler:Splinter turning human]] at the end of the game.
* BeefGate: If you try walking around the building from the starting area, a roller (OneHitKO, except in the PC port) will approach as an attempt to guide you into the sewer. However, you can walk around it as it approaches by keeping to the left or simply hit it with your weapon.
* BigDamPlot: Area 2, which has you trying to stop the Foot Clan from blowing up a dam.
* BiggerOnTheInside: You actually ''fight the Technodrome as a boss'' in this game and enter it upon defeat. It's scaled down to fit on the screen but it serves as the final area of the game which is much, much bigger.
* CheckPointStarvation: There are no checkpoints inside the Technodrome. Losing a Turtle at any point results in resuming from the very beginning of the level. It's also chock-full of dangerous foes, most of which are unique to the final level, too.
* CompletelyDifferentTitle: The Famicom version's title, ''Geki Kame Ninja Den'', roughly translates "Fierce Turtle Ninja Legend". This was before the Japanese dubs of the cartoons and films were made, since the later games kept the original American moniker in Japan.
* CoversAlwaysLie: The cover would imply that the game is strictly based on [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage the Mirage comics]], but not only does the game adapt aspects of [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 the cartoon]], in-game, the turtles all have their colored masks, while the cover has them all wearing red.
* CriticalStatusBuff: Mike's attack strength doubles when he's down to half-health (Four bars). It kinda makes you want to [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential avoid healing him]] in order to abuse it.
* DamselInDistress: The plot kicks off with Shredder kidnapping April. You save her at the end of the first Area.
* DistressedDude: Splinter get captured by the Foot Clan at the beginning of the third Area. He is rescued at the end of the same Area.
* DownTheDrain: The dam in Area 2.
* DubText: ''Geki Kame Ninja Den'' turned April into Splinter's daughter.
* EternalEngine: The Technodrome.
* FinalBoss: The Shredder, naturally. This trend would continue for most future games in the franchise.
* GuideDangIt: Area 4's correct hatch sequence. Area 5 has the Technodrome, which is mentioned in depth below.
* HardLevelsEasyBosses: The further along in the game you get, the ''easier'' the bosses get. The final boss, Shredder, is considered the easiest boss because he has a very predictable movement pattern and takes knockback from any hit you do to him (a feature that no boss in the game possesses).
* HighVoltageDeath: The dam in Area 2 is filled with electric plants that can zap the turtles upon contact.
* JackOfAllStats: Leo is the most well-rounded of the Turtles with balanced range and strength.
* LuckBasedMission: In Area 5, the boss of the Area (the Technodrome) can be at the end of one of three caves. You have no way of knowing which one it'll be in short of trying each one and hoping it's there. Making this even worse is the fact that it's most likely (a one-in-two chance) to be at the end of the furthest, most difficult cave.
* ManOnFire: One of the enemies.
* MarathonLevel: Areas 3 and 4.
** Also, the final area.
* TheMaze: The third (where you rescue [[spoiler:Splinter]]) and fourth (the Foot Clan air base) areas have a maze of some sort.
* MightyGlacier: Don's has the most range and power with his weapon, but his attack is the slowest.
* NegativeContinuity: Though the villains are defeated and Splinter is turned back into a human, this has no effect on the story of subsequent games.
* NeverSayDie: The Turtles are always 'captured' upon losing all their health. Justified, in that you have a few chances to rescue captured Turtles later, clearly still alive.
* NintendoHard: Level 2 is the infamous swimming stage. Level 3 is a maze to find Splinter (though once you have the missiles, you can go right to where he is if you know the way, obviously). Level 4 is a "choose your path" with different roads to take to get to the end and towards the end are instant kill traps like fire pits and sliding spike walls. Level 5 is full of tough enemies and has a randomly placed boss who is difficult to defeat, and level 6 is FULL of tough enemies. The jet pack-equipped laser troopers will make you tear your hair out. This game is TOUGH. But it is certainly NOT impossible.
* NonStandardGameOver: If you fail to defuse the bombs in the underwater portion of Area 2, the bombs explode, causing an instant game over, regardless of how many Turtles were remaining.
* OddballInTheSeries: Overlapping with EarlyInstallmentWeirdness. Most of its successors were {{Beat Em Up}}s that are held up as [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames quality licensed games]]. This installment was a PlatformGame best remembered for being NintendoHard.
* OneHitKO: In addition to the rollers mentioned under BeefGate, there's a weapon called the Scroll Weapon which basically does this. Shredder's gun will also kill you in one hit.
* PointOfNoContinues: Your game will be over with no possibility to continue if all four Turtles are captured after continuing twice!
* RespawningEnemies: A common complaint about the game is that the enemies respawn and aren't always the same enemy that you killed.
* SecondaryAdaptation: A 1989 single player PlatformGame that took plot cues from ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'', despite basing more of the art style on the cartoon's comicbook origin, ''ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage''. It was initially released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem console.
* SuperDrowningSkills and SuperNotDrowningSkills: The Turtles know how to swim in Level 2 but they suddenly lose that skill afterwards. Justified in the latter case as the currents are too strong to swim. If a Turtle falls in the water, they aren't "captured". They're simply carried back to the beginning of the level.
* TimedMission: The dam in Area 2 gives you 2 minutes and 20 seconds to defuse all of the bombs.
* TotallyRadical: The instruction manual is full of flip lingo, dude.
* UnexpectedlyRealisticGameplay: In the first building in Area 3, just in front of the Turtle Van missiles, there's a gap between two platforms that is about as wide as your character and impossible to jump across, as the ceiling is too low and you end up hitting it and falling. The solution is to simply walk over it.
* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: The North American MS-DOS port features a jump that can't be made unless you cheat.
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See ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' for information on the franchise in general and similarly named works.
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* CoversAlwaysLie: The cover would imply that the game is strictly based on [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage the Mirage comics]], but not only does the game adapt aspects of [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 the cartoon]], in-game, the turtles all have their colored masks, while the cover has them all wearing red.
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A side-scrolling {{platform game}} released in 1989 (1990 for the PAL region) for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem and 1991 for computers. As you could tell by the title, it was a video game adaptation of ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' which had become a cash cow franchise towards the end of TheEighties thanks to the hit [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 cartoon]]. Although it is often thought to be based on [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage the comic created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird]], nearly everything about it - Splinter being Hamato Yoshi, the Technodrome, The Shredder being alive and having a retromutagen gun, the existence of Bebop and Rocksteady, and April O'Neil as a reporter using her cartoon design, all came from the cartoon, though the box art and some of the in-game art style came from the comics. Perhaps due to brand recognition, this game was one of the best selling NES titles published by a third-party company. It also has the distinction of being the fifth game reviewed by Creator/JamesRolfe's "WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd" character, then known as the Angry Nintendo Nerd.
The four eponymous characters--brothers Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael--are in hot pursuit of the Foot Clan, the most dangerous criminal empire New York has ever seen. Their babe-licious human friend, Channel 6 News field reporter April O'Neil, had just been kidnapped by the Shredder, the deadly leader of the Foot. To give you an idea of how deadly he is, the instruction manual describes him as "a villain more vicious than an army of mind altered Creator/{{Bruce Lee}}s." That's deadly. His plan? Brainwash April and train her in ninjitsu so she will become part of the Foot! The Turtles must save April, storm the Shredder's [[SupervillainLair Technodrome lair]], and steal his Life Transformer Gun, which can turn their beloved Master Splinter back to his original human form of Hamato Yoshi.
The four eponymous characters--brothers Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael--are in hot pursuit of the Foot Clan, the most dangerous criminal empire New York has ever seen. Their babe-licious human friend, Channel 6 News field reporter April O'Neil, had just been kidnapped by the Shredder, the deadly leader of the Foot. To give you an idea of how deadly he is, the instruction manual describes him as "a villain more vicious than an army of mind altered Creator/{{Bruce Lee}}s." That's deadly. His plan? Brainwash April and train her in ninjitsu so she will become part of the Foot! The Turtles must save April, storm the Shredder's [[SupervillainLair Technodrome lair]], and steal his Life Transformer Gun, which can turn their beloved Master Splinter back to his original human form of Hamato Yoshi.
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A side-scrolling {{platform game}} released in 1989 (1990 for the PAL region) for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem and 1991 for computers. As you could tell by the title, it was a video game adaptation of ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' which had become a cash cow franchise towards the end of TheEighties thanks to TheEighties. Like the hit [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 cartoon]]. Although it is often thought to be rest of the franchise it's ultimately based on [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage the original comic created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird]], but nearly everything about it - Splinter (Splinter being Hamato Yoshi, Yoshi mutated, the Technodrome, The Shredder being alive and having a retromutagen gun, the existence of Bebop and Rocksteady, and April O'Neil as a reporter using her cartoon design, all reporter) came from the cartoon, hit [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 cartoon]], though the box art and some of the in-game art style came from the comics. Perhaps due to brand recognition, this game was one of the best selling NES titles published by a third-party company. It also has the distinction of being the fifth game reviewed by Creator/JamesRolfe's "WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd" character, then known as the Angry Nintendo Nerd.
company.
The four eponymouscharacters--brothers characters – brothers Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael--are Raphael – are in hot pursuit of the Foot Clan, the most dangerous criminal empire New York has ever seen. Their babe-licious human friend, Channel 6 News field reporter April O'Neil, had just been kidnapped by the Shredder, the deadly leader of the Foot. To give you an idea of how deadly he is, the instruction manual describes him as "a villain more vicious than an army of mind altered Creator/{{Bruce Lee}}s." That's deadly. His plan? Brainwash April and train her in ninjitsu so she will become part of the Foot! The Turtles must save April, storm the Shredder's [[SupervillainLair Technodrome lair]], and steal his Life Transformer Gun, which can turn their beloved Master Splinter back to his original human form of Hamato Yoshi.
The four eponymous
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* NeverSayDie: The Turtles are always 'captured' upon losing all their health.
** Justified, in that you have a few chances to rescue captured Turtles later, clearly still alive.
** Justified, in that you have a few chances to rescue captured Turtles later, clearly still alive.
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* NeverSayDie: The Turtles are always 'captured' upon losing all their health.
**health. Justified, in that you have a few chances to rescue captured Turtles later, clearly still alive.
**
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Dam level time limit verified.
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* TimedMission: The dam in Area 2 gives you 2 minutes and 30 seconds to defuse all of the bombs.
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* TimedMission: The dam in Area 2 gives you 2 minutes and 30 20 seconds to defuse all of the bombs.
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[[caption-width-right:349:Best enjoyed with pizza, of course. [[NintendoHard Or Aspirin.]]]]
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[[caption-width-right:349:Best enjoyed with pizza, [[{{TrademarkFavoriteFood}} pizza]], of course. [[NintendoHard Or Aspirin.]]]]
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* CriticalStatusBuff: Mike's attack strength doubles when he's down to half-health (Four bars). It kinda makes you want to [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential avoid healing him]] in order to abuse it.
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* JackOfAllStats: Leo is the most well-rounded of the Turtles with balanced range and strength.
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* MightyGlacier: Don's has the most range and power with his weapon, but his attack is the slowest.
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In March 2022, the game was announced to be a part of [[CompilationRerelease Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection]], which would be released for all platforms later that year.
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In March 2022, the game was announced to be a part of [[CompilationRerelease ''[[CompilationRerelease Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection]], Collection]]'', which would be released for all platforms later that year.
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The game was announced in March 2022 as part of [[CompilationRerelease Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cowabunga Collection]] for all formats, as part of a compilation of '''''[[UpToEleven every single Konami title ever released for the original 80s incarnation of the franchise]]'''''.
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The game was announced in March 2022 as part of [[CompilationRerelease Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cowabunga Collection]] for all formats, as part of a compilation of '''''[[UpToEleven every single Konami title ever released for the franchise]]'''''.
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The game was announced in March 2022 as part of [[CompilationRerelease Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cowabunga Collection]] for all formats, as part of a compilation of '''''[[UpToEleven every single Konami title ever released for the original 80s incarnation of the franchise]]'''''.
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The game was announced in March 2022 as part of [[CompilationRerelease Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cowabunga Collection]] for all formats, as part of a compilation of '''''[[UpToEleven every single Konami title ever released for the franchise]]'''''.
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* DamselInDistress: The plot kicks off with Shredder kidnapping April. You save her mere minutes into the game.
* DownTheDrain: Area 2.
* DownTheDrain: Area 2.
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* DamselInDistress: The plot kicks off with Shredder kidnapping April. You save her mere minutes into at the game.
end of the first Area.
* DistressedDude: Splinter get captured by the Foot Clan at the beginning of the third Area. He is rescued at the end of the same Area.
* DownTheDrain: The dam in Area 2.
* DistressedDude: Splinter get captured by the Foot Clan at the beginning of the third Area. He is rescued at the end of the same Area.
* DownTheDrain: The dam in Area 2.
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* HighVoltageDeath: One of the most notoriously annoying levels in the game is an underwater level where you have to swim through obstacles that can zap the turtles with electricity if you don't time your movements right. There are many of them, they're hard to avoid, and they will kill you over time if you're not ''extremely'' careful with timing your movements.
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* HighVoltageDeath: One of the most notoriously annoying levels The dam in the game Area 2 is an underwater level where you have to swim through obstacles filled with electric plants that can zap the turtles with electricity if you don't time your movements right. There are many of them, they're hard to avoid, and they will kill you over time if you're not ''extremely'' careful with timing your movements.upon contact.
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* OddballInTheSeries: Overlapping with EarlyInstallmentWeirdness. All of its successors were {{Beat Em Up}}s that are held up as [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames quality licensed games]]. This installment was a PlatformGame best remembered for being NintendoHard.
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* OddballInTheSeries: Overlapping with EarlyInstallmentWeirdness. All Most of its successors were {{Beat Em Up}}s that are held up as [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames quality licensed games]]. This installment was a PlatformGame best remembered for being NintendoHard.
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* TimedMission: The bombs in Level 2.
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* TimedMission: The bombs dam in Level 2.Area 2 gives you 2 minutes and 30 seconds to defuse all of the bombs.
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* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: The North American MS-DOS port features a jump that can't be made unless you cheat. Is it any wonder why this version's considered a {{porting disaster}}?
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* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: The North American MS-DOS port features a jump that can't be made unless you cheat. Is it any wonder why this version's considered a {{porting disaster}}?
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Renamed per TRS
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* UnwinnableByMistake: The North American MS-DOS port features a jump that can't be made unless you cheat. Is it any wonder why this version's considered a {{porting disaster}}?
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* UnwinnableByMistake: UnintentionallyUnwinnable: The North American MS-DOS port features a jump that can't be made unless you cheat. Is it any wonder why this version's considered a {{porting disaster}}?
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* HardLevelsEasyBosses: The further along in the game you get, the ''easier'' the bosses get. The final boss, Shredder, is considered the easiest boss because he has a very predictable movement pattern and takes knockback from any hit you do to him (a feature that no boss in the game possess).
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* HardLevelsEasyBosses: The further along in the game you get, the ''easier'' the bosses get. The final boss, Shredder, is considered the easiest boss because he has a very predictable movement pattern and takes knockback from any hit you do to him (a feature that no boss in the game possess).possesses).
