Possible playable characters (for base game or DLC)
- Splinter (The scene in the reveal trailer where he breaks a Mouser with his cane may support this idea.)
- Confirmed.
- Casey Jones (Would make sense considering he's one of the the Turtles most well-known and reoccurring allies / support characters.)
- Confirmed — and serves as an unlockable character in the game.
- Miyamoto Usagi (Little less likely due to Stan Sakai needing to be involved with the project - but could happen. Maybe as DLC?)
- Sure enough, he is confirmed through Dimension Shellshock DLC. What also helps is the fact that Team Sakai willingly approached Tribute Games in order to discuss the matter of including Usagi into the game.
- Leatherhead (Technically a villain of the '87 continuity, but he was an ally in the original comics as well as most other incarnations - so it could work.)
- Jossed — he's the boss of Episode 9: "Crisis at Coney Island!".
- Jennika (Character debuted in the IDW universe - but could be redesigned to fit into the '87 continuity.)
- Jossed by virtue of IDW characters not being allowed.
- Irma Langinstein (Could be a fun joke character along the lines of Dan Hibiki, purposely bad and impractical but still holds the potential to be good if the player knows how to control her well.)
- Jossed by virtue of being an NPC.
- Karai (Again, another character who did not debut with or appear in the '87 show, but would be fun to see get redesigned to fit the world of the '87 cartoon. Lotus Blossom could fill a similar role to Karai but the latter has become a fan-favorite of the franchise and (IMO) more likely to get the nod. Another possibility is her incarnation from the 2012 show, which did cross over with the '87 one, and would bring creative snake-type moves.)
- Surprisingly confirmed! Her moveset, however, is heavily borrowed from her final boss appearance in SNES version of Tournament Fighters. In the release date trailer for Dimension Shellshock DLC, she is mainly presented with the getup based off her 2003 era incarnation.
- Mona Lisa, a character who was initially somewhat obscure but has gotten a bit more love in recent years, appearing in both the 2012 show and IDW comics so she's definitely on the minds of some of the creatives behind modern TMNT projects. While Mona might seem like a weird pick, she could definitely be a fun, out of left-field, choice if she got into the game.
- Jossed — she appears as a cameo in Dimension Shellshock, particularly in the Dark Tomorrow dimension of Survival Mode.
- Slash (Could work like Nega Scott in the Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. Might appear as boss and be unlocked later on.)
- Jossed in terms of playability, but appears in Episode 14: "The Lost Archenemies" as a boss.
- While he is a boss in the game, he could still appear as a DLC character who uses attacks based on the ones used in his boss battle.
- Still jossed in terms of DLC playable appearance.
- Carter (Going kinda obscure here but Carter was a short-lived ally to the Turtles in the final seasons of the 87 cartoon. His mutated form could be cool to see as a more brutish if simplistic alternative to the the Turtle's marital-arts focused moveset. This one is really unlikely but I thought I'd throw it in for giggles.)
- Jossed — he appears in the same background with Mona Lisa in Survival Mode.
- Mondo Gecko (While he had limited appearances in the 87 show, he was given more of a role in the TMNT Adventures, Amazing Adventures and IDW comics, as well as the 2012 show, and his reliance on skateboarding skills would make him a fun, off-kilter pick.)
- Yet another potental candidate has been relegated to a cameo appearance — thus making it jossed. He can be spotted in one of the Mirage scenes along with Halfcourt.
- Muck Man & Joe Eyeball (Muck Man only had a single appearance to his name in the 87 show, but managed to have an expanded role in the 2012 show and Amazing Adventures comic, so Muck Man's reliance on projectiles and garbage-based powers (with Joe Eyeball on assist) would provide an interesting alternative to the melee combat users.)
- Shredder (The ol' Shredhead himself could be a DLC character who uses attacks based on his boss fight.)
- Confirmed, in a broad sense. One of the perks in the Dimension Shellshock DLC's Survival mode temporarily turns the current playable character into Shredder.
- Metalhead (Like with Shredder, this turtle robot could be added as a DLC character with moves based on its boss fight in the game.)
- Eventually jossed.
- Venus de Milo (I can see her getting in either as a Lethal Joke Character using her original Next Mutation design, or a proper serious character using her IDW appearance.)
- Again, IDW continuity had been relegated off-limits. Even the DLC cameos have no Next Mutation representatives, so she's jossed.
- Bart Simpson. As highly unlikely as him getting in is due to EA owning the game rights to his franchise, he'd make a perfect Guest Fighter not only due to his Totally Radical adittude mixing perfectly with the Turtles (especially Mikey), but he was playable in a different well-recieved 90's Konami beat-em-up based on a licensed property.
- Obviously jossed.
Possible bosses (for base game or DLC)
- Baxter Stockman (His mutated fly form was featured in the animated preview, so his inclusion would be most likely. His human self should serve as the first encounter, and then he would have a "rematch" with the Turtles after his mutation.)
- Confirmed for his mutated form — but his human self is not present.
- Tokka and Rahzar (The duo of mutants from Secret of the Ooze which replaced Bebop and Rocksteady for the movie. Both were previously featured in The Manhattan Project, as well as Arcade and SNES versions of Turtles in Time.)
- Confirmed, albeit both are summoned as illusions by Tempestra — the boss of Episode 6: "Mall Meltdown". Later, they become the real deal as of Survival Mode.
- Sergeant Granitor and General Traag (Both are the leaders of Stone Warriors from Dimension X. Given the setting of Shredder's Revenge, their comeback from the first arcade game and Back from the Sewers GB title should be appropriate.)
- General Traag is the one who is confirmed. He's the mid-boss of Episode 13: "Technodrome Redux".
- Groundchuck and Dirtbag (A bull and a mole respectively, both are the obscure characters who appeared in the 1987 cartoon - as well as The Manhattan Project.)
- Confirmed as a dual battle in Episode 4: "Rumble in the Zoo".
- Tora and Shogun (An alien polar bear-looking bounty hunter and a robotic samurai respectively, these guys are exclusive to TMNT 2: The Arcade Game for NES.)
- Rat King (A regular mainstay of the 1987 show, just like Leatherhead.)
- Confirmed.
- Metalhead (Last seen as an ostensible ally of the group, but androids can always be hacked and turned evil.)
- Confirmed. He's even shown being reprogrammed by Shredder before the boss fight of Episode 10: "A Few Screws Loose".
- Tatsu (The general of Foot Clan and Shredder's right-hand man featured in both movies. Was only fightable in The Hyperstone Heist for the Sega Genesis.)
- Wingnut and Screwloose (A mutant bat and mosquito who debuted in the 1987 cartoon. While not as popular as other villains, they are still notable enough to be considered.)
- Only Wingnut is confirmed as the boss of Episode 8: "Panic in the Sky!". Screwloose, however, had been relegated to a cameo appearance in 8-bit Battleground scene of Survival Mode.
- Super Shredder (Given that regular Shredder is a worthy opponent and arch-nemesis of the Turtles, bringing back his mutated version from Secret of the Ooze is a sure-fire way to justify "Revenge" part of the title. Might be serving as the final boss akin to The Manhattan Project, SNES version of Turtles in Time and The Hyperstone Heist.)
- Confirmed — and he's the final boss of the game.
- Agent John Bishop (An entirely different continuity of course, but this character was popular after the 2003 era. He was integrated into the comics, as well as the following Nickelodeon show. Bishop could be "transformed" with 1987 art-style, and serve as possible DLC.)
- Hun (Another popular villain from 2003 version. He served the Foot Clan and was the leader of the Purple Dragons - the gang that was later transformed into organized crime syndicate under his leadership.)
- Tiger Claw (A Japanese assassin turned Bengal tiger who could be a worthy representative from 2012 version.)
- Any character from Tournament Fighters games (Hothead from NES version, Armaggon, War or Chrome Dome from Super Nintendo version).
- Chrome Dome is confirmed as the main boss of Episode 13: "Technodrome Redux". Everyone else (except War) had been relegated to the background cameos for Survival Mode.
- Any exclusive character from Radical Rescue (Scale Tail, Scratch, or Triceratons.)
- Confirmed for Triceratons... kind of. An entire race of them serve as regular enemies, while Captain Zorax fulfills the boss role at the end of Episode 11: "Dinosaur Stampede!".
Possible background cameos
- Zack, Walt and/or Caitlyn (None are enough of a fighter to take part in the actual missions, but they'd happily cheer their heroes on from the sidelines. Or flee the Foot Clan.)
- Confirmed for Zack, as he makes a cameo appearance in Dark Tomorrow dimension of Survival Mode.
- Don Turtelli (Similar to the above, but from a villain's perspective, he'd know he's in over his head against the fully-armed Turtles.)
- The Neutrinos (If the game eventually goes to Dimension X, a quick drive-by of the gang in their hovercar would be more than appropriate.)
- Jossed, in the sense that they're rescue-able side characters like the Channel 6 crew and the Punk Frogs. They do, however, get a larger role in Dimension Shellshock where they warn the Turtles that Shredder seeks to conquer the multiverse.
- The Fugitoid (Not so much a fighter himself, he could appear in a space-themed level or even on one of the Technodrome's monitor screens as a potential target for the Foot.)
- Confirmed. Although he can be spotted being chased by Armaggon in the Omnichannel 6 scene of Survival Mode.
There will be a Dual Boss fight with Bebop and Rocksteady
- One part in the animated intro has Bebop and Rocksteady firing their laser machine guns together, suggesting that alongside their solo boss fights, they might get an encounter where both of them must be fought at the same time, like in The Arcade Game and the SNES version of Turtles in Time.
- Confirmed.
Shredder's Revenge will feature remixed tracks from past Ninja Turtles titles
- Given Tee Lopes' previous work on critically acclaimed Sonic Mania, it's not farfetched that TMNT should be getting new tunes along with rearrangements of the old ones. New instrumentation will be beneficial for both the 8-bit and 16-bit chiptune masterpieces coming from The Manhattan Project, Turtles in Time, The Hyperstone Heist and (possibly) Game Boy TMNT trilogy.
- Mostly jossed, but a remix of Krang's original boss theme from the Konami games ("Brain Teaser") has been confirmed, the theme for "Episode 3: Mutants Over Broadway" has elements from "Sewer Surfin'", and the theme of "Episode 2: Big Apple, 3PM" appears to be heavily based off "Big Apple, 3AM".
There will be Downloadable Content at some point after the launch
- Since the game has gotten amazing reception, especially after the Summer 2022 release window announcement and PAX East floor show demo, it would make sense for this game to get DLC approved if it sells well enough. Plus the Dotemu staffer Jessica Richard mentioned
that there's lots of things they wanted to do after launch, strongly implying the intent for DLC. Their CEO Cyrille Imbert also noted that the fans' feedback could be a factor in this happening. Finally, some elements of the menus appear to have been accommodated to open the game up to DLC, such as the achievement for completing Story mode being called "Complete Season", and parts of the map are conspicuously unused.- Dimension Shellshock is the downloadable content in question - so it's confirmed.
Possible ideas for DLC
- A major plausible idea is to significantly expand the scope of Shredder's Revenge — and not just limiting the game to 1987 incarnation of the franchise specifically. February 8, 2023 marks the 20th anniversary since the release of "Things Change" - a very first episode of 2003 animated series from 4Kids. The opportunity can be capitalized by adding bits of content from that era as well: new unlockable stages separated from official Story and Arcade modes, sufficient amount of bosses from different seasons of the show (Ultimate Ninja, Mr. Touch & Mr. Go, Dr. Malignus and Ch'rell himself to name a few), as well as getting respective voice actors on board for a new wave of role reprisals (which happened in several official TMNT projects — Turtles in Time Re-Shelled being one of them). The entire concept can be chalked up to Multiverse scenario, thus making more sense within the game and paying homage to Turtles Forever while not feeling out of the ordinary. Furthermore, the reveal trailer for Dimension Shellshock DLC goes as far as to include the distinctive Kabuki vocalization which often heralded the appearance of Shredder's incarnations from 2003 show.
- Jossed. Instead, the characters get their 2003 era palettes as alternate looks.
Pieces of Turtle history will be referenced
- The game is likely meant to be a love letter to the Ninja Turtles so perhaps this could include unlockable easter eggs such as comic artwork or pictures. Possibly even specific toys or comics could be referenced through artwork or even in-game setpieces. Such as a roadsign saying Eastman and Laird.
- Mostly jossed. But those "specific toys" and comics are represented through alternate palettes given to specific characters (Playmates Toys, Mirage Comics, Archie Comics).
The Turtles will have unlockable costumes
- Possibly referencing the absolute multitude of themed figures made such as sports-themed outfits. Or even black-and-white versions of the characters harkening back to their origins in the first comic.
- Jossed by the devs. So much work went into each character's animations and designs that simple costume swaps are impossible; they'd have to re-create new costumed versions from the ground up. Instead, the Dimension Shellshock DLC goes as far as to provide multiple palettes for each character.
- While stretching credibility on it being counted as costumes, all the characters do get costumes based on their looks in the Game Boy games, the NES games and the original comics, along with a palette that makes them look like their brightly-colored Playmates action figures, complete with their weapons being one single color.
There will be different types of challenges
- Time attack. Get through stages as quickly as possible.
- No hit challenge. Try and complete stages without taking a single hit.
- Confirmed as part of the in-level Challenges.
- Boss Rush mode. Unlocked after completing the Story Mode once.
- Endless mode. Go as far as you can before dying.
- Basically it amounts to Survival Mode following the same principle - so that's confirmed.
- There will be an online leaderboard of the best scores/times.
- Confirmed.
- Achievements.
- Confirmed — and there are 30 of them available for full completion.
There will be a Shout-Out to a certain old Konami arcade title
- 6 player co-op maximum, yet we have 9 playable characters total (counting the Dimension Shellshock expansion). Quite likely that whoever does not get picked gets kidnapped. Badass in Distress, Damsel in Distress and Distressed Dude tropes were commonplaces in the 80's cartoon, y'know?
- Jossed. The seventh, eighth and ninth playable characters are simply not accounted for in gameplay. Plus, every single member of the roster was graduated in some form of major butt-kicking - thus the "Distress" part is out of the question.
Possible locations for DLC levels
- April's apartment (since the developers themselves weren't able to implement it in the base game).
- Train (as an homage to both "Bury My Shell At Wounded Knee" in Turtles in Time and the Skytrain level in Streets of Rage 4, Dotemu's previous published beat 'em up).
- NYC Canal/Dam.
- Forest.
- The Dreggnaught.
- Shell-Ri-La
- Dimension X Penitentiary
- Technodrome 2.0 (on Earth, based on either the Arcade Game or The Manhattan Project versions).
- Hudson River (surfing level with a submarine segment, inspired by level 2 in The Manhattan Project).
- Liberty Island/the Statue of Liberty (Boss-Only Level, done similarly to "The Final Shell-Shock" in Turtles in Time).
- None of the additional levels were implemented into the core game, so the concept of DLC stages is jossed.
2023 could be the year when DLC is announced
- Near the end of the summary for the December 2022 update on the Tribute Games Discord server, there is the phrase "See you next year, where we'll have more Tribute news for you, and mayhaps more TMNT news as well? Stay tuned to find out!". While purposely vague, it could hint at DLC being formally announced later in 2023.
- Confirmed. The Dimension Shellshock DLC expansion was indeed announced on June 7, 2023.
The remaining DLC character(s) will be from the 1987 series
- Seeing as many Adventures characters only make cameo appearances, IDW characters have been officially declared off-limits, and some popular suggestions from other TMNT incarnations seem unlikely, it can be readily assumed that any DLC characters following Usagi will come from the 1987 series itself. It helps that some of the requested characters from that incarnation have yet to make an appearance as NPCs.
- Jossed — in a sense. Usagi was joined by Karai, whose main appearance is based off her 2003 era incarnation. Although she has some moves harkening to her Tournament Fighters role as a final boss for Super Nintendo version.
Karai in the DLC is a new version of the character made for the 1987 series
- While her design is heavily-based on the 2003 version for the sake of easy recognition, this Karai appears to be more of a unique character with elements taken from her other portrayals. Interestingly, it's mentioned on the Steam page that she's a former Foot Clan member, implying that she may already have a history with the cartoon's own Shredder (and not a good one if she's willing to ally with the Turtles against him).
- Her voice lines suggest that this version of Karai is the rightful leader of the Foot Clan, and that she is not happy with the Shredder's vendetta.
Among the playable characters with every stat equal or above 2 stars, Karai will proritize Power
- Since Casey Jones is the first character to become a member of such category (maximum Range, medium Speed and Power) with Usagi joining him later (maximum Speed, medium Range and Power), it makes sense to turn Karai into a logical conclusion of the proverbial "Lightning Bruiser Trifecta" (maximum Power, medium Range and Speed).
- Confirmed via Twitter.
Usagi will have a skin based off of Yuichi Usagi from Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles
- Mostly due to being Adapted Out of Rise and thus not able to have a skin to accompany said show as a result.
- Jossed — mostly due to Usagi's relative lack of representation compared to his TMNT allies, as well as Yuichi's main outfit having the same colors as his ancestor's.
