Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers Play

Summary

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers (known in Europe as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles II) feels like a love letter to the early ’90s TMNT craze, complete with the iconic "Cowabunga!" voice clip that greets you before each level. The game lets you pick a turtle before every stage, each with a distinct fighting style – Donatello’s long‑range but slow swings, Raphael’s rapid short‑range jab, and the balanced Leonardo and Michelangelo – and losing a turtle means he’s captured until you rescue him in a bonus showdown against the robotic REX‑1. Beyond the classic beat‑em‑up, you’ll dodge massive boulders, zip around on skateboards, and even scale air lifts, while the screen opens up to let the turtles roam more freely than the strictly side‑scrolling predecessor. Bosses range from Bebop and Rocksteady to Krang’s walker mech and a final showdown with Super Shredder, with higher difficulties tossing extra attacks and tougher foes into the mix. Critics at the time praised the surprisingly crisp graphics and the novelty of digitized speech, even if they noted stiff turtle animations and a lack of enemy variety; later, the title earned a spot in the 2022 Cowabunga Collection, cementing its place in retro handheld history.

Storyline

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers lets you pick a different turtle before each stage, with Donatello offering long‑range but slow attacks, Raphael delivering fast but short‑range hits, and Leonardo and Michelangelo providing balanced styles. When a turtle falls, he’s captured by the enemy, and the game ends only when all four are taken; after clearing a level you can rescue a captured brother, or enjoy a bonus stage if none were lost.
The game expands beyond the classic side‑scroll beat‑em‑up by adding obstacles like massive underground boulders, skateboard sections, and air‑lift climbs, and it opens up the playfield so the turtles can move freely across the screen. Bosses include Bebop and Rocksteady, Baxter Stockman, General Traag, Granitor the Stone Warrior, Shredder, Super Shredder, and Krang, who serves as the final showdown, with higher difficulties throwing tougher foes or extra boss attacks.

Edited by Maya Carter