Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was created by comic artists and writers Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, and their work was an over-the-top, hyper-violent caricature of superhero comics at the time. Despite the admittedly edgy debut, the ninja turtles became symbolic of family friendly multimedia franchises when the softer 1987 cartoon premiered on television. Toys, video games, and film adaptations would soon follow the show, and to this day the turtles are a staple of North American childhoods.
As of now, there are countless adaptations of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, including at least four TV shows. Despite this wide reach, the work with the most influence is by far the cartoon that debuted in the late 1980s. The franchise’s public image is still dictated by meta irreverence and cheesy action sequences. These traits have always been part of the series’ identity, but it lacks some stories' more sincere and gratuitously darker tone. The 2003 Ninja Turtles cartoon is more directly based on the comics, and has those elements. As such, the franchise should strive to emulate it more often.
How the 2003 TMNT Cartoon Could Offer a New Point of View for Games
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise peaked commercially over three decades ago. In the early 1990s, the beloved cartoon was still airing new episodes, and some of the series’ most recognizable supplementary works, such as the video game Turtles in Time and live-action films, were released around that time. The video games' tones, aesthetics, and characterization were especially dependent on the cartoon for inspiration. To this day, even crossovers like Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl use the designs and personalities from the 1980s cartoon.
The 2003 cartoon represents several things by contrast. It is one of the primary examples of American television animation’s decision to greenlight more action-oriented projects in the 2000s. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles received a cartoon with more realistic designs, darker stories, and much more faithfulness to the source material than its predecessor. The camp that made the turtles fun to watch is still there, yet characters originally from the 1987 show are omitted. This cartoon is more grounded and serial, but still embraces the inherently farcical nature of anthropomorphic, weapon-wielding ninja turtles.
There are elements that appeal to both corners of the original source of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ success. In a way, especially with the emerging 2000s nostalgia in pop culture, the 2003 TMNT cartoon arguably has the longest-lasting appeal of the shows starring the turtles, and this current era is the perfect time to bring it back. From a commercial standpoint, the kids that grew up with the show are now adults and among the main targets in this market. Future TMNT games could afford taking the risk by appealing to these fans.
The 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show could inspire more diverse titles in the franchise’s lineup. Rather than side-scrolling platformers and beat ’em ups with cartoonish visuals, the 2003 series’ edgier presentation could potentially create the turtles’ answer to the Batman: Arkham games, or even a hack-and-slash reminiscent of Platinum Games’ best. The Ninja Turtles world could be gloomier and more brutal in these hypothetical scenarios without sacrificing what made it entertaining to begin with. If done right, getting inspiration from the 2003 cartoon would diversify TMNT media without being pointlessly edgy and subversive. People with the right mindset would have to spearhead such daunting projects, but the payoff could be extraordinary.
While its golden age is long gone, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise is not going anywhere. Shredder’s Revenge recently released to glowing reviews; its reception might even be better than the public’s initial reaction to Turtles in Time. However, Shredder’s Revenge succeeded by using comfort and familiarity to its advantage. If the franchise wants to spice things up with its games, using the 2003 cartoon as a basis could open various doors.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is available for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.