TMNT: Empire City Proves The Heroes In A Half Shell Are Perfect For VR (Preview)

The VR gaming space continues to introduce fun new takes on classic characters, putting players into the roles they grew up pretending to be on the playground. The latest example of this is TMNT: Empire City. Developed by Cortopia Studios and published by Beyond Frames Entertainment, the game is intended to be a co-op experience where four players can take on the roles of all four turtles, scouring the New York City rooftops and sewers for Foot Ninja to defeat.

The idea of bringing players into the world of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles via VR is a clever one, and the team at Cortopia Studios has done a solid job of it. During a 15-minute preview that ComicBook.com got the opportunity to try out on the Meta Quest 3, the strong combat and impressive visual presentation of the game set up a very fun game. If the rest of the game can match the excitement of the tutorial level, then TMNT: Empire City might be a must-buy for any fans of the franchise — and anyone who enjoys a good VR experience.

Thinking Like A Turtle

The real gimmick to TMNT: Empire City is having the ability to play as any of the four turtles, with each of them having distinct approaches to combat that differ from the others. The demo made available for the press was largely a straightforward tutorial mission, wherein players alternate between all four Turtles while learning the basic functions of the controls. While Leo’s twin katanas will feel familiar to anyone who has played similar games like Deadpool VR, Mikey’s nunchucks and Donnie’s staff have a different sense of weight and motion behind them.

Charging up attacks with Raph and Mikey by spinning the weapons around is a clever little touch that lends itself well to the small, authentic moments of action that pop off naturally during gameplay. The overall gameplay is consistent with each Turtle, although their individual skills (such as Donnie’s hacking ability) were briefly highlighted in the demo as well. Combat is a straightforward affair, with a mix of strikes, blocks, and parries par for the course — although the inclusion of occasional smoke bombs and shurikens added a fun additional layer of strategy to fights.

It’s nothing revolutionary, but it is tightly designed enough for each hit (especially when sneaking up on an enemy) to land with a real sense of power. The best translation of the VR space to the world of TMNT came during Mikey’s brief period on the rooftops, which forces the players to hop from building to building, delivering flying kicks and sneak attacks along the way.

These moments did a great job of translating the experience of being the Ninja Turtles, especially with the turtles deploying their trademark snark along the way. While climbing remains a surprisingly tricky beast in VR that can still leave you with a messed-up sense of vertigo, the actual action and motion of TMNT: Empire City is an impressive showcase.

Turtle Power!

While the gameplay itself is solid, the real strength of TMNT: Empire City is found in the presentation. The game’s slightly shaded visuals lend themselves well to the tone and style of the franchise, with just enough cartoony flourishes to feel like you’ve been sucked into the universe. The Turtles are all distinct in their characterization and dialogue, especially once they’re bouncing off one another back at their underground base.

While the seams might be showing on the edges of the visuals, it works great in motion. Sneaking up on a Foot ninja and delivering a blow to knock them out has just the right amount of cartoonish energy, especially if you’ve charged up an attack and hit them with the glowing strike. The tone leans into the Saturday Morning Cartoon vibes that have always defined the franchise, highlighting the brighter edge of the characters.

The story also seems to be having a lot of fun with the premise, picking up sometime after the defeat of Shredder. The demo’s boss battle against Karai hints that the Foot Clan has greater plans that could involve the return of the villain, a familiar but fitting story for the Turtles and their adventure into the VR space. It’s all got the right balance of cartoony and dramatic, with just the right amount of snark on the side to make the character interactions charming. Teases of other characters like April O’Neal and Casey Jones are also treats for long time fans, hinting that they may have important roles to play in the final game.

Empire City clearly gets the Turtles on a fundamental level that makes it a quickly entertaining and charming world to dive into. Even getting through the action-heavy demo eventually gave way to a hangout at the Turtle’s base, itself a fun little space for character dynamics and rapport. If you’re a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, there’s plenty to love about the presentation of Empire City.