Thursday, November 5, 2020

PrinceWatercress plays Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (GBA) - Part 1 of 7


I haven't played any Ninja Turtles games in a while, so I might as well play one now. This time, we're going to the 2003 series, which had some longevity in its own right.

When you start a new game, you'll be able to pick one of four Ninja Turtles and play their story arc. I'll start with Leonardo.

Leonardo: Act 1

The story starts in the Turtles' new hideout, with the old one broken to bits by some sort of robotic creatures. Suddenly, a local television report shows Baxter Stockman (who is African-American in this version of the series) introducing the Mousers, which are made to tackle the city's mouse problem and are controlled by a central computer. April O'Neil works for Stocktronics, and she explains everything about the Mousers. The Ninja Turtles recognize the Mousers as the creatures that destroyed their old home.

Meanwhile, at Stocktronics, April O'Neil tries to find out why Baxter Stockman has so many Mousers. Stockman shows up and says that he is making all the Mousers to achieve wealth and power, and decides to have April disposed of for knowing too much. April flees.

Meanwhile, at the sewers, the Mousers attack the Ninja Turtles' new home. From here, you have control of Leonardo.

The Control Pad lets you move around and duck, A lets you jump and double jump, and B attacks. There is an A+B attack that attacks everything around you at the cost of some health, and if you hold B, you can charge your attack. There is a weak charge attack and a strong charge attack, and it depends on how quickly you hold and then release B. If you fill it all the way up, however, you'll get tired and stunned just long enough to be attacked. You also have another special attack with Up+B.

You'll also have a health bar in the upper-left corner. If that empties, you'll game over and you'll have to continue in the section where you died.

The Mousers are easy enough, as are the human enemies. As long as they don't stand near you for about two seconds, you don't have to worry about being attacked very much. While the big fat guys go down as easily as the rest of the human enemies, they have a charge attack that will immediately knock you down. It should also be mentioned that you'll never see enemy types mixed; you will never fight humans and Mousers at the same time.

The green capsule restores some health.

There are multiple paths through this act, and you'll have to go through all of them to get all three crystals here. When you get a crystal, however, you'll have to clear the stage to get credit for it; you can't just pause and exit the act. With this in mind, you'll have to clear this particular act at least three times.

In the crawlspaces, strike at the missiles when they are close enough to you. Don't go to the missiles; let the missiles come to you. Also, there are Mousers with some red on them that can shoot lasers; get them before they get you. Otherwise, let the Mousers come to you.

There will be guys with dynamite near the end; they take more hits than the rest and the dynamite they throw hurts. Sadly, you can't use it against other enemies, though you can knock it away if it's still in mid-air.

The last section will always be the one where you find April. When you get to her, press Down in front of her to end the act. As you make your way to her, watch out for the Mousers with the blue trim on the sides that leap in and out of the water.

You'll then get a cutscene where April O'Neil meets the Ninja Turtles and Splinter for the first time, and also finds out about the Ninja Turtles' brief history with the Mousers. April tells them about why Baxter Stockman is really making the Mousers, and agrees to help them get past Stocktronics' state-of-the-art security system. Meanwhile, Donatello has the Sewer Slider for an underground assault.

Leonardo: Act 2

A and B shoot the lasers, while the Control Pad moves the target reticle. Pressing A and B simultaneously or pressing R lets you use one of your three smart bombs. If you alternate between A and B quickly without accidentally pressing both at the same time, you can shoot quicker without hurting your right thumb. You'll be shooting down Mousers that leap in and out of the water as you make it to the end. Your progress will be in the upper-right corner.

There is one part where eight Mousers show up at one time; if you shoot them all before they fall into the water, you'll get a crystal.

At the end is a door. You'll have to shoot it down while taking care of Mousers in the meantime. 

After the act, Stockman will be confident in his security system as well as the destructive powers of his Mouser army. Suddenly, Hun shows up to report for Master Shredder to see if everything is going to plan.

Meanwhile, April O'Neil and the Ninja Turtles try to make their way into Stocktronics from underground. April mentions a computer terminal, and says that if she can make it to that terminal, the Turtles should be able to get in. Suddenly, Donatello finds a way to get in through the air vents, and from there, Act 3 begins.

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