Netflix adds TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge to its mobile games lineup

By Jay Peters, a news editor who writes about technology, video games, and virtual worlds. He's submitted several accepted emoji proposals to the Unicode Consortium.

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Netflix is bringing some turtle power to its suite of mobile games by adding Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, a modern take on the classic TMNT arcade games. Shredder's Revenge was first released for PC and consoles in 2022, but now, you can play it on iOS or Android if you have a Netflix subscription.

Shredder's Revenge does a lot to capture the spirit of the old-school beat ‘em up games: it has beautiful pixel art, side-scrolling levels, and lets up to six people play at the same time. But the game is also designed to be welcoming to people who may not have grown up with the original TMNT arcade games, which might make it easier for new players to jump in. If you want to learn more, you can read Andrew Webster's interview with designer Frederic Gemus, who spoke about the design philosophy behind Shredder's Revenge.

My brief time with the mobile version has been promising. I downloaded Shredder's Revenge on iOS and hopped into an online party. While I was initially worried about the game's touch controls, the on-screen buttons are big and responsive. Even on my iPhone 12 Mini, they never felt like they hindered my experience, though I did lose track of my character every once in a while on the phone's small screen. (The game also worked with my Backbone One controller, if you prefer physical controls.)

My group, which started as three but filled out to the full six people, cruised through the first level, and if I keep playing, I think I’ll do it with online parties. But if you want to team up with your friends while playing the mobile version, they’ll have to be Netflix subscribers as well, since crossplay for the mobile Shredder's Revenge only works between Android and iOS players, Netflix spokesperson Chrissy Kelleher confirmed to The Verge.

Netflix's mobile lineup is packed with good games, including Kentucky Route Zero, Into the Breach, and Immortality. And the mobile offerings are just one facet of Netflix's growing investments in gaming; the company has snapped up studios including Spry Fox and Oxenfree developer Night School, established internal studios in Finland and in Southern California, and is "seriously exploring" a cloud gaming service.

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