Super Evil Megacorp’sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fatehas been on Nintendo Switch and iOS devices for a while now, satisfying players with its easy-to-grasp combat and multiplayer functionality. On June 23, 2025, PC players will get the chance to get their hands on thisHadesclone, which should come as good news, since it’s a fairly great time.
TheHadescomparison is an unavoidable one, asTMNT: Splintered Fateisn’t at all shy about being influenced by Supergiant’s 2020 smash-hit roguelike; just about every aspect of the gamefeels distinctlyHades-inspired, right down to minute elements like UI and how dialog is presented on-screen. This level of familiarity can be something of a double-edged sword forSplintered Fate, which is at its best when it is closely emulating the white-knuckle combat and satisfying progression of its Grecian progenitor. Still, its parallels can also serve as a reminder that it’s a watered-down version of a superior product.
If you removeSplintered Fatefrom the ever-growing shadow ofHades, you might just find what Super Evil Megacorp clearly tried hard to create: a relentlessly addictive roguelike with great multiplayer and acute, old-school charm. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but it’s not a wheel that needed to be reinvented in the first place.
TMNT: Splintered Fate Succeeds Where It Counts
Splintered Fatefollows the four iconic adolescent reptiles as they attempt to rescue Master Splinter—a journey that takes them through four distinct zones, each of which is well-realized, if a bit uninventive (words that describe much ofSplintered Fate). Like so many other action-roguelikes,Splintered Faterewards players with upgradesupon clearing each “room” in a given zone, and the cumulative effects of these myriad upgrades—some short-term, some long-term—determine a player’s capability during a run.
These upgrades offer valuable insight into how Super Evil Megacorp approachedSplintered Fate’s overall design through the lens ofHades. In a word, they are uninspired, not doing much to differentiate themselves from the basic stat boosts and elemental buffs present in just about every other action-RPG, and unlike a game likeHades, which contextualizes its power-ups within the narrative,Splintered Fatejust hands them to the player, which seems like an odd missed opportunity. Additionally, these upgrades can be hit-or-miss in terms of their utility, as some will offer only the most incremental and bland advantages, like an extremely short-lived conditional shield from projectile attacks, while others will be absurdly overpowered.
There’s a noticeable lack of polish and balancing with these upgrades, but this makesSplintered Fatea bit more enjoyable, in a strange way. It’s remarkably easy to create a broken build early on in a run, as elemental powers like Utrom and Ooze greatly buttress DPS, and choosing them over less impactful elemental upgrades like Water or Astral can lead to massive damage capabilities that synergize nicely with several different playstyles. The downside of this unbalanced progression system is thatSplintered Fatewinds up lacking in build variety. Ultimately, stacking uber-powerful upgrades atop one another in rapid succession is fun and gratifying, albeit in a somewhat shallow way.
This commitment to player empowerment is also reflected in howSplintered Fatehandles cross-run progression, AKA permanent upgrades. Two types of in-game currency, Dragon Coins and Dreamer Coins, can be used to purchase different upgrades in the Dojo, such as a flat increase in attack damage or movement speed, with no trade-off. This is rather unlike other games in this genre-space, which often balance out such permanent buffs by requiring a player to choose between one or the other.Splintered Fatelets you have it all, offering aggressive power creep in exchange for variable gameplay and player expression. This design choice makes the game a good dopamine generator, but players who favor in-depth progression systems or stat-tweaking will likely be disappointed.
Some Notes On TMNT: Splintered Fate’s PC Performance and Multiplayer
The best part aboutSplintered Fatecould very well be its multiplayer. I only got the chance to play local co-op during my time with the game, and it worked well, for the most part. There were a few odd glitches here and there, mostly while attempting to operate menus in co-op, but these appear to have been patched out at the time of writing. Assuming that there are no more similar shortcomings, I can confidently recommendSplintered Fateto those looking for aHades-adjacent experience with friends.
Up to four people can playTMNT: Splintered Fatethrough local or online co-op.
On the subject of technical performance,Splintered Fateon PC is fairly polished and stable. I experienced no major bugs or crashes during my playthrough, and the game ran at a consistently high FPS with no noticeable hiccups. Granted,Splintered Fateis far from graphically intensiveand is already available on lower-spec devices like the Switch, but its smooth transition to PC should nevertheless be mentioned.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fatedoesn’t offer much room for the player to get frustrated or, quite frankly, challenged, as a lot of its difficulty is transparently manufactured and tied to linear progression systems that give the game its structure and longevity. At times, this makes it more enjoyable than even the most well-crafted roguelikes, but this is comparable to the difference between fast food and fine dining: one gives you quick and easy satisfaction, but the other offers an experience you’ll remember for months or even years. It’s up to the consumer to decide what they are more in the mood for.
WHERE TO PLAY
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fateis currently available on Nintendo Switch and iOS, and will release on PC and Mac on June 10, 2025. Game Rant was provided a Steam code for this review.
