Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (version found in the Switch port of The Cowabunga Collection played for review)

I’d need to revisit “Streets of Rage 2” for comparison if I’m to go for a superlative like “this is the best 16-bit beat-em-up of all time”, but for now, I’m comfortable with the superlative “this is the best beat-em-up on the Super Nintendo”. Every aspect of past TMNT brawlers is polished to a mirror sheen, vibrant visuals effortlessly channeling the cartoon with one of the most endearing soundtracks of the era and combat that remains accessible and surprisingly system-heavy, especially on hard mode. I was afraid the years had soured this game, but it’s even better than I remember.

10