Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III – the Manhattan Project

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III – the Manhattan Project is often forgotten among the games in the series.  It’s easy to see why; as a 1992 release most of the industry and gamer’s attention was squarely on the SNES.  It also didn’t hurt that TMNT IV – Turtles in Time was looking spectacular.  But personally I will always remain nostalgic for this title.  I first learned about in the February 1992 issue of Gamepro, coincidentally one of the first gaming magazines I ever purchased.  That coverage led me to eventually owning the game and I was not disappointed.  While it is a bit familiar it is still an awesome brawler and one of the better games in the series.

The Turtles are in Florida taking some much needed R & R.  Unfortunately while tuning into April’s latest broadcast they witness the Shredder lift the entire island of Manhattan into the sky.  To make matters worse he kidnaps April on live television and issues a challenge.  Now the brothers have to make their way back to New York to save the day.

The Manhattan Project was in an interesting position.  There were already heavy comprises made to get the original arcade game onto the NES.  Turtles in Time was rightfully saved for the eventual excellent Super Nintendo port.  And so Konami created this exclusive as one last adventure for Nintendo fans.  It doesn’t stray far from what made TMNT II good but offers a few new features to make the journey worthwhile.  There’s no question it’s the best of the NES trilogy.

For the most part gameplay is nearly identical to its predecessor.  Some work has gone into making each of the Turtles distinct beyond their weapons in the form of special moves.  These attacks fit the characters and their personalities pretty well.  Leonardo’s tornado spin attack along with Donatello’s spinning thrust is particularly devastating against bosses.   Michaelangelo’s kangaroo kick and Raphael’s drill attack require some finesse to use properly.  Both are effective at helping you escape a group attack but can also lead to cheap deaths.

One new move has been added, a throw attack that will defeat a foot soldier instantly.  As an extra bonus it also damages any foot soldiers in its path.  The only caveat being it grants less points than simply smacking enemies in the face.  This is important as min/maxing in order to earn extra lives becomes crucial to finishing the game.  Every 100,000 points is an extra life and if you play your cards right you can gain one every level.  But the convenience of the throw is too great to be denied.

The journey from Florida back to New York promises many new sights and sounds and for the most part the game delivers.  There are plenty of exotic locations full of life as the game now scrolls in all directions like the arcade games.  The eight stages are longer and full of plenty of interactive objects.  Yet as much as I like the new levels they do skew a bit too close to the previous game in some cases.  The sewers and bridge levels would not look out of place in TMNT II and the same goes for the Technodrome.  It does make up for it in other ways.  There are plenty of new foot soldiers to keep things fresh.  While fan favorite bosses such as Bebop and Rocksteady return there are plenty of new additions such as Ground Chuck, Dirtbag, and Rahzar.

While I won’t say TMNT III is easy the difficulty Is better balanced than its predecessor.  The most annoying bit from the prior game, the invincibility after being hit, has been removed allowing you to mow down foot soldiers at will.  The enemies in greater number but it is far more manageable this time.  With longer levels come more opportunities to earn extra lives and you’ll need them since continues are limited.  Bosses are still pretty frustrating and remain the main reason you’ll lose all your lives. Some have patterns but even that isn’t fool proof.  It wouldn’t be a brawler without cheap bosses I guess.

As a 1992 release the Manhattan Project looks great.  These are among the most vibrant graphics on the system and the variety from one level to the next is great.  The animation on all of the sprites has been improved and the overall detail has been increased.  Konami push the system a little too hard as there is slowdown in many parts although it isn’t game breaking.  Even more than the graphics the soundtrack is fantastic and among the best on the system in my opinion. 

In Closing

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III – the Manhattan Project’s only crime is that it came out the same year as part 4.  Any Turtles game, no matter how great, is destined to be overshadowed by that, let alone an NES game.  Give it a chance and you will be rewarded with a satisfying brawler that corrects its predecessor’s flaws and is a great game in its own right.