Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers is a 1991 side-scrolling Beat 'em Up developed and published by Konami for the Game Boy. It is based upon the Fred Wolf Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.
Shredder and Krang are back, and once again up to no good! Select one of the Ninja Turtles and go through six multi-part stages mowing down tons of Foot Soldiers and Mousers as you attempt to save New York City.
The game plays similarly to the previous game, but now there are some minor differences in playstyle, as Raphael can attack faster but has shorter reach while Donatello can attack farther but slower.
The game would be re-released as part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection in 2022.
Tropes:
- Absurdly Spacious Sewer: But of course. The game doesn't even waste any time, plopping you in one of these right from the first stage.
- Agony of the Feet: Act 6 starts out in with another skateboard section, this time in the sewer with lots and lots of mines you have to avoid.
- Aside Glance: Your chosen Turtle will look at the camera at the end of a bonus level.
- The same can occur when the player doesn't input any movements in any of the main stages for five seconds.
- Bonus Level: There's a couple, like last time, though these will happen between levels rather than hidden inside them.
- If any Turtles were captured, you'll be able to access a brief fight with REX-1. Win, and you'll get a Turtle back.
- The second one has you jumping between pipes or girders in order to grab pizzas. Getting them all refills your life and nets a ton of points.
- Camera Abuse: One of the Turtles throws a pizza at the screen after the credits roll.
- The Cameo:
- REX-1 appears in a bonus stage holding any Turtles that might have gotten captured.
- Splinter will sometimes appear in the level to give you pizza for health and pilot the Turtle Blimp in Act 5.
- A Pizza Monster will show up as a Mini-Boss in Act 4.
- You save April at the end of Act 5.
- Cast Speciation: While not to the extent of other games, this game does have Donatello and Raphael employ this. Raph attacks a bit quicker, but his sais don't reach as far, while Donatello's staff reaches farther, but attacks slower. Leonardo and Michelangelo both have the same stats.
- Ceiling Cling: Certain pipes or girders will allow you to grab onto them and climb across them.
- Combat Parkour: A mild version, but you will automatically do a somersault every time you super jump.
- Combat Tentacles: Roadkill Rodneys shoot these out like usual.
- Conveyor Belt o' Doom: The fight with General Traag in Act 6 has one of these taking up the floor, making avoiding him harder.
- Cool Board: Act 2 starts with you riding down the streets on your skateboard, taking down Foot.
- Covers Always Lie: Once again, a Turtles game uses the Mirage designs for the cover, while the game is based on the cartoons.
- Disc-One Final Boss: Just like in Fall of the Foot Clan, Shredder isn't the final boss of the game - Krang is.
- Deadly Disc: When on the surface, some Foot Soldiers will pop out of the sewers and throw manholes at you.
- Death from Above: Various enemies, such as Foot Soldiers on ladders, will try to toss projectiles at you from above.
- Digitized Sprites: The opening cutscene and level title screen includes digitized scans of screenshots from the cartoon's opening.
- Directionally Solid Platforms: Actually justified. Certain platforms, mostly girders with "X" shapes through them, can be jumped through. However, there is an animation of the Turtle grabbing onto the beam and pulling himself up, implying there's just a massive hole next to said beam. Given this mechanic debuts in a construction site, it's not unusual.
- Distressed Dude: Defeated Turtles are captured by the Foot, but you can rescue them between stages.
- Diving Kick: A pretty awkward one, as the Turtles' upper body stays still while the legs jut out.
- Elevator Action Sequence: Act 3 has a section that's one of these, sending in a few waves of Foot Soldiers. You do it again in Act 6 shortly before fighting Super Shredder.
- The End... Or Is It?: When "END" appears after the credits, a voice clip of Shredder laughing can be heard.
- Enemy Roll Call: The end credits will list all of the enemies fought in the game, though without pictures, and will also list the Turtles, Splinter, and April too.
- Evil Is Bigger: While all of the bosses employ this to some extent, Krang is at least three times taller than the Turtles. He almost reaches the top of the screen!
- Excuse Plot: April didn't even get kidnapped this time. Shredder and Krang just appeared and that's all the plot you get.
- Flame Spewer Obstacle: In caves, there are surface-mounted flamethrowers, shooting out flames at various lengths.
- Final Boss: Just like in the previous game, Krang is the final opponent you will face against.
- Flower-Pot Drop: During Rocksteady's boss battle, Foot Soldiers will appear in the windows and try to drop flower vases on top of you.
- Head Swap:
- Like the previous game, weapon swap instead. All four Turtles use the exact same sprite, just with their hands in different positions to hold their weapons. It's especially egregious on the character select screen.
- The only two Stone Warrior bosses, Granitor and Traag, can be told apart by their heads and shoulders.
- Shredder is an egregious case as well. His "Super Shredder" form in Act 6 has a bigger head and longer spikes placed on top of his regular sprite.
- High-Altitude Battle: Act 5 starts out on an endless series of hover platforms high in the sky.
- Hyperactive Metabolism: Once again, your main health pickups are pizzas.
- Inexplicably Preserved Dungeon Meat: Like all Turtles games, pizza is used for health pickups.
- Jack of All Stats: Both Leonardo and Michelangelo have balanced stats.
- Jump Physics: Like before, you can jump really high in this game.
- Marathon Level: Act 6 in a nutshell. Traversing different sections of the Technodrome is combined with fighting 3 bosses at separate points - General Traag, Super Shredder and Krang in his large body.
- The Maze: Of a sort. Act 5 starts you off with jumping from platform to platform, dodging bombs and enemies everywhere, which will repeat themselves vertically forever. You need to find the right horizontal exit to proceed.
- Metropolis Level: Part of the first level takes place in New York. You start out in a more high-rise section, then go to a Graffiti Town-esque section before going to a more middle-class urban section. The next few levels also take place in New York.
- Never Say "Die": If your Turtle falls, they are captured. You can get them back via a bonus level, though.
- One-Winged Angel: Even though he's never shown to be transformed, Super Shredder serves as the second boss of Act 6.
- Parrying Bullets: You can deflect physical projectiles with your weapon.
- Razor Wind: While it's not specifically known if it's wind or energy, Shredder can send a wave attack at you during his first boss battle.
- Respawning Enemies: Starting in Act 3, this game gets downright obnoxious about these, usually with Mousers. The worst part is that they're faster than you are, so if you don't move quickly, you could be stuck dealing with an infinite amount of Mousers and be unable to escape.
- Rolling Attack: One of Granitor's main attacks is rolling up into a ball and charging at you diagonally.
- Secondary Adaptation: Based on the cartoon that is based on a comic book.
- Slide Attack: By pressing A and B together, you can slide down on the floor with your legs stretched out. Becomes invaluable in later levels. You can also use it to get through narrow passageways.
- Smooch of Victory: April gives you a kiss when you rescue her from Granitor in Act 5.
- Speed Echoes: Shredder's second boss fight (as Super Shredder) has him create multiple after-images to confuse you as to where he will attack.
- Storming the Castle: Once again, the final level has you invading the Technodrome.
- Super-Deformed: All of the bosses have massive heads in this game.
- Throw a Barrel at It: A Mini-Boss in Act 2 tries to take you out by dropping oil drums on the road.
- Underground Level: Act 4 takes place in a cave, chasing after one of Shredder's tunnelers, complete with massive rolling boulders everywhere.
- Upgraded Boss: There are three of these in the game:
- You first fight Krang in Act 3, in his bipedal walker from the toyline. In Act 6, he comes back in his traditional mech suit.
- Shredder first attacks you at the end of Act 4. He comes back as Super Shredder, the second boss of Act 6, but this time armed with a sword.
- There are only two Stone Warriors in this game - and they use similar patterns. First, Sergeant Granitor is fought as Act 5's main boss. Then you fight against General Traag on a conveyor belt near the start of Act 6.
- You Don't Look Like You:
- Krang, for whatever reason, looks nothing like his cartoon self. In particular, he somehow became a cyclops.
- Super Shredder as well. It looks like the sprites of regular Shredder got longer spikes and bigger head hastily added to complete the "transformation".
