x1464

Strange Scaffold proved itself quite an unusual developer, due to doing unconventional and narratively interesting things with titles like Clickolding and Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3. TMNT: Tactical Takedown is an opportunity to do that with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IP, and it’s surprising just how creative the team got to be. While I do think it isn’t for everyone, due to the way the narrative forces the direction of early encounters and the initial difficulty, but it is a delightful challenge once someone gets settled.

As established ahead of launch, TMNT: Tactical Takedown is set after some definitive events that resulted in both Splinter and Shredder’s deaths. The turtles have grown up a bit, which means they’re on their own paths. For example, at the outset Raphael is sharing an apartment with Casey Jones. However, Karai, the new leader of the Foot Clan, invades with a horde of units to invade the sewer stronghold, recover Shredder’s kabuto, and defeat the turtles. It’s up to the quartet to reunite, regroup, and fight back.

While I do appreciate the direction TMNT: Tactical Takedown takes, I wish the initial approach and introduction worked differently. When the game starts, we following Michelangelo as he starts investigating the Foot Clan incursion into the sewers. Things start with some tutorial style segments showing how each action, be it to move a turtle, deal damage, or move an enemy, uses one some of the up to six points each turtle gets per turn. It also brings up how we get six hearts, losing one for each hit of damage, and that we can only revive twice per level. It shows how stage mutations are designed to encourage forward movement toward goals, with new sections opening up on turns and existing ones disappearing to force you forward. 

However, the downside to this is there are moments when I felt the forced “narrative” direction for levels and Strange Scaffold’s “guiding” us through a level doesn’t allow for as much strategic experimentation. At the outset, Michelangelo, then his brothers, end up overwhelmed by Karai and her soldiers. While I appreciate the structure and concept, it makes it difficult to really experiment and understand characters’ initial movesets. You’re tossed in and not given a chance to experiment with unique movement options, since you need to use skills to get around the field, and test the additional effects that come from proper positioning around foes. The constant movement of the battlefield and overwhelming hordes of enemies also impart a sense of urgency that I felt prevented me from really getting my bearings until I’d actually used three of the turtles. 

Once the turtles start to get their bearings and properly fight back, it feels like Strange Scaffold gets TMNT Tactical Takedown on more solid footing. After you’re able to access the shop and start customizing movesets, I feel like it really opens up and feels fantastic. That extra element of control makes the execution shine. See, I feel like TMNT Tactical Takedown can sometimes feel like Fights in Tight Spaces and Knights in Tight Spaces. Because of the mutation mechanic, a stage might be a more contained area at parts. Knocking an enemy that is especially strong out of bounds might be a wiser choice than outright attacking. Prioritizing attacks and movements based on energy you have left becomes critical. It can be about dealing with the most hazardous opponents first or attempting to use AOE or enemy moment skills for crowd control. 

This is complemented by what ends up being a genuinely fascinating Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story, as Strange Scaffold really goes some places with TMNT Tactical Takedown. First, a more futuristic look at what happens with the brothers is a novel approach. The team also did a fantastic job of implementing different characters from the series’ run, including major and minor ones and using them well. I appreciate the decision to split characters up both so we can better focus on what they're capable of on their own in levels and see who they are as individuals in this new installment.

I also love the visual approach. TMNT Tactical Takedown looks like a tabletop RPG. All ally and enemy units look like miniatures, and they’re dropped down on the field and move in ways that resemble those types of actions. The aesthetic is maintained for setpieces and maps too. It suits the situations so well!

TMNT: Tactically Takedown is a delightfully challenging game, once you get settled and accustomed to the pace. It does involve quite a bit of adjustment as the story gets started. I wish there was perhaps a bit more of an opportunity to be introduced to movesets or experiment as a result. But after a few hours spent getting accustomed to the nuances, you’ll find this 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown is available for the PC via Steam. 

The post Review: TMNT Tactical Takedown Gets Great After You Settle in appeared first on Siliconera.

Surprise! Strange Scaffold did it again with the team’s latest game, Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3. Which might not be a surprise, given how things have gone for the developer so far. But it’s nice to find a game with an incredibly goofy premise played up for laughs also ends up being both clever and a joy to play. It’s great. 

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 begins as a send-up of the Resident Evil series with perhaps a hint of Dino Crisis. This is great on its own. J.J. Hardwell is an agent who really doesn’t want to go into a disturbing mansion to check it out for illegal and dangerous behavior, but he must. Once he finds a raptor inside, he realizes he’s now duty-bound to clear the situation. The quips and responses to situations are fantastic.

Except then Strange Scaffold adds another layer by revealing that there’s even more going on. So J.J. still needs to deal with the mansion’s horrors, which include things like fighting a zombie T-Rex returning from the “first” game and sneaking past a Brontosaurus that might shimmy you against a wall to death. Said situations are most often handled with match-3 puzzles with RPG elements, such as in the Puzzle Quest series. However, there are also visual novel style adventure elements in which making the right choices can ensure survival and access to new paths or events. 

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is fantastically funny. The script and concept is great, and I don’t want to spoil what’s going on too much. But know that it is clever even if you aren’t familiar with games like Resident Evil or Dino Crisis. 

Now, while I did reference Puzzle Quest and you will feel deja vu for those types of games while playing Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3, it feels unique. When J.J. needs to accomplish certain actions or face specific enemies, you’ll be presented with an 8x8 grid filled with colorful gems, knives, and occasionally other symbols. Both J.J. and whatever threat or opponent he is facing use the same space and take turns making matches. Your goal is typically to match enough of certain color or shape icons to perform certain actions, some of which will end your turn after you perform them. However, since this is a shared space and your opponent is also gathering icons to unleash their own skills, you also need to worry about if you are setting them up for a great combo or match that lets them retaliate. 

Frankly, I loved it. Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is surprisingly strategic in the best way, and by going through the story, finding items, making purchases, and getting upgrades through experiences, you get new tactical options. The fact that there is a bit more thought put into it and a fear that you’ll do okay on your turn, but an enemy will do much better, is a constant. Plus there’s the knowledge that yes, using one skill could be a good move now, but your turn ends when you use it and there’s a fantastic match that could lead to a major combo on the board. 

But when it comes to the visual novel elements, Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is really fun too! There are a lot of branching decisions and choices you can make to influence and gain access to things. My favorite is when it involves making J.J. do  something probably stupid, then realize it leveled up some stat that made it possible to unlock access to an ability or worked out pretty well for you. 

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is another example of how clever and unusual a Strange Scaffold game can be. It’s really appreciated. The fact that it also arrived at a time when I ended up dealing with a lot of serious, unpleasant, and heart-wrenching things made its arrival all the more welcome. It’s well executed and quite a delight.

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is available for the PC via Steam. 

The post Review: Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 Is Brilliantly Goofy appeared first on Siliconera.

Announced at the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2024, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown is a new tactics/strategy game by Strange Scaffold. The game is slated to launch for PC via Steam, but currently has no exact release date.

Following the deaths of both Master Splinter and Shredder, the game will see the titular turtles fighting against a reformed Foot Clan across 20 levels that shift and mutate as the turns go on. Inspired by both the graphic novels and the classic cartoon, the characters are represented by figurines that appear to move and change poses in response to the abilities used.

Strange Scaffold is an indie studio headed by Xalavier Nelson Jr. and known for its esoteric and often oddball catalogue of games across a multitude of genres, including Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator, An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs, and FPS like I Am Your Beast and El Paso, Elsewhere.

You can watch the game's trailer from the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2024 via Youtube below:

Back in July this year, IDW Comics revealed the release date for the first issue of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto crossover comic. The turtles also featured in a two-part crossover event with Street Fighter Duel.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown will release on PC via Steam, an exact release date is yet to be announced.

The post TMNT Tactical Takedown Is a New Strategy Game appeared first on Siliconera.