Honestly, I still think about this game at least once a month. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan is such a bizarre piece of history. You’ve got PlatinumGames, the absolute legends behind Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising, taking on the world’s most famous turtles. It sounds like a slam dunk, right? It should have been the greatest TMNT game ever made.
But it wasn't.
Instead, we got a game that lasted about eight months on digital shelves before it just... vanished. Poof. Gone. If you didn't buy it between May 2016 and January 2017, you basically missed the boat. Now, in 2026, it’s become this weird relic that collectors hunt for and everyone else forgets existed.
Why Did Everyone Hate TMNT Mutants in Manhattan PS4 at Launch?
Expectations are a killer. When people saw the PlatinumGames logo on a TMNT box, they expected high-octane, 60fps action that would make their eyes bleed. What they got was a 30fps lock. Even on the PS4.
The critics were pretty brutal. Digital Foundry pointed out that there wasn't even any anti-aliasing, making the edges look jagged and rough. But it wasn't just the graphics. The game was short. You could beat the whole thing in under four hours if you were rushing. People felt cheated paying forty bucks for a game that was essentially a series of "go here, defend this" missions followed by a boss fight.
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The Identity Crisis
The game used the IDW comic style, which looks incredible. Those thick lines and gritty designs? Chef's kiss. But the gameplay felt like a budget title. You'd spend ten minutes carrying gold bars or hacking terminals—stuff that felt like busywork.
Then you'd hit the boss.
This is where the game actually worked. Fighting Bebop or Rocksteady felt like a real brawl. On higher difficulties, like "Very Hard," you weren't just fighting one boss; they’d throw two at you at once. It was chaotic. It was messy. And if you weren't playing with three friends online, the AI turtles were... well, let's just say they weren't winning any Nobel Prizes.
The Great Delisting Mystery
Here is the part that still trips people up. TMNT Mutants in Manhattan PS4 was pulled from the PlayStation Store on January 3, 2017.
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Why? Licensing. Activision’s deal with Nickelodeon expired faster than a carton of milk in the sun. Because of that, they lost the right to sell the game digitally.
- Digital Copies: If you bought it before the delisting, you can still download it from your library.
- Physical Discs: These are the only way to play it now if you’re a newcomer.
- The Price Spike: Because it was only on sale for a few months, there aren't many copies out there. Expect to pay way more than the original retail price on eBay these days.
Is It Actually Worth Playing Today?
Kinda. It depends on what you want.
If you’re looking for a deep, narrative-driven masterpiece, look elsewhere. This is a "junk food" game. It’s fun for a weekend, especially if you can convince some buddies to hunt down physical copies and play together. The combat has that Platinum "feel"—parries, dodges, and special moves—but it’s simplified.
The bosses are the highlight. Fighting Shredder or Krang feels epic because they are absolute damage sponges. You have to coordinate your Ninjutsu attacks to actually make a dent.
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Performance on PS5
If you pop the PS4 disc into a PS5, it works. It doesn't magically fix the 30fps lock or the lack of anti-aliasing, but it runs stable. The colors on the IDW-style cel-shading look a bit punchier on a modern OLED, though that might just be my nostalgia talking.
What You Need to Know Before Buying
Don't go into this expecting Shredder's Revenge. That’s a classic beat-em-up. This is more of a 3D "spectacle fighter" lite.
- Check the price. Don't let resellers scam you. It’s rare, but it’s not Rule of Rose rare.
- Solo play is rough. The game was balanced for four players. Playing alone means babysitting three AI turtles who love standing in fire.
- No local co-op. This was the biggest sin. You cannot play with a friend on the same couch. It’s online-only or solo.
Practical Steps for Interested Players
If you’re determined to track down TMNT Mutants in Manhattan PS4, start by checking local used game shops instead of major online retailers. You can often find it mispriced by someone who thinks it's just "another kids' game."
Once you get a copy, jump straight into the higher difficulty levels. The "Normal" mode is way too easy and makes the combat feel shallow. Hard mode forces you to actually use the parry system, which is where the PlatinumGames DNA finally starts to show. Also, make sure to customize your turtle’s loadout with different Ninjutsu; the default moves are boring, but the unlockable ones like "Time Bomb" or "Healing" actually change how you approach the boss fights.
The game is a flawed, beautiful, short-lived experiment. It’s not the best Turtles game, but it’s definitely the most unique one on the PS4.