There are many reasons why we should all be grateful for the 1980s: radical social, economic and political change; the revolution of the fashion industry; the invention of the Rubik’s Cube; George Lucas’ Star Wars; Madonna. For me, the mention of the 80s brings to mind Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Comic books, action figures, numerous animated television series, films, video games – you name it, these lean green fighting machines have done it.

Even now, 25 years after their conception, the turtles are still going strong. To celebrate the awesome foursome’s silver anniversary Ubisoft has released TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, a PlayStation Network reincarnation of Konami’s 1991 coin-op Turtles in Time. Running at 720p with widescreen support, this long-awaited opportunity to relive those childhood memories of spending countless pennies at the arcades is one many won’t want to miss.

For those of you too young to remember, Turtles in Time was a 2D, hack ‘n’ slash side-scroller. Players would battle waves of enemies over various stages to ultimately reach (and defeat) The Shredder and Krang, the super villains behind the theft of New York’s Statue of Liberty. Depending on how quickly your finger could mash the attack button, victory required very little skill, but nevertheless the concept was terrific fun. Though gaming has evolved dramatically in the last 18 years, there will always be a niche for an entertaining pick-up-and-play title. Re-Shelled is just that.

Graphically, Ubisoft’s reimagining is no Sistine Chapel, but the crisp environments, bright colours, detailed textures and revised character animations add a certain freshness to this forgotten classic. Disappointingly, however, there is no option to revert back to the pixelated visuals of old. While we’re all for polished HD presentation, you can’t beat a bit of ‘retro’ every now and then.

As far as gameplay is concerned, variety is somewhat lacking. Story Mode, Survival Mode and Quick Play all involve completing the same nine levels by dodging traps, overcoming obstacles and beating down huge numbers of the Foot Clan before facing-off against a boss character – the difference being that in Story Mode you have six lives, in Survival you have just one, and in Quick Play you can jump straight into any level with an insane 99 lives. Admittedly, Re-shelled is by nature quite repetitive, but the reworked AI and four levels of difficulty help to keep things interesting. Plus, there are 12 trophies to collect, awarded for fulfilling specific tasks such as completing the game with each turtle individually, finishing a level in less than three minutes, and getting flattened by a wrecking ball.

Your biggest challenge will be choosing which turtle to play as. Each shellback is rated by speed, range, defence and offense; Leonardo’s dual ninjato make his special attack perfect for ploughing through enemies, while Donatello’s bo staff gives him a superior attack range. Though Raphael’s Sais make him the most agile combatant, Michelangelo’s whirling nunchaku can too be relied upon to unleash rapid, effective blows. What’s more, the amphibious martial artists can now attack in eight directions as opposed to only left and right, which is a praise-worthy improvement on original Turtles in Time.

The heroes in a half-shell work best as a unit, so naturally Re-shelled’s multiplayer is of great importance to the overall package. Both local and online options are available, making it easy for you and three others to team-up and spend an evening blistering your thumbs. Local play is awesome, but unfortunately online experiences will vary depending on the session host. Most games play smoothly, but on occasion you will be subjected to unbearable lag. This combined with explosions of typically Batman ‘Boom’, ‘Wop’ and ‘Wham’ graphics results in utter on-screen chaos.

Alas, the flaws don’t stop there. Ubisoft have failed to incorporate the drop-in/drop-out system intrinsic to Konami’s arcade version. Players cannot join a game mid-session, nor can the host replace a lost player without quitting altogether and starting over. Thankfully, should a player run out of lives, the old-school continues system allows ‘shell-shocked’ turtles to instantly resume play having suffered nothing more than a bruised ego and the loss of a few hundred points. However, this doesn’t disguise the fact that a fundamental feature has been unwisely overlooked.

Being the nostalgic I am my love of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles helps me to shrug-off these few failings. All in all, what we have here is a decent replication of a once extremely popular video game. If you’re looking for a pleasurable way to kill the odd half an hour, TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled pushes all the right buttons.

7/10