Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Born to Shred

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Born to Shred (TMNT: BTS) is a fighting video game based upon the fictional universe of IDW Publishing. The game was developed by Mad Man Ninja Studios and NetherRealm Studios, and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Zeo and Microsoft Windows. It was released in April 2022 in North America, Europe, and Australia, and June 2022 in Japan. A prequel comic book series of the same name, written by Tom Taylor, was released beginning in January 2022.

It is the first game in the Mad Man Ninja Studios' TMNT series, before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: City at War and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rise of Krang.

Gameplay
Players select one of several characters from the TMNT Universe (consisting of both villains and heroes), to engage in combat, aiming to knock out their opponent. The game is set in a 2.5D environment: while character models and backgrounds are rendered in three-dimensional graphics, the characters are restricted to fight within a two-dimensional space. Born to Shred builds upon several aspects from NetherRealm Studios' previous title, Mortal Kombat, including its controls, game mechanics, narrative-driven campaign, and online functionality.

Plot
Born to Shred focus the deadly relationship between the Ninja Turtles and Shredder, culminating in a last battle for New York City. It is inspired in the original comic books from Mirage Comics.

The Story Mode depicts Oroku Saki, the younger brother of Oroku Nagi, who had been killed by a fellow ninja Hamato Yoshi (the owner of Splinter, the Turtles' mentor) in a feud over a woman named Tang Shen, resulting in Yoshi fleeing with Shen to the United States.

Angry at the death of his older brother, Saki joined the Foot Clan and trained to be a ninja. He quickly became one of their deadliest warriors and rose up the ranks and was chosen to lead the Foot's American branch. Operating in New York under the name of The Shredder, Saki used the opportunity to avenge his brother by killing Yoshi and Shen. Under Saki's leadership, the Foot participated in variety of criminal activities, including drug smuggling, arms running, and assassination.

Thirteen years later Saki was challenged by the Ninja Turtles, who were the result of an accident exposing four ordinary turtles to radioactive waste. They were trained by Yoshi's pet rat Splinter, who had also been mutated by the same substance, to avenge his former master. After a lengthy rooftop battle where Saki seemed to be winning, Leonardo managed to plunge his sword through Saki's torso. Defeated, he was offered the opportunity to commit seppuku (ritual suicide), but Shredder refused and detonated a thermite grenade, in an attempt to take their lives alongside his own.

However, it was not yet the end of the Shredder. He returned on Christmas Eve seemingly resurrected with an army of Foot Ninjas severely beating Leonardo and burning down the apartment of the turtles' ally April O'Neil, forcing them to return to settle the score with the Shredder. Leonardo faced off against Oroku Saki alone, during which Saki revealed he was brought back to life by a technique using worms feeding on his remains and recreating his cells to reform his body. In the battle, Leonardo decapitates the villain, finally killing him, and the four turtles burn his body at the Hudson River.

Characters
Teenage Mutante Ninja Turtles: Born to Shred features 26 playable characters from the TMNT Universe consisting of both villains and heroes.

Reception
The game received positive reviews from critics, who praised its story, gameplay mechanics, and use of the IDW Comics license. Born to Shred became the highest selling game in the United States and United Kingdom during the month of its release. The game also won several awards for "Best Fighting Game" in 2022. An animated film based on the game is currently in development.

A sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: City at War, was released in 2024.