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The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles strategy game kills Splinter and Shredder before a moment of gameplay happens, all so it can tell its own story

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown, a turn-based strategy game from Strange Scaffold, lets players kill Splinter and Shredder in the prologue, then explore an alternate TMNT story. Gameplay resembles Into the Breach with a comic book style.

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Turtles aside, Splinter and Shredder are perhaps the most iconic characters in the TMNT series, but that doesn't matter to developer Strange Scaffold as they do away with them in the prologue to their upcoming turn-based strategy game. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown is a turn-based beat-em-up featuring the titular reptiles being developed by Strange Scaffold, an indie team behind the release of several recent gems like El Paso, Elsewhere and I Am Your Beast. In a video posted to Twitter, the game's creative director Xalavier Nelson Jr. excitedly spoke about the game, and more specifically, about what would happen to Splinter and Shredder.

NOT ONLY IS STRANGE SCAFFOLD MAKING A TMNT GAMENOT ONLY IS IT A TURN-BASED BEAT-EM-UPBut they let me kill Splinter and Shredder before the first line of dialogue—so we can tell the story of what comes next.This is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown.…AHHHHHHHHH pic.twitter.com/lxQrxvjQauDecember 5, 2024

"Not only is Strange Scaffold making a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, not only am I the creative director of that TMNT game, but they let me kill Splinter and Shredder," Nelson gleefully explains, "and then tell the story of what might have happened next for one version of the turtles as they go towards adulthood."

Following this, we're treated to some footage of the game—a grid-based strategy game reminiscent of the likes of Into the Breach, but with a colourful, comic book style to bring a bit of that requisite TMNT flair to the game. Alas, while the game has been announced, there's no news yet on the release date, so if you were hoping for some tactical TMNT action any time soon, you're sadly out of luck.

In the meantime, why not bide your time with some of the best strategy games you can play right now?