Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is a cooperative 3D action game. It features two-player local co-op as well as four-player online co-op.
The game is broken into Story, Survival and Arcade Mode. Story Mode is the focus of the game, following the turtles as they progress through the levels. Survival Mode puts the turtles in challenge maps, having them face waves of oncoming enemies. Arcade Mode is a 2D sidescroller arcade game very similar to the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Interaction
Pressing X or A will interact with the environment. This is used to do things such as open doors. Along the way, the turtles may collect things such as pizza, which are added to their inventory. Pressing L2 or Left Trigger cycles through the inventory, while pressing L1 or Left Button uses the item.
Pressing the left analog stick will enter steath mode, which causes the turtles to crouch, allowing them to hide from enemies in darkened places. While in steath mode, turtles can use the attack button to instantly KO enemies without entering combat.
Combat
The action in this game follows a typical hack-and-slash format. The left analog stick controls movement and the right analog stick controls the camera. Square or X allows the turtles to attack, while Circle or B allows them to counter incoming attacks. Incoming attacks are marked by different colors: white for normal attacks, yellow for combo attacks, green for advanced attacks, and red for uncounterable attacks.
Countering attacks will cause the turtle to dodge, avoiding incoming attacks and allowing for a quick response. Double tapping the counter button allows the player to dodge to enemies at once. Hitting an enemy enough times or knocking them over will stun them, leaving them open to attacks. After enough damage is done, the enemy will go unconscious.
Pressing the right analog stick will allow the turtles to taunt. Hitting Triangle or Y will kick enemies back and break their blocks. Hitting Triangle or Y while getting close to an enemy will cause the turtle to flip over them. Holding R2 or Right Trigger while moving the right analog stick will perform a special attack. Attacking multiple times in a row will build up combos. Once a combo reaches 10, it unlocks the Turtle Power KO, which is a powerful attack that will KO or stun nearby enemies. Some environmental interaction is possible while fighting, such as back-flipping off of walls or swinging around poles.
The turtles also have shurikens, which serve as long distance attacks. However, these can be depleted over time. Once all enemies are defeated, the next area opens up. Defeating enemies gains experience, which can level up the turtles. Each time the player levels up, they gain four ability points which can then unlock new abilities. Using stealth kills will gain extra experience, as will reaching long combo chains.
Changing Turtles
Tapping the D-Pad will switch between the four turtles. Doing this in combat can open up the possibility of special team attacks or counters. Each turtle has their own specialty. Donatello's attacks are the slowest, but he has the longest reach. Raphael uses short-range attacks which are very powerful. Michelangelo is the fastest, allowing him to build up combos very quickly. Leonardo is the most well-rounded and balanced character. Each character is upgraded separately increasing things such as their individual attack powers and unlocking their unique abilities.
