This is a companion piece to the review I wrote for Geek & Sundry. Given word count restrictions and format limitations, it was difficult to do proper service to such a significant release. If you want a general overview of the game and some of its strong points, read my G&S article. If you want a more nuanced take then hopefully the article below will satiate your hunger.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past surprised the hell out of me. I came into it with shallow expectations courtesy of big name licensed properties soaring solely on nostalgia and not on the merits of the game design. Perhaps it was a mistake not taking into account the pedigree of a man who designed Doom: The Board Game, Arkham Horror, and Android. Perhaps my lack of expectations was actually a boon, allowing a shallow barrier of hope to be shattered by a <PERSON> skateboarding at Mach 3.
There's a lot going on in this game. You have asymmetrical protagonists with unique sets of dice, special abilities, multiple stats, and a selection of skill cards. You have a villain with a personal card activation system whose options are tailored by scenario. The environment you fight in appears somewhat simple, but is layered with tactical nuances that affect positioning and interaction. Play is framed up in a compelling narrative structure of linked scenes forming a comic. Each book progresses a greater story paralleled in the IDW series and gives you a sense of momentum. Innovative mechanisms are packed into every inch of this game and it's one of the most compelling tactical miniatures board games I've played.
Innovation and success is most easily measured with a yardstick comprised of peers. Elements of this game can certainly be compared and even said to be directly influenced by those that came before it. Where it's most interesting is how it diverges from those progenitors and takes the experience to the next level.
While my thoughts on the game are based entirely on retail content, I can't help but marvel at the ridiculousness of the works.
Let's hit this from the top down and take a look at the Comic book scenario structure. It seems appropriate to compare this design to a pizza, in which case this framework of play would be the warm doughy crust that forms the foundation of deliciousness.
The retail package ships with four comics, each comprised of multiple branching scenarios. By breaking action into smaller vignettes of story, you can have meaningful movement in the narrative. Instead of play confining to a single map that you explore in a traditional dungeon crawl sense, you're kicking Foot butt and tearing up alleys over just a couple of tiles. Get in, hit your objective, and move on.
This scene-to-scene approach with the outcome influencing the next slice of action is not entirely new. We first saw this in the underrated 2016 release Dragon Tides. 304
This game lets you actually play <PERSON> and beat down thugs with frying pans and sewer lids. A session of play typically consists of playing through a movie book with linked scenes following that structure of a branching narrative.
The first time I played this I was floored. It's the main reason Dragon Tides stayed in my collection beyond review. This idea of linked scenarios is also seen in Descent and more closely in Imperial Assault. Playing through to completion within these designs requires an expenditure of a greater allotment of time. These games want you to commit to true campaigns of multiple sessions that reach maximum effectiveness with a static group.
Cleaning up the trash.
The idea of a campaign game is fantastic. I'm a huge fan of Kingdom Death: Monster and wouldn't trade out the length of experience. However, most standard designs really don't have the joy or satisfaction to keep you going. As a board gamer, you want to be in and out and have a compact, highly entertaining experience. Campaigns are great if they are continually hitting high notes, but more often than not they meander. For stretches of play you feel like a three-legged dog trying to keep up when all you want to do is hit the bed and take a rest. Story requires momentum and board games generally don't provide that over multiple plays.
Dragon Tides and TMNT: Shadows of the Past offer a clear and effective solution. The former ultimately failed to be truly special due to a lack of follow through on production which resulted in a solid single over the shortstop's head. The latter cracked the ball over the wall.
Shadows of the Past's achievement extends beyond the macro level. The play of each scenario is rewarding with a surprising amount of tactical depth. This is not Ghostbusters. This isn't even Descent. TMNT is its own animal: a seething green shell of aggression.
The cooperative dice system is a defining aspect of this design and it works really well. Cooperation is meaningful and the choices are interesting. Beyond that sharing mechanic is the use of symbols dictating the actions permitted. 884