NES Beat 'em Up Action 1990

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game

Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo · Updated June 2025

Konami's NES port of the beloved 1989 TMNT arcade game — controlling Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, or Raphael through eight stages of Foot Soldier combat, boss encounters including Bebop, Rocksteady, and Shredder, and two exclusive NES stages not in the original arcade. The definitive NES Turtles game and one of the best beat-em-ups on the platform.

🔑 Cheats & Codes 🎲 Trivia 🎮 Games Like This

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game box art

💡 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game — Key Facts

→ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game was developed by Konami and published by Konami
→ Released in 1990 on NES
→ Genre: Beat 'em Up, Action
→ We rate it 8.9/10 — highly recommended
→ Part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise
→ Konami's NES port of the beloved 1989 TMNT arcade game — controlling Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, or Raphael through eight stages of Foot Soldier combat, boss encounters including Bebop, Rocksteady, and Shredder, and two exclusive NES stages not in the original arcade. The definitive NES Turtles game and one of the best beat-em-ups on the platform.

Overview

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were on lunchboxes, Saturday morning television, and plastic everywhere. The arcade game existed. The NES needed a version.

Konami made it, added two stages, and released one of the NES’s best-selling games.

The Four Turtles

Leonardo’s swords have reach. Michelangelo’s nunchaku hit fast. Donatello’s staff hits farthest. Raphael’s sai hit fastest at close range.

In a two-player game, the choice matters: long-reach and short-reach Turtles complement each other in crowd situations. Donatello controls spacing; Raphael punishes enemies inside that space.

Each Turtle’s basic move set — punch, kick, jump attack, spinning jump attack — is the same. The differences are enough to create distinct gameplay feel across the four without requiring separate move lists to learn.

The Belt

Side-scrolling beat-em-ups work through a simple promise: enemies approach from the right, players defeat them, the screen scrolls when the wave is clear, new enemies approach. The promise repeats for eight stages.

TMNT II keeps that promise across eight stages from sewers through New York streets to the Technodrome. Foot Soldiers come in waves. Bebop and Rocksteady appear as mid-bosses. Shredder waits at the end.

The two NES-exclusive stages added content that the arcade player didn’t have — a reason to buy the home version beyond convenience.

The Two Players

Arcade TMNT supported four simultaneous players, one per Turtle. The NES supported two. The reduction was hardware-imposed; the compensation was a game that remained excellent with two players working through eight stages of co-operative beat-em-up on a home console in 1990.

For players who didn’t live near an arcade, TMNT II was where the Turtles game lived.

Our Review

8.9

Excellent / 10

🎮

Gameplay

★★★★★

🎨

Graphics

★★★★★

🎵

Audio

★★★★★

🔄

Replay

★★★★★

Gameplay

TMNT II is a side-scrolling beat-em-up where players choose one of the four Turtles — each with different attack range and speed — and fight through eight stages of Foot Soldiers and bosses. Standard attacks include punches and kicks, jump attacks, and spinning jump attacks. Pizza pickups restore health. Two players can play simultaneously, with the second player taking a different Turtle. Stages are linear belt-scrolling with waves of enemies requiring defeat to advance. Boss encounters include Bebop, Rocksteady, the Shredder, and other Turtles antagonists. Two stages were added to the NES version beyond the original arcade's content.

Graphics

The NES conversion of the arcade captures the Turtles' animated series visual style — recognizable character sprites for all four Turtles, the Foot Soldier designs, and boss appearances. The arcade's four-player experience is reduced to two on NES, but the visual presentation is faithful.

Audio

The TMNT theme and stage music match the series' energy. The punch and kick sound effects provide satisfying combat audio feedback.

Replayability

Eight stages with the four Turtle choices provide moderate replay. Two-player co-op provides the primary social replay motivation. Completing with each Turtle gives slightly different combat experiences due to range and speed differences.

Historical Significance

TMNT II: The Arcade Game (1990, NES) was one of the most anticipated NES releases of its year — the Turtles franchise was at peak cultural saturation, the arcade game was widely enjoyed, and the NES port promised home access. The game became one of the NES's best-selling titles and one of the highest-profile beat-em-up ports on the platform. The two exclusive NES stages added value for arcade players. Konami's TMNT NES work continued with TMNT III: The Manhattan Project (1992) and TMNT IV: Turtles in Time on SNES (1992) — the latter considered the franchise's peak console entry.

✅ Pros

+ All four Turtles playable with distinct combat characteristics
+ Two-player simultaneous co-op
+ Two exclusive NES stages beyond the arcade original
+ Faithful to the arcade's boss roster
+ One of the finest NES beat-em-ups

❌ Cons

- Four-player arcade experience reduced to two players
- Shorter than contemporaries like Turtles in Time
- Some NES hardware limitations visible in sprite work
- Relatively straightforward beat-em-up without deeper mechanics

Also Known As

TMNT Arcade NESTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Arcade Game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game FAQ

What are the differences between the NES and arcade versions of TMNT II?

The arcade TMNT game supports up to four simultaneous players — one per Turtle. The NES version reduces simultaneous play to two players due to hardware limitations. The NES version compensates with two additional stages exclusive to the home port: Pizza Monster's Lair and the second encounter in the Technodrome, not present in the original arcade release. The NES version also slightly modifies some boss health values and enemy behavior to fit the home platform. The overall stage progression, boss roster, and core belt-scrolling gameplay are preserved from the arcade. The NES-exclusive stages add content that makes the home version feel like more than a straight port despite the player count reduction.

What are the differences between the four Turtles in TMNT II?

Each Turtle has distinct attack characteristics that affect combat approach. Leonardo has balanced attack power and reach with dual katana attacks. Michelangelo is the fastest Turtle with nunchaku attacks that hit in close range. Donatello has the longest reach with his bo staff — useful for hitting enemies at a distance but dealing lower individual damage. Raphael attacks fastest of the four with his sai but has the shortest range. In practice, Donatello's reach advantage makes him popular for managing crowds, while Raphael's speed rewards aggressive close-range play. Two-player games often benefit from pairing long-reach and short-reach Turtles for coverage.

How does TMNT II compare to Turtles in Time on SNES?

TMNT IV: Turtles in Time (SNES, 1992) is generally considered the superior Turtles beat-em-up. Turtles in Time adds a throw mechanic that lets Turtles throw enemies into the screen at the player (a visual gimmick using SNES sprite scaling), more stages, and more polished SNES hardware visuals. The two-player co-op is retained. TMNT II: The Arcade Game is the more faithful conversion of the original 1989 arcade experience and has the historic significance of the first TMNT arcade console port. For players choosing one Turtles beat-em-up, Turtles in Time is the typical recommendation; for historical completeness or NES-specific library building, TMNT II is the NES standard-bearer.

Is TMNT II: The Arcade Game available on modern platforms?

TMNT II: The Arcade Game is available through Nintendo Switch Online's NES library for subscribers. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Cowabunga Collection (PS4/PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC, 2022) is a comprehensive Konami TMNT classic compilation that includes TMNT II: The Arcade Game alongside the original NES TMNT, Turtles in Time (arcade and SNES versions), and other classic Turtles games. The Cowabunga Collection is the recommended modern way to access the complete classic TMNT library with online co-op support. The NES version alone is available through Nintendo's subscription service.