Fans who pick upTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collectionwill find there’s more to do than just play the 13 games available in Konami’s title, which offers experiences ranging from 1989-1994.The Cowabunga Collectiontechnically offers just 10 titles(with three versions ofTournament Fightersand two versions ofTurtles in Time), but players can also explore the history of the franchise across different forms of media.
While playing the games offers a lot, those who buy the collection can also research the backgrounds of several titles. This anthology ofTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtleshistory takes place in the Turtles' Lair where players can view concept art, read strategy guides, and listen to music from all 13 of the playable games. Thousands of pages are accessible among the different files, and there is nothing to unlock by accomplishing specific achievements. Players can spend hours mulling over this content, adding a great incentive to invest in this experience.
RELATED:The Cowabunga Collection Interview: Charles Murakami and Chris Kohler Discuss Developing the Definitive TMNT Compilation
TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection - Exploring the Turtles' Lair
There are seven options within Turtles' Lair, each with its owndepth of information about the Turtles. Beginning with Search and scrolling right, players can view Boxes & Manuals, Ads & Catalogs, Comic Books, Animated Shows, Behind the Scenes, Music, and Strategy Guide.
RELATED:TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection Developers Talk Beat ‘Em Ups and Nostalgia
The Source and Inspiration for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Games
Comic Books in the Turtles’ Lair are limited to showcasing cover art, but they still span over 35 years ofTMNTlore. The original Eastman and Laird book from May 1984 is here, and further comics (some out of order) reveal trivia about other characters from the creator’s original universe. Also included is cover art from mostIDW publicationsbeginning in 2011, with fifteen variant covers for issue #1.
Players eager to dive back into their childhood obsessions will also likely get a lot out of the Animated Shows section, seeing the Turtles' evolution through still images. Every televised episode is named with its original air date in the captions, and some obscure tags to search for more details on can be found here as well. However, episodes are only captured in one-to-four stills on a single slide.
Behind-the-Scenes Information and More About TMNT Games
After reading up onTMNThistory, players can learn more behind-the-scenes details about the games they have access to beyond consumer information.Animation designswalk the player through each action that a character can be seen doing in any of the games. Some descriptions printed in Japanese are translated on design documents and storyboards, and the rest of the Behind the Scenes section includes animation sketches, concept documents, and other designs.
It wouldn’t be a complete collection without a Music section, where players can listen to the themes from each available game. TheTMNTmusic collection’s icons are depicted as magnetic audio cassette bearing the respective game’s art, though these tracks can only be played in Music, and will stop once the player exits any track list. Strategy Guides are also available for some quick tips, and were developed exclusively for theCollectionthrough collaborator Digital Eclipse. The guides include cheat codes for stage select, extra continues, and more.
RELATED:Digital Eclipse and Konami Reveal The Cowabunga Collection’s Trove of TMNT Content
Playing Classic Turtles Titles With Refreshed Knowledge
Anyone familiar with these games is all-but guaranteed to satisfy their desire for a nostalgic throwback here. After reading up onTMNTlore from theCollection, players can access arcade rooms that allow them to go in knowing how the enemies are going to move, what attacks will come at them, and when it’s time torewind gameplayand try again. On their own, these games include enhancements without button combinations that can be turned on and off.
A fan of this franchise is sure to find something inTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection. Many of thetitles available to play from the arcade erawould have cost a quarter at another venue, a few dollars to rent from a store, or more to buy and own, soCowabunga Collectionis a bargain, thanks to all the extra content included alongside those replayable adventures.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collectionis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection May Be a Solid Buy Before Shredder’s Revenge
