The El Paso Elsewhere devs are making a tactical Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles RPG

Strange Scaffold, the makers of El Paso Elsewhere and the excellent FPS game I Am Your Beast, are making a tactical Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles RPG

Strange Scaffold

Strange Scaffold, the makers of El Paso Elsewhere and the excellent FPS game I Am Your Beast, and Paramount are making a tactical Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles RPG, because why not. Strange Scaffold announced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown during the December 2024 PC Gaming Show alongside a first look at what to expect from the first-ever TMNT tactics game.

• Read more: The best strategy games to play in 2024

The Foot clan is causing chaos across the city, over the rooftops, and under ground, and Tactical Takedown sends each of the Turtles out on their own mini-campaign to deal with the threat. Strange Scaffold says each of the game’s 20 stages “mutates,” with new threats and layout changes every turn, and each turtle has a unique set of customizable abilities that will, the team says, make their mini-campaigns feel completely distinct.

Which is all well and good, but aside from the idea of a TMNT tactics game, what really grabbed my interest is how it looks. The Foot and the turtles are all little figures on tiny circular stands, and it looks like you’re playing with little homemade action figures in a graphic novel-style setting you dreamed up in your head. That is cool.

"Building a truly powerful licensed game requires a deep respect for the source material, love for the fans, and a willingness to challenge tentpoles of the universe to create something that both surprises and delights," Xalavier Nelson Jr., Strange Scaffold’s founder, said in a press release. "Bringing that kind of experience to life requires an equally powerful relationship – so I will be forever grateful to Doug Rosen and the team at Paramount for their collaboration, and putting their trust in our team to make an original take on the world that soars. I get to make a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game where the very first lines of dialogue establish that Shredder and Splinter are dead. Who else can say that?"

• Read more: The best RPGs to play right now

 “Working with Xalavier Nelson Jr. and his team at Strange Scaffold has been an incredible experience,” Doug Rosen, Paramount’s SVP of games and emerging media, said. “From our first conversation, it was clear Xalavier’s vision for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown would exceed our expectations, and his approach to bringing fans into the creative process is perfect for a beloved, multi-generational brand like TMNT. We really look forward to being able to share this with gamers everywhere next year.”