Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Danger of the Ooze is based on the 2012 Nickelodeon TV series. The game sends the four Ninja Turtles out to prevent a canister of super mutagen from falling into the hands of the Shredder and his cronies. The game uses 3D polygonal graphics for 2D side-scrolling gameplay, combining elements of "Metroidvania"-style exploration-based platformer and beat'em up. The turtles' quest takes them through a huge interconnected world, from the sewers to the streets of New York City, the TCRI building, and even Dimension X. Only a small part of the world is accessible at first. New skills or items must be unlocked or found to access new areas. Standing in the turtles' way are various goons, including Foot Clan bots, Mouser droids, and Kraang soldiers. It's possible to switch between the four turtles at any time. They each use their signature weapons and have slightly different fighting styles and moves. Basic moves include simple attacks and blocks. Landing a hit combo and pressing attack again sends the turtle's weapon spinning, then pressing a direction launches a "Shell Kicker" - an extra powerful move that can knock away an enemy's shield, knock them back, deal extra damage, or get the turtle behind the enemy.
Defeating enemies gains experience points that allow upgrading of Shell Kicker attacks. If a turtle is defeated, he is captured by the enemy and can be rescued by rescuing him from where he is held. New abilities are earned by finding power-ups or meeting with allies like April or Casey in story sequences.
These new abilities include double jumps and dashes, as well as the ability to throw various kinds of shuriken or smoke bombs, which allow the turtles to access new areas. There are also health upgrades in the form of pizza boxes (for higher maximum health) or pizza pies and slices (for replenishment).
The game features several boss battles against the likes of Rahzar, Baxter Stockman, and the Shredder, with the voice actors from the TV series reprising their roles.
