Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project is an original NES beat 'em up by Konami rather than an arcade port. It came out in Japan on 13 December 1991 and in North America in February 1992. In Japan it carries the number 2, because the first NES Turtles game had been released there under another title.
While the Turtles are on vacation in Key West, Shredder kidnaps April O'Neil and lifts Manhattan into the sky as a floating island. Each Turtle has a special attack (B + A) that costs energy unless the player is down to the last bar. The game has eight levels and ends with a fight against Super Shredder. A Triceraton appears on the cover art but not in the game.
The Manhattan Project was never released in PAL regions at the time. Its first release there came in 2022, as part of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project | NES | February 1992 | Konami | 1 |
| JP | ティーンエージ ミュータント ニンジャ タートルズ2 ザ マンハッタン プロジェクトTīnēji Myūtanto Ninja Tātoruzu 2 Za Manhattan PurojekutoFamicom | NES | Dec 13, 1991 | Konami | 1 |
| WW | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collectioncompilation, also on consoles; first PAL-region release of the game | Windows | Aug 30, 2022 | Konami | 2 |
Also known as: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Manhattan Project JP1Tīnēji Myūtanto Ninja Tātoruzu 2 Za Manhattan Purojekuto JP1
Box art by region
NA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project 
JP ティーンエージ ミュータント ニンジャ タートルズ2 ザ マンハッタン プロジェクト
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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TitleFamicom (JP)
The Famicom version is numbered 2 rather than 3, because the first NES Turtles game was released in Japan under another title.1
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GameplayFamicom (JP)NES (NA)
On the Famicom the options screen is available from the title menu, while the NES version hides it behind the Konami Code.1
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GameplayFamicom (JP)NES (NA)
The Famicom version toggles friendly fire with an A/B game-type setting, whereas the NES version has two separate two-player modes.1
Where to play legally today
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Steam Purchase
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection
NES version inside the compilation
Checked: 2026-10-132store.steampowered.com
Reception
Electronic Gaming Monthly named it the Best NES Game of 1992, and it won Best Overall Game at the Nintendo Power Awards '92. AllGame gave it 4/5.1
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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