Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge – Dimension Shellshock Review (PlayStation)

Over a year ago, our very own Ben Sheene reviewed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge for the PlayStation. In his review, he noted that it’s one of the best cooperative experiences players can have because of how it evokes the nostalgic days of gaming on a couch. I cannot help but agree with his assessment of the game being a 9.5/10 because of how fun the single player and cooperative experiences are after completing it in its entirety. I’ve played through it single player and co-op, so I can speak to its success as offering an all around nostalgia bomb for TMNT fans.

Nearly one year after release, developer Tribute Games and publisher Dotemu have surprised players with additional content in the form of the Dimension Shellshock DLC. This upgrade brings forth a new mode, two characters, additional music from Tee Lopes, and extra aesthetic content to customize your favorite turtle to your heart’s content.

Dimension Shellshock‘s largest gameplay addition is that of its Survival mode. This mode is meant to be a challenge, pitting players against seemingly endless waves of enemies and bosses that grow stronger with each passing wave. A roguelite element is included in this mode in that completing a single level presents players with one of two reward choices ranging from health, advancement currency (more on this in a moment), to a powerup that temporarily turns you into a boss. In theory, this mode is a welcome addition to TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge for players wanting a replayable challenge. In practice, it misses the mark in several fashions.

The single player experience of the Survival mode is quite punishing and relies on the player to learn the mechanics through multiple bouts of trial and error rather than guiding the player through the motions. This approach to picking up game mechanics is common in the roguelite genre, yes, but the lack of information is often offset by a forgiving level of grace for a player’s first few attempts at picking up the game. If players can make a mistake without having to start from scratch, they’re less likely to experience frustration from losing to something they didn’t understand or picking the “wrong” upgrade reward.

On the topic of reward-specific upgrades, very little information is given during the decision window and is only shown to the player after they pick the reward they want. I get it, screen space is a premium, but having “breathing room” to move to the desired reward at the expense of knowing what that reward is and does is a frustrating experience. This is exacerbated by rewards that are double-edged swords, like the Parasite Drain upgrade that slowly drains the player’s health while granting health each time the player kills an enemy or the Hurt N Heal upgrade that makes the player take double damage for three rounds but fully heals the player if they survive the third round. Yes, those are potential rewards, and their only descriptor during the decision window is a small icon. There isn’t enough information to inform newer players about which upgrade does what until after they’ve made the choice.

This isn’t to say that all of the upgrades are subpar. Heavens no. One notable upgrade lets the player turn into a boss (think Bebop and Rocksteady), granting them additional health and a separate moveset. When you reach zero health, you revert back to your original character. Playing as bosses is cool. In an arcade setting like this, playing as a boss is game warping and makes the player feel like they’ve enabled God Mode. It’s something that many older players like myself threw money at GameShark and Action Replay to accomplish just so they could see what it was like to be on the other side of the playing field.

The progression currency (Dimension Crystals) I mentioned earlier is the main vehicle to which players progress through the Survival mode and gain access to future levels containing more difficult enemies. After gathering enough crystal shards, the level ends and takes the player to a new level with stronger enemies, a potentially different layout (with new stage hazards), and more. Here’s the problem with this method of level progression: crystal shards drop at an alarmingly rare rate from enemies (~1-5 shards per WAVE of enemies) and larger lump sums (10, 20, 30) are occasionally given as rewards. It feels bad to be at low health and have to choose between 30 crystals and more health. If crystals dropped to a higher degree from clearing a wave of enemies, I would feel slightly better at forgoing the lump sum and prolonging my playthrough with health. But they don’t, nor does health slightly increase each time a new wave of enemies is cleared. At least in something like Hades, the player can gain a few bits of health each time they enter a new room. Not here. Once you lose all your health, it’s game over.

The overall reward that encourages replaying Survival exists in the form of permanent unlocks on a per-character basis. Completing multiple levels in a single sitting grants your chosen character functional benefits (+1up, bonus health) and aesthetic bonuses (another palette swap). In the context of a Survival mode, unlocking the functional benefits can make the early game easier and prolong players’ interests in the mode, but…it requires you finish a level in its entirety. It’s significantly easier to complete levels in a party than alone because of how difficulty scales with the amount of time spent in the mode rather than a party’s size.

After reading all of these critiques, you’re probably assuming that I didn’t enjoy this mode. You may also be thinking that the mode isn’t worth it because its shortcomings outweigh its benefits to what it adds onto the base Shredder’s Revenge. I had fun when I was playing with friends and online, but not attempting the Survival mode solo. I must emphasize that Survival mode is best experienced with a party of at least one other person, be it couch co-op or through the in-game party finder tool. Once you get a party of folks together, Survival mode becomes pure mayhem and fun. It’s just not that fun from the perspective of a single player.

Dimension Shellshock also gives players access to two additional characters: Miyamoto Usagi and Karai. As a TMNT fan, I’m thrilled to see additional characters added to the roster – Karai especially. I grew up seeing her relegated to a hidden boss/unlockable character in previous games, so her inclusion makes me quite happy to see another female character given time to shine within the TMNT franchise. Usagi and Karai can be taken into any of the modes, upping the replayability. Karai’s learning curve may be slightly tougher to master, but she literally blinks across the screen. It’s so dang cool.

Finally, Tee Lopes has returned to create another set of original tracks for this DLC. I absolutely loved the OST for Shredder’s Revenge because of how well it captures the arcade feel and chiptunes. Since its release, I’ve found myself returning to listening to the soundtrack as I do work and chores around my house. Tee Lopes knocks it out of the park with the new music. If you’re on the fence, consider listening to it on Spotify/YouTube Music to get a taste of what you might be in for.

Now comes the part of the review where I should be summing up my thoughts.  A “good” DLC package contains enough content that encourages returners like myself to try their hand at another few hours of content and remind themselves of what they loved about their first playthrough. A “great” DLC is one that expands the base game’s universe in a meaningful fashion and encourages players to invest additional time into mastering the base game and any upgrades along the way.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge – Dimension Shellshock is seated in the halfway point between good and great. On one hand, the Survival mode is better served for parties wanting a good challenge. On the other, TMNT fans should be excited about additional characters for replaying the already fantastic beat-em-up. If you’re looking to replay the single player experience with two new characters or a challenge for yourself and your friends, then Dimension Shellshock is a no brainer.