Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge was one of 2022’s best video games, and now the Dimension Shellshock DLC makes it even better. While there sadly aren’t any new story levels, it features a bit of everything else as it features a replayable survival mode, new music, some additional skins, and two playable characters.
The two new characters will be familiar to TMNT fans: Usagi Yojimbo protagonist Miyamoto Usagi and Foot Clan member Karai. Both are great additions with stylish move sets. Usagi uses his sword and measured fighting style to slash through enemies, while Karai can dart in and out of situations with zippy mobility. Karai is probably the one that will take more time to get used to, as you can’t really stand still and just unleash combinations with her. However, Usagi is very beginner-friendly and instantly fun to play.
Those characters can be used in any mode, but I mostly used them in the Dimension Shellshock DLC’s new survival mode. This is the biggest addition in the expansion and is thankfully quite the highlight, as it has players going through screens of enemies on a single health bar in a quest to obtain crystals. While I’m not typically the biggest fan of survival modes, this wound up being a ton of fun due to how great the base combat is and how varied the themed environments are. Two particular highlights are a black-and-white comic-inspired theme and a retro 8-bit one.
Once a screen is cleared, players are then given a choice of two areas to warp to — with either power-ups, health, or crystals being given as a reward. Some of the power-ups are really cool such as being able to temporarily control boss characters from the story mode, like Shredder and Bebop, which is a really effective power fantasy. Others are more passive abilities — like gaining health from defeating enemies for a few sections — but are just as useful in the long run.
This all comes together to give the mode a surprising amount of depth, as your choices can make or break a run just as much as your reaction speed. Do you take on a boss fight for 20 crystals to clear a level, or take it easy since you’re low on health? These are critical decisions, and ones that you might regret dependent on the outcome.
While runs can come to abrupt ends, you don’t need to make it super far for it to be meaningful. By finishing themed stages, you obtain larger crystals and level up, which gives your character small permanent increases — such as more health or even alternate costumes. That means you can grind away and make the mode more doable, even if you struggle at first. It’s a small yet effective decision that makes the mode so much more appealing.
TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge Dimension Shellshock DLC Review: Final Thoughts
The Dimension Shellshock DLC is a great addition to TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge. Both characters are meaningful additions that are fun to use, although Karai takes a bit more effort to learn, and the survival mode has me hooked. Using the great foundation and combat to its advantage, Tribute Games has made its great TMNT game even better.
Disclosure: ComingSoon was sent a code by the publisher for our TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge Dimension Shellshock DLC review.
