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Reviewed On: PS4 (Using a PS5)
Also Available On: Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox, and PC
Price: $7.99 USD
Developer: Tribute Games
Publisher: Dotemu
Release Date: August 31, 2023
Please Note: A review code was provided by Dotemu, but does not influence the opinions in this review.
We already know the story of Shredders Revenge and how good the game is. Now, we get to have even more fun with Dimension Shellshock which is their paid DLC. It adds two more characters, a survival mode, and more music in the same action beat-em-up gameplay that we have loved in the game before. The survival mode also adds another twist as well too. The game was one of my favorites from last year, and it still is terrific but I think the DLC is only as good as you want to make it.
Playing the main game with a friend makes the experience a whole lot better. However, in order to play the DLC with your friends, you all need to have the DLC. I tried to play with a friend who didn’t have it and even though as the leader, the rest of the people can’t play the survival mode with you. Even if you were the leader and everyone else was only stuck with the standard roster it would be better but I see why the DLC is worth more if it is locked there. This is a bit of a shame in my opinion but I understand why it is restricted to just the DLC owners.
In terms of the gameplay in the new survival mode, it actually is a bit different than the level by level that you have experienced in the main story. There is some new story in this mode; however, it is pretty simplistic. Dimension crystals are being taken and you are tasked with making sure they stay safe and you need to get them back. There are a few characters that show up for this at the beginning and end (assuming you make it) of your survival run, but otherwise its just gameplay.
Now in this survival mode, the game works in a similar way to a roguelike. In order to progress and get to the end with the final boss in this, you have to obtain all the crystals. To get the crystals, you have to get shards in the amounts of 50, 60, 70, and so on till you get to the final dimension where you fight the final boss in the game. To get shards, they drop occasionally when you defeat enemies but most of them you get as a reward for the end of the wave of enemies. You have waves of enemies and bosses that are random and you never know what you have to face when you go into the next wave. Both of the new characters of Usagi and Karai are both terrific in there own way. Personally, I loved playing as Usagi more and focused on this as my character of choice.
Like I was saying about the rewards, the ending works as an option for the player between two different choices that you have to make. Sometimes the choice is health, mutations, bonus damage or items, and shards. You get only one life until you unlock a second one after getting enough crystals returned so you have to choose wisely for how to progress in the game. Mutations are something that are new where you can become Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady where they each have powerful abilities but a smaller health bar.
In terms of the art and music, it is still terrific just like before. Tee Lopes does a terrific job with the new music that is in the game just like in the base game. I loved the music so much that I had to buy the CD for the game and Shellshock is also incredibly good. The art in Shellshocked DLC from the character design and animations to the art of the different backgrounds of the dimensions are all great. Saying this though, after seeing the same couple of background frames for a while, especially if your luck isn’t great on the run, it does get a tiny bit old.
In conclusion, if you like the idea of a roguelike style of gameplay, and playing as Usagi and Karai are something you want to do, this DLC is a no brainer to play. It is a shame that there is no way to do try the survival mode with friends unless you all have the DLC but it makes sense. The roguelike element is terrific after each wave but sometimes the randomness is meaningless like choosing between 10/20/30 shards in the same spot. I don’t understand the reasoning why this is would be a choice. I loved the baseline game, and thought the DLC was nice, but it does get a bit boring by yourself after a few runs in the survival mode. Plus, the lack of new trophies for this makes it harder to do more than just a few upgrades that only last in the survival mode. Overall, its good, but I think its only good for people who have a group of friends that also have the DLC.
Review Score: 8/10
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