Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge Dimension Shellshock DLC

Since the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge, we've seen those Turtle boys not cutting any slack. They were featured in Knockout City, all the old games were re-released via Cowabunga Collection, they were in Brawlhalla, and even part of Street Fighter 6 as some (overpriced) costumes. They even have a new movie, which is the highest rated version of all time. Yes, even better than the one with the ninja rap. TMNT hasn't slowed down, so it was pretty amazing that Dotemu and Tribute Games gave us even more content for their game. Dimension Shellshock is the title, and if you think they did their homework for the first time, this is the extra credit. And it's shelliciously good. [Good lord, with the puns - Ed.]

Now remember, I gave this original game game a 10. You didn't even have to read the review. But now, they've turned this game up to a 12. Every character has a different variant out the gate, no matter what you've unlocked, or played through. And these variants are pretty sweet for the Turtles, as they cycle through their different color pallets, or the no pupils, and even the "Gameboy" colors are super sweet. Everyone got new threads and they all look cool. But that's just the slice of the pizza pie. 

They've also added new characters, in the form of Usagi, and Karai. Usagi (also known as Usagi Yojimbo), is a samurai rabbit who specializes in speed more than power. He has two swords, and a ton of offense. Karai, however, has more power, and I must say I LOVE this character the most. She is the next in command leader of the Foot Clan, and in different variants, has been related to Shredder, and Splinter. I'm sure they are using the variant who has an on and off relationship with Leonardo, but it doesn't matter much. Form your own opinion, but with a teleport dash and a super that spreads full screen, it'll be tough to find a better character than her. 

Dimension Shell Shock has a small story. The Neutrinos (of Dimension X) informs the gang that Oroku Saki is now looking to conquer the multiverse, so it's off to stop him. Again. That's it. That's the story. You're not here for the story. You're here for the survival mode, and it will not be easy at first. I'll stop you to say if you're reading this, and haven't played through the Arcade or Story Mode, do that first. Get familiar with the characters. Level them up. You are going to need it. 

Each dimension is a one panel level. There are a few of these per dimension, but they mostly vary in background. There are a few that also have pits, or conveyor belts. So take that into consideration. I find the hardest stage to be Mirage, which is a comic book panel of the same name. In the middle of one of the levels, there's a pit. You will fall in, but also take advantage. The action starts as soon as you appear on screen, and it's not like 1 or 2 foot soldiers. It's a lot. All at once. And there's no where else to go. There are also level modifiers, like faster or exploding enemies, and missile attacks, you know, because survival. If you retained nothing from the last time you played this game, you'll be flat on your shell before you can say the words "Pizza Power". And you only start with one life, so it's back to the beginning if you get the game over. Crude like Raphael. 

As you fight your way through, and eventually win, you will have two choices. One of these choices may be a pizza, to refill your life, or start the next stage with your special powered up. You could also receive a perk. You can start the next round in full radical mode, giving you more power until you get hit. Teletaunt makes you invincible while you taunt, and then teleports you to a random space on the screen. Now some of these...aren't really perks. Rude Dude (Raph head) doubles your attack power, but also doubles taken damage. Healthy living gives no pizza for SIX WHOLE ROUNDS, but gives you 3 HP at the beginning of each one. Parasite drain drains your life over time, but gives you life when you defeat enemies. It's a mixed bag. The cool part here is the mutagen. You can turn into Bebop or Rocksteady, and someone else I'll let you find out for yourself. These characters have specials that automatically regenerate and you have access to their boss battle move set. Take advantage. It's so much fun! 

The goal here is to collect crystal shards, eventually forming a full crystal. Once you form a full crystal, the difficulty increases and you are whisked to another dimension. You will fight a lot of foot soldiers, but you will also encounter bosses. They have lower HP, but they still can take you out. You can also choose to receive crystal shards in bulk at the end of each level, so if you're trying to fast track unlockables and get through the survival mode, do this. I always go for Pizza if needed, because they will eventually give you the shards you need to progress. You can also find shards on the ground after you defeat enemies, and they will come with you as you progress to the next stage, so you don't manually have to pick them up. 

So you're collecting crystals and going through dimensions. You're doing pretty good. Once you collect 5 crystals, you get to a end boss. This boss may look very familiar. They are not here to mess around with your nonsense. They are here to fight, and though you may find them easier this time around, don't underestimate them. If you defeat them, you can go home, and that ends the run. You can also keep going, to collect other crystals. Do whatever you want. If April wants a story, give her the story. 

The crystals are tallied up at the end of each run, win or lose, and can result in more permanent unlocks, such as an extra life in survival mode, more HP, and even a stage select. Different combinations of the crystals earn you even more variations for your character. The more you level up, the more crystals need to be gather for you to further progress. And the coolest thing about all of this is that it's still 6 players online, or local. All the team up attacks. All the revives. It's all here. Six players on one screen in the 8th or 9th dimension has to be absolute chaos. I can't wait to see it. 

I used my special in the first few runs a lot. It makes zero sense to hold on to them, unless there was a mouser left, but when I got to that next level, I just went crazy as soon as I saw new enemies appear. I don't remember seeing some of them, and there are stronger versions of the Foot Soldiers. You can check your crystal progress at the mode select screen, and see all the unlockables, including the ones you unlock if you have a combination of two fully filled crystals. There's also a leaderboard, if you're into that sort of thing. Crossplay is only for PC to Xbox. You have to stay on your system if you have the PS or Switch Version. Once you get the hang of it, you'll breeze through the first six dimensions, it's beyond those that it gets tough. Go ahead and unlock that level select. You deserve it.