Why Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions for Nintendo DS Is Still One of the Best Marvel Handheld Games

When you start talking about the best Spider-Man video games of all time, you’ll usually hear games like Spider-Man 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man, or Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. But one handheld adventure deserves far more attention than it gets: Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions for Nintendo DS.

The Nintendo DS version, released in 2010, is not just a scaled down console version.

Instead, developer Griptonite Games decided to take a whole different approach, making the game a side-scrolling action-adventure with influences from the Metroidvania genre. Instead of 3D combat as you’d see in a movie, players will visit interconnected maps, developing new skills, revisiting past locations and slowly growing more powerful as they get back pieces of the mighty Tablet of Order and Chaos.

If you just downloaded Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions ROM for Nintendo DS you are about to play one of the most fun Marvel games to ever be released on Nintendo’s dual-screen handheld.

A whole new experience from the console versions

Many gamers assume that every version of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is the same, but they’re wrong.

The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii & PC versions are level based 3D action games, but the Nintendo DS version is a whole different story. There are no linear missions in the game , it is all about exploration , backtracking , ability upgrades and hidden collectibles . This design makes the DS release feel more akin to the classic Castlevania and Metroid titles than a traditional Spider-Man game.

This unique approach is one of the reasons the DS version has developed a cult following over the years.

If you are looking for exploration type games then make sure to check out your Castlevania ROM collection, especially Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, Dawn of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia, as they share a lot of game ideas with this one.

Three Spider-Men Three Universes

Unlike the console versions that feature four playable Spider-Men, the Nintendo DS edition includes three iconic heroes:

  • The Amazing Spider-Man Spider-Man Noir Spider-Man 2099

  • Each Spider-Man travels through his own dimension in search of pieces of the shattered mystical tablet. They all share the same fundamental combat mechanics, but as each hero progresses they unlock special movement abilities which in turn unlock new areas of the interconnected maps.

  • Classic web-slinging and acrobatic combat are what Amazing Spider-Man is all about.

  • Spider-Man Noir is a detective-type hero that explores darker environments.

  • Spider-Man 2099 will feature new traversal mechanics including high-tech movement that changes the way players move.

Rewards for Player Exploration

  • One of the game’s best aspects is its satisfying exploration.

  • It’s not just about mission to mission but always finding secret passageways, secret upgrades, health increases, combat abilities and collectable items. Every new power will have you going back to areas and finding new locations that were once off limits.

  • The progression system is an addictive gameplay loop that feels incredibly rewarding. The more you explore, the more powerful Spider-Man becomes.

  • This type of progression will be familiar to fans of the Metroidvania genre that wasn’t prevalent in licensed superhero games on handheld systems of the time.

  • Adventure Progressing Combat

  • Combat is easy at first, but becomes much deeper as you unlock new techniques.

  • As they progress, players slowly unlock new combos, aerial attacks, defensive moves and powerful special abilities that make fights more and more fun. Quick battles against enemies in multiple dimensions, linking attacks together with web powers.

  • There are some familiar Spider-Man foes in the boss fights and you can’t just button-mash but will need some different tactics.