Ever since I got the original Shantae title on Game Boy Color (still have my boxed copy), I’ve been a huge fan of the Shantae series. In the game, you play as Shantae, a half-genie half-human girl who can attack with her hair and dance to transform into animals to help her get around, like a wall-climbing monkey or an elephant that can bash rocks.  You explore various 2-D platforming locations, similar to classics like Castlevania or Metroid.  Years later, the folks at WayForward made a downloadable sequel on DSiWare.  And now you can play an improved version on the Wii U, PS4, and PC (Wii U version reviewed here).

In the first game, Shantae had to battle a female pirate named Risky Boots, who was trying to take over Scuttle Town and Sequin Land. In the sequel, Risky is out for revenge, and steals a magic lamp.  This lamp has the ability to steal Shantae’s genie powers, but luckily it won’t work without three hidden magic seals.  So now it’s up to Shantae to find those seals before Risky does!  Like the other games in the series, Shantae: Risky’s Revenge is a 2-D platformer with exploration elements similar to Castlevania, Metroid, or Monster World 4.  So if you like any of those games, you’ll definitely want to check this one out.

Shantae can run, jump, and whip enemies with her hair. Defeated enemies drop gems that she can collect to buy other items in a shop, including potions that will refill her health and magic, as well as attack spells and other goodies.  Shantae will explore fields, forests, deserts, and even underwater to find hidden dungeons that hold the magic seals and other secrets.  Most importantly, she’ll eventually learn three dances that will transform her into animals that will help her get around the land.  She can turn into a monkey that can climb walls, an elephant who can smash rocks, and a mermaid for swimming underwater.  You can also jump in and out of the background in some areas like the town and forest.  The Director’s Cut adds a few new features, like a Magic Mode that unlocks after you beat the game once.  In Magic Mode, you can use more magic spells without depleting your magic meter as much, but your defense is lowered.  And you also get a new outfit.

I have a few minor problems with the game. They aren’t really worth mentioning, and don’t ruin the game at all, but I’ll go over them anyway.  I was hoping the Director’s Cut of this game would also improve the graphics to look more like the sequel, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse.  But it’s still the original graphics, so they look a bit pixelly on the big screen.  But in a way, I also like the older visuals, pixelly or not, because it reminds me of playing a lost classic SNES game.  Risky’s Revenge is also my least favorite in the series because it has fewer dungeons to explore and only three animal transformations, while the other games had more.  It’s also pretty short, and I beat it in less than six hours casually (the Magic Mode should boost the replay value, though).  But just because it’s my least favorite, doesn’t mean it’s a bad game.  It’s still fantastic and I’m glad they released it on the Wii U and it’s a great deal at only ten bucks on the eShop.  And it also makes a great tide-me-over while we wait for the next game in the series: Shantae: Half-Genie Hero.  I can’t wait for that one!

Kid Factor:

Shantae: Risky’s Revenge Director’s Cut is rated E-10 with ESRB descriptors of Mild Fantasy Violence and Suggestive Themes. You can attack enemies with your hair and magic spells, so the violence is mostly cartoony. Defeated enemies usually just explode, but some enemies blow up into a flurry of bones.  Some of the female characters’ outfits can be a bit revealing.  I’d be OK with any kid playing these, but reading skill is a must for the text, and younger gamers may get frustrated at the difficulty.

Tags: Game Reviews