Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

The fourth Shantae game and yet another step forward for the series, with some amazingly gorgeous animation throughout; easily some of the best animated visuals I've ever seen, in fact.  It even has a pretty fantastic theme song called "Dance Through the Danger" with vocals by Shantae's voice actress (the always awesome Cristina "Vee" Valenzuela).  However, it also made the controversial decision to rework the gameplay, going from a largely open metroidvania style of exploration to a more stage-based layout, requiring you to revisit some areas later with new powerups to collect everything (not unlike the Mega Man X games).  It also made the controversial addition of adding DLC missions, adding more content (including the ability to play as Sky, Bolo, Rottytops and even Risky Boots for the first time in the series) and costumes for Shantae herself to change up the gameplay.  It's all quite good quality, though paying $7-8 a pop for it atop a $30 game makes it seem a bit pricey compared to most.  (One also has the option to buy one of the later "Ultimate Edition" releases, which include all of the DLC).

Developer: WayForward
Publisher: WayForward, Xseed Games, Pqube Games, Oizumi Amuzio
Released: 2016
Platforms: PC, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, Wii U, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, Playstation 5

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse

The third Shantae game and, in many players' opinions, the one that really kicked the series into high gear.  The original was rather elusive (and not that fun once you actually got to play it) and the sequel, while substantially better mechanically, was very short.  Pirate's Curse hit the sweet spot, though, retaining the high quality presentation of the series with newly-polished mechanics, storytelling and gameplay to match.  Robbed of her genie powers after the events of the second game, Shantae now joins forces with her nemesis Risky Boots in an attempt to stop a greater evil, acquiring her lost items along the way to serve as tools - Risky's pistol is able to attack and activate switches from afar, her hat serves as a parachute that allows for longer jumps, and a cannon that allows for a triple-jump, among others.  While it still has some irritating elements to its design (blind jumps and cheap hits resulting from them), this is easily the game that paved the way for Shantae's future success, and set a high standard for games to follow.

Developer: WayForward
Publisher: WayForward, Rising Star Games, Oizumi Amuzio
Released: 2014
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PC, Amazon Fire TV, XBox One, Playstation 4, Switch

Shantae: Risky's Revenge

After the original picked up a cult following, demand was high for Shantae to make a return.  After several unsuccessful attempts to revive the series (the best-known being the cancelled "Shantae 2: Risky Revolution") WayForward finally got an opportunity in 2010, releasing Risky's Revenge as a downloadable title for DSiWare.  It carried on the strengths of its predecessor quite well, with its gorgeous animation, memorable cast of characters and platforming gameplay, though it also addresses some of the original's prominent shortcomings. Permanent powerups were now a thing (with attack spells operating off a replenishable magic bar instead of being disposable items), Shantae moves considerably quicker and traversing stages is less arduous in general, there are far fewer cheap shots from offscreen enemies, monsters take fewer hits to take down, there are fewer blind jumps (usually you're given some sort of visual cue, like trees growing from platforms) and the superfluous lives system and day/night cycle are both gone.  It still suffers from some hiccups, though - the awkward multi-tiered stages are rather annoying to navigate, requiring frequent zig-zagging back and forth to find platforms that let you hop between them, and the map system is difficult to follow for the same reason.  It's a very short game too, with only three dungeons and a relatively small overworld compared to just about every other metroidvania game I've ever played. The devs took advantage of this to add some replay value, with an unlockable 'magic mode' (halves cost of all magic abilities, but you take double damage in return) and multiple endings dependent on finishing the game quickly enough and collecting all the items in it.  But even with some hiccups in its design, Risky's Revenge is a much more polished and entertaining title than the first Shantae, and its success set the series up for bigger, better games to come.

Developer: WayForward
Publisher: WayForward
Released: 2010
Platforms: Nintendo DSi, iOS, PC, Playstation 4, Wii U, Switch, XBox One, Stadia, Playstation 5

Shantae

A very late-comer to the Game Boy Color scene (over a year after the Advance had already debuted, no less) made Shantae a game that wasn't exactly flying off store shelves; however, it gained enough of a cult following in subsequent years to get a sequel on DSiWare, and it has since gone on to become a beloved indie franchise with several sequels across numerous platforms.  Upon playing the original Shantae, however, I found that it's an ambitious but seriously flawed experience.  A beautifully animated game with some expressive characters and great music to match, the gameplay doesn't quite stack up.  Shantae's walk speed is glacially slow, and running usually means you just run smack into enemies and pits with no chance to evade them owing to the limited view you're provided.  Hit detection with Shantae's ponytail attack is awkward, and enemies almost always take too many hits to bring down, making combat arduous and something I often tried to avoid entirely.  The day/night cycle definitely doesn't help with this, doubling all enemies' health when night falls (but you can only get fireflies - the game's collectibles - during night hours, so that's a pain too).  Overworld platforming screens seem to go on forever at times, enemies are frequently positioned in places where they're difficult to avoid and/or can get cheap shots at you from offscreen, and dying at any point puts you all the way back at the entrance you came in from (unless you lose your last life, at which point you're dumped back at the last save point you visited).  Even purchasable weapons in shops don't help much, as they're all disposable and quite pricey to boot.  Shantae's later outings are regarded as modern classics, and rightfully so, but, the original is a victim of its own hype; while it was a gorgeous-looking game for the platform and its rarity gave it a certain mystique among fans of mascot platformers, it's rather clunky to play and easily the least fun of the series.  But with the advent of digital versions, at least you don't have to shell out over $1000 for it on eBay anymore.

Developer: WayForward
Publisher:  Capcom, Limited Run Games
Released: 2002
Platforms: Game Boy Color, 3DS, Switch

Shantae and the Seven Sirens

The fifth game in the Shantae series, a modern classic by fan-favorite indie developer WayForward.  But does it prove to be another fun adventure starring the half-genie hero, or is this a forgettable entry in the series?

Shantae is an open-world action adventures series beloved by fans of indie games, though it was something of a slow-starter for Wayforward; the original game was released in 2002 for the Game Boy Color - a year after the Advance made its debut - and was widely overlooked as a result, though it nonetheless gathered a small but dedicated following.  Risky's Revenge, released eight years later, marked the series' return and brought it newfound attention, and since then it's only grown in popularity, with all of its games seeing multiplatform releases and even physical copies (including a reprint of the original Game Boy Color title by Limited Run Games).

The previous title in the series (Half-Genie Hero), while well-received overall, did draw some controversy from long-time fans.  Its format was changed into more of a stage-based one, similar to the Mega Man titles, and it was the first in the game to feature downloadable content - a sticking point for many fans and Kickstarters backers who bought a physical copy only to not get a definitive version.  Seemingly as an answer to that, Seven Sirens goes back to a more open-world format similar to Metroid, with the player gaining new abilities and able to open new paths with them throughout the story.  They also confirmed that there is no planned DLC for the game, and that it would in fact be released as one complete experience (save for the early release on Apple Arcade, where the second half of the game would be added later as a free update).

Seven Sirens is also easily the most lavishly produced Shantae game so far, showing off a flashy opening animation by Studio Trigger right out of the gate and having more throughout at key story scenes.  Character animation and voiceover remain equally strong, with a charming cartoon style and some surprisingly good voice-over throughout; most special abilities Shantae wields even have multiple voice clips, preventing the audio from getting too monotonous.  The soundtrack remains as strong as ever too, though taking on a much different style from the heavy Arabian influence of earlier games and instead opting for more of an 8-bit chiptune style.

Gameplay at its core remains much the same as earlier Shantae games, having the eponymous heroine defeat enemies by whipping her hair at them and a number of sub-weapons, both of which can be upgraded throughout the adventure.  Throughout the story the player also unlocks a number of transformations that allow them to traverse previously inaccessible areas (like the "Gastro Drill" that can burrow through dirt).  Unlike previous games, though, these are separated from Dances, which serve a similar purpose of their own - different dances are unlocked as one clears dungeons, and these too can open new paths - from charging electrical objects to revealing hidden platforms to restoring life to withered plants (which also restores some of Shantae's health).

Another new gameplay element are the enemy cards.  A collectible slightly similar to the Soul system from Aria of Sorrow (or the Shards from Bloodstained), defeating enemies sometimes causes them to drop cards.  After you collect enough of a certain type, they can be equipped to one of three slots to give stronger abilities - boosting the strength of a sub weapon, getting more effect from food items, reducing magic required for a specific Dance, to name a few).  A few common-sense improvements are added compared to other games, though - at a certain point in the story, one can sell extra cards for cash, and another collectible - Nuggets - can be traded for rare cards that can't be acquired elsewhere. 

As per the rest of the series, Seven Sirens is relatively short - roughly 8-12 hours for a first playthrough - but it does attempt to introduce some replay value.  There are a few pieces of art unlocked after completing the game normally, for 100% completion, and meeting both goals in under a set amount of time.  A New Game Plus mode is also unlocked after a first playthrough, letting the player revisit the story with more magic, but lower defense, which changes up the strategies they must employ to defeat bosses and finish the game.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens, like those before it, proves to be a charming and fun adventure, bringing a strong sense of humor and a generally fun cartoony style to a genre largely dominated by eerie alien settings and minimal narratives.  Many of my complaints about earlier entries - awkward enemy placement, a large focus on backtracking and tedious backtracking - have been addressed here too, making this arguably the series' finest entry yet.  Some may balk at the asking price of $30 for a game that averages around 10-15 hours a playthrough, but in my book, it was worth every cent.  Highly recommended.

Developer: WayForward
Publisher: WayForward
Platform: iOS, MacOS, PC, Playstation 4, XBox One, Switch
Released: 2019
Recommended Version: All versions seem to be mostly the same, though I did notice some lag and choppiness in a few areas in the Switch version.