Level design, however, leaves something to be desired both in and out of the dungeons. None of these massively change up the game, but they almost always give you a good reason to backtrack to previous areas to grab collectibles you may have missed. Beyond that, the animal upgrades you unlock as you go through the dungeons add some welcome traversal options to Shantae’s arsenal. Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)Īlthough there aren’t any upgrades to hair whip speed or damage, the consumable weapons-like the rotating pike ball-you can pick up from the shops add a decent bit of additional depth to the rather simplistic combat. Much like their equivalents in later games, these dungeons provide many of the standout moments, as they present a smart mixture of platforming, puzzle solving and combat gauntlets. The basic gameplay takes the shape of a Metroidvania, with a small handful of dungeons scattered around its interconnected map acting as major anchor points where you progress the story and gain new abilities. At its worst, however, the storytelling is simply an inoffensive and unremarkable component that doesn’t much inspire strong feelings one way or the other.Īs one of the last Game Boy Color games ever released, Shantae was famous for pushing the limits of its platform and providing one its most ambitious adventures. You can’t expect too much, of course, as this is a GBC game from 2002, but the gap in quality is noticeable when compared to the later entries. Shantae’s sassy personality feels a lot more toned down and characters just generally have a much flatter presence to them. It’s a rather simple setup and overall tells a good story, though it must be noted that the writing feels considerably more awkward and the sense of humor that the series is now known for is mostly absent here. Panicked, Mimic explains that Risky could use the engine to create a terrible weapon that would enable her to rule the seas, so Shantae sets out to collect the elemental stones needed to power it before Risky gets to them first. She successfully does so, but not before Risky manages to swipe a steam engine built by Mimic (who evidently isn’t Shantae’s uncle here) and sails off into the sunset. The narrative picks up with the evil pirate queen Risky Boots laying siege to Scuttle Town, and it’s up to Shantae-the resident Guardian (half…)Genie-to repel Risky’s crew of Tinkerbats. Shantae is a fun game in its own right and a fascinating period piece, though it feels undoubtedly like a lesser experience when compared to its successors.Ĭaptured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked) Now, WayForward has opted to re-release Shantae yet again for the Switch, finally bringing the entire Shantae saga to one place. Original copies of the first-run cartridge can cost up to thousands of dollars these days, but it became substantially more accessible when it came to the 3DS Virtual Console a few years ago. Of course, Shantae eventually got the attention she deserves, but not before her inaugural release fell into relative obscurity. In that window, the Game Boy Advance enjoyed a successful debut, which made the eventual release of a brand-new IP on Game Boy Color a rather unappealing concept to most consumers. After a couple years of searching, Capcom finally swooped in to save the day for WayForward, but the company sat on the release for about eight months after it had gone gold. Production went well, but the game required an expensive cartridge which caused many publishers to balk at the idea of backing it. The original Shantae was potentially planned as a SNES or PC release before it finally settled on the Game Boy Color. Though Shantae has gone on to become an indie gaming icon, her origins were much dicier.
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