Shantae and the Pirate's Curse

Half-Genie's pirate antics are still delightful and still chaotic, making it perfect for some lighthearted fun.

It's just as fun as when I played it on the 3DS back when it first came out. the control scheme on X-box is reminiscent to the 3DS and it handles like a dream even on my old laptop (which is like... 12 years old). I think this is the best Shantae game period. instead of animal transformations you use pirate equipment and it's really fun to speedrun in it's unlockable mode where you start with all the pirate equipment. The humor is on point, the music is dance worthy, the pixel sprites are gorgeous and full of personality. and for those new to the Shantae series, you do not need to have played the prevoius games to understand what is going on. It will fill you in on vibes alone to know what's happening.

This is the best game in the series in my opinion. The game may be old now, but it's definitely worth picking up if you enjoy metroidvania titles. It improves on the combat and progression over Risky's Revenge, the previous game. The sequel to this game, 1/2 Genie Hero, is an okay game and I might even like it better than Risky's Revenge, but it's as much of a step backwards as it is a return to form. Seven Sirens, the newest game (chronologically, though there is more recently a GBA prequel released called Shantae Advance taking place between the original Game Boy game and Risky's Revenge) is solidly the second best, acting as a better return to form than 1/2 Genie Hero but still not ultimately being as good as Pirate's Curse in my opinion. Graphics are going to be very subjective in their appeal factor, but for me pixel art like this is where it's at. The OST in this game is quite good as well, and it has probably the best metroidvania design the series has ever had so far. Once you've fully upgraded Shantae's moveset, the game plays very much like a middle ground between Castlevania and Metroid. However, I should mention that the metroidvania elements are somewhat subdued in this entry. Instead of one large interconnected map, each area is secluded into its own smaller metroidvania style areas. The progression is still ultimately metroidvania progression, complete with the backtracking and the gaining new powers to progress. However, each of the areas is accessed through a menu and you must return to this menu to visit any other area by returning to the starting point of the area and speaking to Risky Boots. As this game is the sequel to Risky's Revenge, Shantae doesn't have access to her transformation powers, and she never unlocks them either. Instead, you gain access to Risky's arsenal of weapons as you progress. Risky's Pistol, Hat, Cannon, Scimitar, and Boots are collected over the course of the game, each adding a new ability to Shantae's moveset. These abilities are required for progressing through the game. Each area can be summed up as being broken up into two distinct halves. The first half is the "outside" area, which you must explore and complete objectives in to gain access to the second half: The dungeons. Dungeons must be explored and the puzzles within solved to progress. You can find Risky's items within these dungeons, and they are needed to progress through them. At the end you will fight a boss, and then typically gain access to the next area. In the main town area there's various different services you're going to want to make use of. There's a healing room to restore your HP if needed, a shop, a health upgrade shop, and a save room. Restoring your HP is free, as is saving your game. Upgrading your health isn't free, but doesn't use your money either. Instead you must find hidden Heart Squids throughout the game. For every four collected, you can upgrade your maximum number of hearts by one. Finally, the regular shop. This contains various different useful things you can exchange for the gems you pick up while adventuring. Healing items, attack upgrades, even a few moveset upgrades. You're going to want to check back here often. Sometimes when you defeat enemies, instead of health or money they will drop items. These could be weapons you can use, or they could be food items you can use to heal yourself. It's worth paying attention to this so that you can make the most of what you have and also so that you don't purchase what you don't need from the shop in town. Overall, I consider this an absolute must play entry within the wider Metroidvania genre. You might appreciate it more deeply, especially the story, if you play through the previously released games first. However, this isn't an outright requirement and the gameplay itself is good enough to warrant a playthrough. Additionally, clearing the main story rewards you with the ability to start a new save file in Pirate Mode, which effectively functions as a sort of NG+ in which you start out the game with access to Risky's pirate artifacts. This makes you overpowered early on and makes the game much easier to clear through quickly, but generally amounts to just some fun you can do. Still, if you're the speedrunning type then Pirate Mode might have some special allure to it for you.

The positives: It's a pretty looking game,the writting is clever, i really loved the soundtrack and it has many memorable characters. But confusing navigation, constant backtracking, stingy money dropping and some extremely long and/or hard sections (ex: carrying Rootytops, the stealth level on the desert temple, the final palace stage...)leave me with no choice but to not recommend it, unless you're a diehard fan of metroidvania games

ok this game is only slightly better than riskys revenge, only because IM A MAIN CHARACTER! YEAH LOOK OUT YA LAND LUBBERS IM A STAR IN THIS GAME, shantaes still annoying though this review was brought to you by risky boots

The best shantae game in the series. A decent plot, solid gameplay, and good level design. I found myself wanting more after getting the true ending because of how fun the abilities are to explore.

Very fun game! Def Thoroughly enjoying the humor and everything is so well animated and composed! Could use some checkpoints imo, but it is still a very straight forward game.

I remember first playing this on my Nintendo 3DS I still Love this game today! It got me into the Shantae franchise!

Adorable and highly playable!

slay queen