Back in 2002, WayForward released the first entry in their unlikely platforming series Shantae on the Game Boy Color. Published by Capcom after the release of the Game Boy Advance, the game sold poorly since it was released in a very limited quantity. Despite this, the game managed to defy having the cards stacked against them as it was beloved by the thousands that did play it, and eventually received a sequel eight years later.
Fast forward six additional years, and Shantae is on its fourth major installment. Even more excitingly, the series was beloved enough to gain success on Kickstarter, and is now making its proper console debut (as in not a port of a handheld title) with Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. Can it possibly live up to hype and fan expectations"
That answer is an easy “yes,” as not only is Shantae: Half-Genie Hero a fine platformer, it manages to fix a lot of the series’ previous issues. It’s a mixture of what fans have come to love from the series (which is fitting considering its crowdfunded origins) while also refining the formula that has worked for the past 14 years. It doesn’t dramatically change what Shantae is, but rather polishes a series that has always seemed like a diamond in the rough.
Genie in a Bottle
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero plays a lot like past installments, as players will make Shantae run and jump her way through environments, while whipping her hair to take care of enemies. What makes the game sp...