you when you use abilities, but for the most part it works very well.
It is rare that a game comes around that nails it on all accounts, and it’s even more rare when said game is a 2D side-scroller. Every character is absolutely charming and memorable. Even the games random NPC’s are distinctive and make you want to talk to everyone just to see what they have to say. The writing is light and upbeat, but has this humorous style that has characters often breaking the 4th wall to hit with clever jokes. Sure, Shantae may look like what many consider a kids games, and while it can be enjoyed by a younger audience, its writing elevates it by having a lot of adult situations that are fun, but aren’t so overt to be a problem for parents.
The sound and music also get top marks with the games soundtrack easily getting stuck in your head. The games sound are fantastic and blend in well with each level. If anything I would have loved to have seen the games dialogue get some voice-over work for this PC port. Still, it’s all just done so darn well that you’ll be demanding that Wayforward bring Shantae’s past exploits to Steam.
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is the kind of game that needs to be in everyone’s collection. It lets you learn by doing which builds the game to be a much more rewarding experience than most games of today that guide you from start to finish. Sure, the grinding you’ll have to do to net all the upgrades that you’ll need can be a bit of a pain, but the games islands are so gorgeous that I never found the grind that big of a problem. The term Metroidvania will often come up when talking about Shantae and I can agree with that assessment as the game takes its cues from said genre, but when you are pulling from the best, you often get the best, especially with a team like Wayforward.
J. Luis
@_ShadowGallery