I’m torn between a 2.5 and a 3 here, but since I’m not the biggest fan of 2D platformers quite like this, I’ll give it the benefit. It’s clearly full of life and charm, but the gameplay didn’t quite hit the mark with me. The most fun I had was revisiting levels to find new paths and items (Shocker coming from the big Metroid guy) but other than that I was just getting to the end.

However, I’m excited to play the other shantae’s just so I can experience these characters again, listen to the fun music, and See the cute art style.

Has the usual positives of the series with great animation and detail, more simple but fun gameplay and stage design, and fun characters.

This time along with the usual magic and hair attacks there are multiple creature transformations you can take with different attacks and dance abilities. You can also easily farm money for upgrades if you want an easier time and you can switch off upgrades and skills to make it more difficult. A hardcore mode for more of a challenge.

Like the previous game, this one has some issues with backtracking but going back to stages can change enemies and the transformations can make things a bit more interesting in how you get around. Unfortunately, some of those transformations are really only used to get extra items and are either fairly useless for anything else to begin with or are made mostly useless by other forms. The game is also very short and feels it and the DLC is very overpriced unless you have just gotten the Ultimate Edition.

Half genie hero is a real celebration of the series up to this point. This one is definitely the highest point so far and really embraces the fun of it's action platforming gameplay.

This one adopts a more cartoony art style that does away with the pixels from previous editions but doesn't lose any of the charm or quality by doing so. Everything maintains that stylish animation that has become standard at this point. The music also is top notch with some fun remixes of the classic tracks and introduces some new bangers.

The gameplay sees a return of magic and animal transformations but they don't interrupt the flow of gameplay like they used to. Lessons were learned from the pirate themed abilities of the last game as the different forms return to offering new gameplay challenges rather than being a solution to a single problem. This does cause a return to some of the backtracking though as animal forms let you explore levels beyond the main path and gather collectables.

This game also features a huge variety of extra character stories, costume modes, and challenges. There's fan service for days and more than I could stomach, but it's like getting sick on sweets. It's absolutely packed with content and makes for a fun romp the whole way through, so if you like 2D platformer's (or just Shantae) this one is a must!