off to a rough start when it hits you with sexualized female characters of unclear age, a sluggish first level and an uninteresting peek into a world steeped in orientalism reminiscent of aladdin. its reputation as 'the game to play in the series' and metroidvania label nonetheless made me truck onwards to see if there isn't something compelling to be found behind its offputting presentation.
the second world already felt a bit better, though the combat still remained rough as the enemies mostly serve as obstacles who you begrudgingly whip your hair back and forth against just so you don't run into the risk of body collision and knockback. meanwhile, the bosses were a welcome sight as they offered a little engagement through their mechanics and didn't overstay their welcome.
the game is certainly not helped by how unengaging the overarching story is, which results in issues with unlocking key items necessary for progression as they’re tied to talking to npcs. one could make it a habit to talk to everyone in town whenever you’re there and figure it out that way, but it doesn’t change it behind a drag. revisiting former levels with new abilities is a no brainer for anyone familiar with these types of games and works here, too, and i wish was the main way of unlocking & making progress.
all that said, once you do unlock the first movement ability is the point where the game finally shows real promise as it allows you to engage with the levels’ platforming and enemies more, making for satisfying dynamic moments. this of course doesn’t come as a surprise with games where unlocking abilities is one of the main draws, but here it really revealed how sluggish and unrefined the game was prior, and how much the game shifts going forward.. the games i have the most fondness don’t have exploration and existence in its world feel a like a chore without the upcoming abilities; instead moving around in them already feels interesting without anything fancy. they make you want to push forward to obtain those powers.
from this point onwards the game only got better for the most part as the levels became more intricate and new abilities were obtained – shoutout to the scimitar downsmash and rush ability!! the few puzzle served a medium amount of challenge that didn’t halt progress for too long but still felt like an obstacle. the currency dropped from monsters remained worthwhile throughout as it is used to buy certain upgrades and resources useful until the very end. (still wish a magnet ability existed as you could easily lose gems dropping from a vase etc.) secrets and collectables were spread out so you came across them frequently enough for it to feel rewarding (though having to go to an npc in town to upgrade 4 heart containers into 1 was a tad annoying).
at this point, my main gripe left was the save npc, which was often enough placed so that you’d either have to backtrack for it or in one instance - completely absurdly. there’s 1 (!) stealth section in the game where whenever you’re caught, you have to do approx. 5+ rooms again. it wasn’t even challenging, but it would trip you up often enough to warrant a few resets where you’re left waiting for guards to turn the other way again you had already figured out. one could say the game was taking the piss here!
the last big challenge where you (spoiler) have to climb a tower through the most difficult platforming gauntlets was definitely the highlight of the game. it takes all you’ve had to deal with throughout the game and ups the ante. with no save point throughout, mind you (though you can always use healing items to keep going as long as you have resources for) with all movement abilities at your disposal, this was a greatly satisfying challenge. it wrapped up the experience neatly with a satisfying boss battle.
all in all, shantae ultimately managed to win me over in the second half. it’s a careful recommendation with a lot of caveats, but if you happen to own it, or wanna see what shantae is all about, you might as well go for this one.
the second world already felt a bit better, though the combat still remained rough as the enemies mostly serve as obstacles who you begrudgingly whip your hair back and forth against just so you don't run into the risk of body collision and knockback. meanwhile, the bosses were a welcome sight as they offered a little engagement through their mechanics and didn't overstay their welcome.
the game is certainly not helped by how unengaging the overarching story is, which results in issues with unlocking key items necessary for progression as they’re tied to talking to npcs. one could make it a habit to talk to everyone in town whenever you’re there and figure it out that way, but it doesn’t change it behind a drag. revisiting former levels with new abilities is a no brainer for anyone familiar with these types of games and works here, too, and i wish was the main way of unlocking & making progress.
all that said, once you do unlock the first movement ability is the point where the game finally shows real promise as it allows you to engage with the levels’ platforming and enemies more, making for satisfying dynamic moments. this of course doesn’t come as a surprise with games where unlocking abilities is one of the main draws, but here it really revealed how sluggish and unrefined the game was prior, and how much the game shifts going forward.. the games i have the most fondness don’t have exploration and existence in its world feel a like a chore without the upcoming abilities; instead moving around in them already feels interesting without anything fancy. they make you want to push forward to obtain those powers.
from this point onwards the game only got better for the most part as the levels became more intricate and new abilities were obtained – shoutout to the scimitar downsmash and rush ability!! the few puzzle served a medium amount of challenge that didn’t halt progress for too long but still felt like an obstacle. the currency dropped from monsters remained worthwhile throughout as it is used to buy certain upgrades and resources useful until the very end. (still wish a magnet ability existed as you could easily lose gems dropping from a vase etc.) secrets and collectables were spread out so you came across them frequently enough for it to feel rewarding (though having to go to an npc in town to upgrade 4 heart containers into 1 was a tad annoying).
at this point, my main gripe left was the save npc, which was often enough placed so that you’d either have to backtrack for it or in one instance - completely absurdly. there’s 1 (!) stealth section in the game where whenever you’re caught, you have to do approx. 5+ rooms again. it wasn’t even challenging, but it would trip you up often enough to warrant a few resets where you’re left waiting for guards to turn the other way again you had already figured out. one could say the game was taking the piss here!
the last big challenge where you (spoiler) have to climb a tower through the most difficult platforming gauntlets was definitely the highlight of the game. it takes all you’ve had to deal with throughout the game and ups the ante. with no save point throughout, mind you (though you can always use healing items to keep going as long as you have resources for) with all movement abilities at your disposal, this was a greatly satisfying challenge. it wrapped up the experience neatly with a satisfying boss battle.
all in all, shantae ultimately managed to win me over in the second half. it’s a careful recommendation with a lot of caveats, but if you happen to own it, or wanna see what shantae is all about, you might as well go for this one.
afriendofours
1 month ago