skyenier
2012
This review contains spoilers
This game is really more like a 7 but I played it addictively so I kinda haaaave to give it a 8. It's definitely a disappointment after playing Reload (which may have spoiled me a bit, to be fair)
The story is a mess, not in a nonsensical way but its just not really that great. Don't get me wrong, it can be really fun at times, and I'd say for the most part it is, but in between those great moments is actually kinda boring and the stakes never really feel that high even when things get tense (which it takes a LOONG time for things to get anywhere close to tense).
The dungeon crawling is still fun, but MAN it gets frustrating in this one, and then too easy?? Constant misses, a lot of encounters feel unoptional, and despite me playing on hard, it went from hard to incredibly easy after the fight against Namatame's shadow. I also didn't like how they did the weapon system either, I felt like grinding for special weapons was just totally pointless.
The quest system also takes a massive step down from Elizabeth's requests in 3, which I loved doing. I'm doing it for Elizabeth after all who's one of the most fun characters in the series (complete opposite of Margaret's boring ass). In this game? No, you take requests from random faceless people. That made me completely disinterested, on top of the fact that the 75% requests themselves are annoying and anti-fun.
Now there are some characters that are some of my favorites in the series: Naoto, Chie, Yosuke, Dojima, Ayane, and a few others come to mind. Then there's fucking Teddie. I hate this fucker, I REALLY HATE THIS FUCKER. How can mankind create such an annoying unlikeable fucking stupid piece of shit character and expect me to like him??? Like AT ALL??? All the characters feel sympathy for him and give him all the love and care and in the world but fucking WHY??? ME?? I DON'T CARE, MY FAVORITE ENDING WAS THE BAD ENDING CUZ THIS FUCKER DISAPPEARS. Honestly if Teddie was removed from the game completely I think this game would easily be a 8 maybe I'd consider a 9. That's how annoyed I get with this fictional piece of shit bear.
So despite all my complaints I give it an 8. That show's how good the pros of this game are. Fantastic soundtrack, (SOME) fun characters, a fun story (even if it feels anticlimactic), social links and romance is done very well, and a great ending that hits you in the feels (even if I hate Teddie).
The story is a mess, not in a nonsensical way but its just not really that great. Don't get me wrong, it can be really fun at times, and I'd say for the most part it is, but in between those great moments is actually kinda boring and the stakes never really feel that high even when things get tense (which it takes a LOONG time for things to get anywhere close to tense).
The dungeon crawling is still fun, but MAN it gets frustrating in this one, and then too easy?? Constant misses, a lot of encounters feel unoptional, and despite me playing on hard, it went from hard to incredibly easy after the fight against Namatame's shadow. I also didn't like how they did the weapon system either, I felt like grinding for special weapons was just totally pointless.
The quest system also takes a massive step down from Elizabeth's requests in 3, which I loved doing. I'm doing it for Elizabeth after all who's one of the most fun characters in the series (complete opposite of Margaret's boring ass). In this game? No, you take requests from random faceless people. That made me completely disinterested, on top of the fact that the 75% requests themselves are annoying and anti-fun.
Now there are some characters that are some of my favorites in the series: Naoto, Chie, Yosuke, Dojima, Ayane, and a few others come to mind. Then there's fucking Teddie. I hate this fucker, I REALLY HATE THIS FUCKER. How can mankind create such an annoying unlikeable fucking stupid piece of shit character and expect me to like him??? Like AT ALL??? All the characters feel sympathy for him and give him all the love and care and in the world but fucking WHY??? ME?? I DON'T CARE, MY FAVORITE ENDING WAS THE BAD ENDING CUZ THIS FUCKER DISAPPEARS. Honestly if Teddie was removed from the game completely I think this game would easily be a 8 maybe I'd consider a 9. That's how annoyed I get with this fictional piece of shit bear.
So despite all my complaints I give it an 8. That show's how good the pros of this game are. Fantastic soundtrack, (SOME) fun characters, a fun story (even if it feels anticlimactic), social links and romance is done very well, and a great ending that hits you in the feels (even if I hate Teddie).
defintely a step down from pirates curse, despite some of the improvements it makes.
best way to sum it up is this:
PROS:
- Visuals look much better
- Still lots of fun
- Soundtrack is still fantastic
- More modes and ways to play the game
- Some of the transformations feel super fun
- Still lots of personality, maybe even more so than Pirates Curse
CONS:
- Suuuuuper easy
- Feels really short
- Goes over the top with backtracking
- NPCs directly telling you what to do ruins feels cheap and ruins any chance at immersion
- Collectables feel less rewarding to collect, especially the switch to "Heart Containers" instead of the Heart Squids
- Lackluster and confusing final boss
- Story a downgrade over pirates curse
- A handful of the dances feel completely useless
Why a not give it a lower score? Because Shantae is just plain fun regardless if it messes up in a lot of aspects.
best way to sum it up is this:
PROS:
- Visuals look much better
- Still lots of fun
- Soundtrack is still fantastic
- More modes and ways to play the game
- Some of the transformations feel super fun
- Still lots of personality, maybe even more so than Pirates Curse
CONS:
- Suuuuuper easy
- Feels really short
- Goes over the top with backtracking
- NPCs directly telling you what to do ruins feels cheap and ruins any chance at immersion
- Collectables feel less rewarding to collect, especially the switch to "Heart Containers" instead of the Heart Squids
- Lackluster and confusing final boss
- Story a downgrade over pirates curse
- A handful of the dances feel completely useless
Why a not give it a lower score? Because Shantae is just plain fun regardless if it messes up in a lot of aspects.
2023
played for around 10 hours, all i can say is there is a lot of fantastic here mixed in with a lot of boring. for every amazing thing the games does it bores me to death with the characters and story progression. everything from the character's personalities, dialogue, designs, and motivations all scream been there done that, and the story is the same: been there done that. combat system is fun but gets repetitive, the soundtrack is absolutely stellar, visuals are fantastic, but unfortunately i found myself struggling to actually get attached to the game, which was disappointing.
a lot better than i thought it would be, sometimes the level design feels like a mario maker level and the bosses can feel repetitive and easy, but it makes up for it in personality, fun factor, and an amazing soundtrack
(also i keep wanting to give this game a 9 just because of HOW good the soundtrack is and how much personality is in this game, despite some occasional annoying gameplay)
(also i keep wanting to give this game a 9 just because of HOW good the soundtrack is and how much personality is in this game, despite some occasional annoying gameplay)
2018
lovely chill game with a stellar soundtrack
2018
and it was da best game eva made
2021
fun, addicting and super interesting, as well as frustrating as shit like do you KNOWWW how fun it is when you spend so much time finding a new level to play and then the star is miraculously ALREADY COLLECTED?? imagine that but it happens like every other star its REALLY FUN!
2022
great atmosphere, great soundtrack & sound design, and a confusing but really interesting story, with (at times) annoying gameplay with an absurd amount of backtracking