Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

- Reviewed on Switch -

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero released on September 27th, 2016. 

A series I began really getting into last year (as of writing this blog post), Shantae, is a beloved adventure, platformer series, developed by WayForward. 

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is yet another beloved installment in this series, consisting of tons of collectibles, outstanding music, cool graphic design, but yet, to me, lackluster DLC.

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

Though the entirety of the Shantae series can be played in any order, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero canonically takes place after Shantae and the Pirate's Curse.

I kind of found the main plot a little underwhelming, compared to Pirate's Curse, and when doing research, I found I wasn't alone in this mentality.

The overall plot of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, is pretty much a huge fetch quest to find parts for Uncle Mimic's new invention, The Dynamo.

Of course, the Joker to Shante's Batman, Risky Boots, is up to no good in this title, as she begins another full-frontal assault on Scuttle Town.

Again, there is a story, but the majority of this (average) six-and-a-half-hour-long venture, is just collecting machine parts and helping other iconic Shantae characters along the way.

Scuttle Town is the main, hub world, in this 2D, yet also 3D title. 

What I loved about Shantae: Half-Genie Hero's graphics, is the perfect blend of 3D perspective elements (mainly the backgrounds), mixed in with the obvious, 2D sprites.

Scuttle Town is where you can buy items and upgrades, fly to your next / desired location, rest in a spa to regain hearts, or even explore the gallery to admire the concept art.

You will need to find the Gallery Keys however, in most levels, in order to unlock and view these segments of the gallery.

And with that, comes majority of the gameplay... collecting items and backtracking.

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse was, and always will be, my first Shantae game, so I can't help but subconsciously compare the two and their gameplay.

In Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, you did have small, increments of the levels (islands) that required specific, locked tools, you'd unlock later. 

However, in that game, backtracking and using those newly acquired gadgets / moves, was not mandatory to finishing the game. 

Here, in Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, backtracking after unlocking a move, is required because you have to collect lots of items that are in large quantities.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is still a 2D, left to right style platformer. 

So, with that, it wasn't difficult to pinpoint where these requirements (items) were, for later. But also, it made finding secrets a lot easier. 

Take with that what you will. If you like a challenge, in regard to finding secrets, then Shantae: Half-Genie Hero unfortunately isn't ideal. 

One thing Shantae: Half-Genie Hero does have, is great boss battles!

All the way up to the final boss, you will partake in enjoyable boss battles that utilize not only mechanics introduced in that specific level but also challenge your hand eye coordination greatly. 

All the levels in Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, include...

    - Scuttle Town Square (Hub World)

    - Main Street

    - Mermaid Falls

    - Tassel Town

    - Cape Crustacean

    - Hypno Baron's Castle

    - Risky's Hideout

When you're on the world select screen, you will notice an example of just how beautiful the animations are in Shantae: Half-Genie Hero.

The voice acting seems to be a lot more prevalent in Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, though it is still limited to one liners, or parts of a single sentence. 

Combat seems very fluid and smooth when playing, and has some different touches compared to previous Shantae games. 

Firstly, the biggest thing about the combat, but more importantly, maneuvering through levels and finding collectibles, is the transform abilities. 

These abilities can be found, rewarded, or purchased, and is mandatory to 100% complete the game.

Some transformations have fighting capabilities, but I won't blame you if you stuck to the traditional hair whip and magic techniques, as they do most of the damage needed for a pleasant playthrough. 

Unlike my first Shantae experience, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero actually had vocals in its music!

I believe WayForward definitely has something special with Shantae and her soundtracks, as those musical beats make platforming so upbeat and foot tapping fun!

In the end, though Shantae: Half-Genie Hero was incredibly fun, I did find the overabundance of backtracking a little stale towards the end.

I got the Ultimate Edition of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero on Switch, and that came with all the previously released DLC and outfits.

The outfits were fine, nothing game changing.

But I can tell they (WayForward) really went above and beyond with the new, extra adventures, featuring Risky Boots and Shantae's friends.

The Pirate Queen's Quest DLC was essentially identical to the main game, but the costume modes, and Friends to the End mode, is a great extra to try out.

Pros: 

    - Incredible Animations

    - Outstanding Music

    - Great 2D and 3D Blended Graphics

    - Plethora of Collectibles

    - Lots of Extras

    - Upgrades

Cons:

    - Gameplay Can Get Stale, Quickly

    - Lots of Backtracking

    - Not all DLC is Worth it

My Rating for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (on Switch):

4 / 5

-----

Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.