Welcome to our review of Shantae and the Pirate’s curse! A game originating from the original Shantae game from 2002.
Embark on a brand new adventure with Shantae, the hair-whipping belly dancing genie.
The third Shantae game is the biggest yet! Beyond Sequin Land lie cursed islands and labyrinths each hiding a new piece of Pirate Gear – Flintlock Pistol, Pirate Hat, Scimitar, Risky’s Boots, and even a Cannon. Upgrade Shantae’s hair and weapons or unlock advanced Fighter’s Moves. Locate maps, return lost Heart Squids, collect rare loot, and laugh out loud at the weird, wild, and wonderfully humorous cast of characters. Incredible high-resolution artwork, unlockable Pirate-Mode, multiple endings, and an unforgettable soundtrack make this one game you won’t want to miss!
When she loses her magic, Shantae must team up with her nemesis, the nefarious pirate Risky Boots in order to save Sequin Land from an evil curse. As a pirate, Shantae gains new weapons to advance her quest, slay monsters, battle epic bosses…and hopefully get her magic back in the bargain! But can she really trust her deadliest enemy?
Shantae originally saw the light of day back in 2002, released for the Game Boy Color and that one specifically is currently one of the rarest games to find and buy! The game was rumored to be a bad selling title, this most likely due to the game being released after the Game Boy Advance was already available.
Fast forward to 2014 and this game originally got its first release on 3DS, shortly followed by Wii U.
Soon we will have the physical release of the successor to Pirate’s curse and I want to give my two cents about what Shantae represents. Shantae is a prime example of how a platformer should be!
When I think platforming, the first title coming to mind is Mario, obviously. But if I were to call out the 5 best platformers, I actually think Shantae would be part of it.
Shantae makes perfect use of both the classical platforming and the item management it uses. Introducing a perfect blend of storytelling and actual action. The main premise of this game is to defeat evil and you do this by the most common of mechanics. You are asked to get items, to grab maps, to defeat evil bat-like beings and suck up their dark magic, …
Everything comes together in 1 nice package. As the game was originally on 3DS first, the graphics are clearly not current generation styled, but more of a retro feeling is present! During cutscenes, however, the projected images of whoever is talking, they are crisp and clear.
Shantae and the pirate’s curse also provides you, the gamer, with a great story filled with small puzzles. At the very beginning, you need to go to the library, but as you arrive, you need a library card to enter, so off you go, finding that card. there is never a dull moment in this game and my biggest advice for this game, aside from “Enjoy it” is to always go every way you can. Go left and Go right if both are possible, you never know what you will run into!
In conclusion, I own this game on Wii U and since a few days also own it on Switch. I honestly think this game might be one of the better platformers on the Switch and should be considered when you are on the market for a great platformer!
My rating for this game is 90%
Tested on Nintendo Switch
