Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
I’ve always been a big fan of the Shantae series, ever since it started on the Game Boy Color. When its successor, the Game Boy Advance came out, the makers of Shantae (WayForward) made a Shantae GBA sequel but they couldn’t find a publisher so it never came out on that platform. I’ve always thought that the DSiWare Shantae game WAS that reworked GBA title but I guess I was wrong because here comes Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution! WayForward finished the GBA game and even released it on a GBA cartridge a few months ago through Limited Run. And now you can download it on all current consoles and PC, too! (reviewed on Switch here)
Shantae is a half-human, half genie who defends Scuttle Town with the help of her friends and adopted family. As a half genie, she has magical powers and can use her purple ponytail like a whip to defeat enemies. She can also do magical dances to change into different animals to help her get around in 2D platforming adventures. Her arch nemesis is the she-pirate Risky Boots. This time, Risky has created a device that’ll shift the tectonic plates around Sequin Land (that’s the island where they all live), to make the towns closer to the ocean so Risky can plunder them easier. Now Shantae has to get the land masses and towns back where they belong and stop Risky yet again.
If you’ve played a Shantae game before, you know what to expect here. Shantae can run, jump, and whip her ponytail to attack enemies. Along the way she’ll learn dances to change into different animals by pressing the R button and another button in combination. She can turn into a crab to go underwater, a monkey for climbing walls, an elephant for smashing into rocks, and more! There are lots of other secrets and goodies to find in the maze-like environments as well. Defeat enemies and break pots to get health and magic refills, and gems you can use at the shop to get health items and magic spells and other goodies.
The main ‘gimmick’ of this game is that in some levels, you can go into and out of the foreground and background, and shift the two around to reach new spots. Think of these levels like a cylinder and you can rotate two layers to get around using special doors and machines. It’s a little confusing, and one of the problems with the game, but at least it was an original idea for the series.
The game lets you play Story Mode, which is like the GBA game except with more hi res visuals in the menus and text screens. You can also play a four player battle mode but I didn’t get to try it since I don’t really have many people around me to play games with anymore. You can also play the original game like how it was meant to look on the GBA. Aside from the slightly confusing rotating levels and the fact that this game isn’t as refined as later Shantae titles, this one’s still a great little 2D Shantae adventure.
Kid Factor:
Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is rated T for Teen with ESRB descriptors of Fantasy Violence and Suggestive Themes. You can hit enemies with your hair and magic spells, and they’ll either explode into smoke or bones but that’s it. Shantae and some other lady characters in this game are a bit scantily clad, and there are some slight innuendos in the lively text. But otherwise I’d say it’s OK for older kid gamers who can read and are good with platform games.
Check out my other Shantae game reviews!
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