Shantae and the Seven Sirens

Shantae and the Seven Sirens represents the very best this charming series of 2D platformers has to offer, offering fun exploration and cool abilities in spades.

Despite some annoyingly prevalent fan-service and clunky fetch quests, Shantae and The Seven Sirens won me over with it’s beautiful realised world, charming characters and thoroughly polished metroidvania design.

Apart from those complaints--which are minor in the grand scheme of things--Seven Sirens is a wonderful game and might well be the equal of Pirate’s Curse, which is no small feat. The game does feature several ending screens for completing the game in various ways and a second game mode that’s akin to Risky’s Revenge: Director’s Cut instead of Half-Genie Hero. There’s also a nice movie viewer if you want to sample the Studio Trigger cutscenes. Like I said, if you’re itching for a good Metroidvania or just like Shantae games generally, Seven Sirens is a lock.

All in all, Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a well-made and enjoyable addition to the franchise. The gameplay is stronger than ever, and it retains pretty much everything the series was known for, both good and bad. The only thing that makes it difficult to recommend is the low difficulty level, but if you don't mind an easy time, then it will do the job nicely. Wayforward has shown increasing confidence and capabilities with each passing Shantae game, and Seven Sirens gives me a lot of hope for its next one.

Sometimes, going away leads to refinding yourself, as Shantae's not so paradisiac holidays show. Her change of look finally accomplished in very high definition, the half-genie appears even more gracious and naughtier, thanks to subtle pens strokes. While it's rather a reinvention than a creation, WayForward focused on the series' fundamentals, through the construction of an arborescent world both massive and complex. A depth progressively revealed by the talents of our famous belly dancer, her seamless transformations proving particularly polyvalent. And the additional skills from the collectible monster cards ultimately enhance Shantae and the Seven Sirens, an almost irresistible call indeed.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a game that is formally enjoyable, but fails to stand out like the chapters that preceded it. The game runs smoothly and apart from a few too many loads, the pace is always strong. However, the general automation of the gamplay and the flattening of the challenge confine the latest creation of the WayForward in the circle of the unsuspecting.

None of this is to say Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a bad game. In fact, it's a decent game for the younger audience, newcomers, and anyone that isn't expecting Shantae to evolve. Strictly from the perspective of someone that has played many games in the series and is eager for something different, though, this disappoints on many fronts. Uninspiring and rarely ever surprising, with little to make the player feel like they've earned anything, what is left is a generic Shantae game that is like any other before it, crying out for change and originality.

This game is really cool just like the 3ds era buy I can play it in big screen now it's really fun

Any time this indie darling returns is always a welcome one! The return to the Metroidvania gameplay with the polished Half Genie Hero sprite style is always welcome! The game has a lot of what made classic Shantae games great while adding in new features, like the transformations instantly activating. The bosses are for the most part, solid, and the mechanics of the game work well together. While the story is nothing to write home about, the characters are all as vibrant as ever! The way Shantae handles still isn't my favorite, but I have definitely gotten used to it from Half Genie Hero. I also didn't really like the map that much, since a lot of the game takes place underground, so many sections felt a lot more environmentally tedious than previous entries. You can sort of tell that this game was developed with Apple Arcade users in mind, since they definitely watered down the difficulty and reactive platforming that previous titles had, but the game was an overall pleasant experience.

Good game, mediocre compared to other previous shantae titles, but okay. A solid 7/10 ...aannd there is a **** timed mode at the end. **** you devs. Nobody **** likes a forced speed run. You guys have been developing games for a long time, you know what players want. Or are you devs just plain idiots?

This was initially developed as a mobile title in parts and it shows. Shallow, repetitive game design clutters up the overall experience, empty and sterile level design, the soundtrack is mediocre, the writing is poor and certain characters (Sky in particular) behave weirdly out-of-character. As someone who quite enjoyed the previous three games, this is mediocrity incarnate in every category. At least the animated cutscenes were neat though.

Pros: -Nice opening and cutscenes -The new mechanics are fine -A few cute moments peppered throughout -The artstyle of the cutscenes and character portraits are fine Cons: -Main gameplay is boring and tedious -Soundtrack is very lacking compared to its predecessors -Reused sprites from previous game (jarring when you consider the flatter backgrounds and radically different character portraits) -Flatter and less colorful backgrounds that pop out much less than HGH -Bosses are less interesting for numerous reasons (too much/too little health, boring mechanics, all have the same music) Verdict: Definitely not worth $30, just play Pirate's Curse or Half Genie Hero if you haven't yet, or literally any metroidvania. It will be a more pleasant experience. Watch the opening on YouTube though, it isn't too bad.