Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is an easy recommendation to any fan of the genre with its lush visuals, memorable soundtrack and varied environments, making it one of the best 2D platformers of recent times.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is WayForward’s finest entry in the series yet. Platformer enthusiasts and people who can’t get enough of collecting virtual trinkets will undoubtedly find something to get lost in here.

A delightful surprise that'll warm your heart. [Issue#184, p.81]

Wayforward's heroine has come a long way from her GameBoy beginnings, and she's still got some great adventures in her yet. The gameplay is on point, and the visuals are top notch. The experience is a little on the short side, but fun throughout.

A little more linear than usual, but Shantae and her friends have never looked or played better in this amusingly silly Metroidvania.

Considering the efforts passionate fans went through to see this franchise have another entry, it comes off as surprising and unfortunate that Wayforward did not decide to take more risks by adding new characters and mechanics. By taking the product as what it is and not what it should be, however, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero ends up as one of this year’s strongest platformers, packed to the brim with secrets, clever writing and a stellar soundtrack.

A very solid Metroidvania-esque platformer that caters to fans old and new. Everything that is loved about this series remains, while a brand new art style and a simple story put the barrier to entry very low.

If there were one word to describe Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, it would be magical. The atmosphere this game creates backs that statement up. If you are unfamiliar with the Shantae series, they fall under the Metroidvania genre; a 2D, exploration based puzzle platformer. The controls are tight, the music is fun, the graphics are gorgeous, and the story is charming as heck; this all makes for a masterpiece ****. I want to touch up on the graphics a bit; simply put, this is one the most beautiful games I have ever played. On par with the games made with the Ubi Art engine (Rayman Legends, Child of Light), the style breaths life into the game. Backgrounds and platforms are beautifully hand drawn and shaded in a vector / watercolor style. Character models are drawn similarly, but with an extra dimension added to make them come alive. The game performs very well, with little slowdowns. Unfortunately it is not locked at 60 frames per second, as I encountered a few frame rate drops here and there during hectic sequences, but nothing that detracted from my experience. For $20 bucks and a 6-12 hour story with plenty of replayability, buy this game. It is a masterpiece, and any gamer will be doing themselves a disservice by not giving it a try.

The overall score is based on how much fun I personally had with every component of the game and the overall experience.

I liked it. I think it is a bit over-hyped. Pros: beautiful colorful graphics, catchy music and tight controls. Basic metriodvania goodness if you like backtracking....which leads me to the cons. 6 levels...4 of them you will be visiting a dozen **** be aware of it. I think the dance option selection is unnecessarily tedious. I bought everything in the store 3 levels into the game....which seemed kind of lame. It is easy to max your gems at 999 and not be able to spend it on anything. Some frustrating parts in a few levels that made me want to chuck the **** non-the-less i finish it in 8 hours with 97% completion. I recommend you download it when it is on sale...otherwise there are better games to be played. Game on!

First taste of the series here and I can say: it feels like a Capcom game from the 90s, and the art style and presentation are pretty nice. It's an OK challenge, and I did like it enough to finish it. I thought I'd like the transformations more, but it wasn't winning me over. Still, it's fun if you like these sorts of 2d platformers.

This game is bad cause shantae's attacks are weak and she is useless against any