Hey guys! Shame on me for not knowing the Shantae franchise even existed until maybe this past November. I'm usually aware of 2D platformers, so I'm not sure what happened here. Thanks to the wonderful folks at Amazon for eventually bringing it to my attention!
[Combat]
It's been awhile since I've said this about a 2D platformer; but the combat was actually decent. You'll be able to use magic or melee; and they both served different purposes. In the earlier levels, you'll be able to get away with using just your melee attack, but as time goes on; you'll be better off incorporating magic into your arsenal, especially for those hard to reach enemies. Although I enjoyed the combat; there was one rather useless mechanic that I later unlocked. I forget the name of the move; but it was a backward dash used to 'avoid' enemy attacks. I placed an emphasis on avoid because I was never successful, lol!
[Weaponry]
As a famous hip hop artist once said: "long hair don't care."So yeah, Shantae's weapon of choice is her gorgeous ponytail! I'll be the first to admit that I was a bit skeptical about using hair as a weapon for quite a few reasons that I don't have time to delve into. However, slapping fools with Shantae's ponytail could not have been more fulfilling! For starters, she has a decent amount of range. Once you start adding upgrades; that head of hair becomes powerful enough to kill enemies with just one whip! Shantae's diverse; so she doesn't just solely rely on her hair as a weapon. You'll be able to unlock several magic attacks for her to use. In all honesty, I'm not much of a magic attack guy (regardless of the game) so I limited myself to using only one or two magic attacks (mainly the fireballs and electricity), but the option is still nice to have.
[Enemies]
With enemies; all I ask is for every level to introduce new enemy types, and this game delivered. I'm not saying I didn't see some of the enemies more than once, because I did. What I AM saying is each level had its own 'theme', and most of the enemies reflected that theme. As for their difficulty; I never really felt threatened by the regular enemies (especially once I upgraded my health). The bosses on the other hand? Some of them were an entirely different story! I don't want to give any spoilers, but the last boss was pretty tricky; but never frustrating. That's really the theme of the entire game: Tricky at times; but never frustrating.
[Miscellaneous]
I rarely; and I mean RARELY care about a game's soundtrack. As a pre-order bonus, I received a CD with several soundtracks on it. I had a chance to listen to it, and one song stood out. I don't know the name of it, but it's track #2 (I'm far from being the only person that likes that song). I'm not familiar with the artist (Shantae perhaps?); but whoever it is, she can sing her ass off; and that's a fact! My car is old enough to still have a CD player, so I'm sure you know what track I'm bumpin', don't you? The many collectibles throughout the game greatly contributes to its 5 star rating. In order to find the collectibles; Shantae is aided by her many 'transformations', such as an elephant, an adorable monkey, a spider, a mermaid, a crab, a bat, and my personal favorite; the harpy! Each transformation has its own special talent such as the monkey's ability to climb walls, and the harpy's ability to fly, and so on and so forth.
I had a great time with the game, and I felt compelled to replay a few of the levels (something I never do). As much as I adore the gameplay, I realize it may not be for everyone because there's a ton of backtracking involved. The one thing I didn't like was how easy the non-boss enemies were. With that being said, it's not enough to detract from the gameplay. And, I finished it in around 12 hours (taking my time), for what it's worth. Gravity Rush 2; you're up next!
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Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
Great game just not the greatest Shantae.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2017Matthieu Gauthier Prud'homme
Great 2D platformer
Reviewed in Canada on January 18, 2017
Luis
Buen juego, Exclente musica y gráficas lindas.
Reviewed in Mexico on January 26, 2018Christopher Bloomfield
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2017
