Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse

Genre: Metroidvania

Players: 1

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Review:

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is a family-friendly Metroidvania originally released for the 3DS and Wii U in 2014, and eventually ported to various other platforms, with the Switch version being released in 2018. This is the third game in WayForward’s Shantae series, about a half-human, half-genie girl who attacks enemies by whipping her hair at them.

Since the series first started on the Game Boy Color, one of its hallmarks has been absolutely stellar animation, and that remains very true in this game, which has detailed, expressive pixel art characters who all feature some of the best animation you’re likely to see in a pixel art game. This comes with what are already pretty nice character designs and a bright, colorful world, and comes with an upbeat Middle East-inspired soundtrack that suits the game’s cartoonish presentation perfectly.

The gameplay that goes along with it here is pretty strong too, with good controls and an increasingly varied move set the farther you venture into the game. And while this game doesn’t really do anything to break the mold of a standard Metroidvania formula, it does a pretty good job within those bounds.

I will make one minor complaint here, though. This game breaks its world up into various islands that players sail between like levels. You’ll likely be revisiting old locations after getting new power-ups, and there’s an argument to be made that arranging them in this way makes it easier for the player to traverse the game’s world, but doing so also really cuts down on the thrill of exploration that tends to come with Metroidvanias.

One more thing before wrapping this up. Some will want to know what has changed in this release from the Wii U release of the game, and the answer seems to be: not much. Basically, they added in use of the Nintendo Switch’s HD rumble, as well as an extra minigame, but that’s about it. It’s enough to say that this is the definitive version of the game, but only just barely.

Still, while it may not be breaking any boundaries or adding any significant new content, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse on the Nintendo Switch is still an excellent Metroidvania with a stellar presentation. Fans of the genre should absolutely give this game a try.

tl;dr – Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is a Metroidvania with some of the best-animated pixel art you’re likely to find in a videogame, and the gameplay is top-notch as well, even if it’s not doing anything especially new or novel. If you’re a fan of the genre, consider this game a must-have.

Grade: A-

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