Shantae: Risky's Revenge (PC) (2014)

Overview: Sequel to the Game Boy Color game Shantae, this game is a 2D platformer and Metroidvania. Play as a half-genie named Shantae who is tasked with saving Scuttle Town against the unknown plot of a pirate named Risky Boots.

Shantae

Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut (PC) (2014)*
*Shantae: Risky's Revenge (DSi) (2010)*

Risky Boots

Relevant Links:
Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut (Steam Store Page)
Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Shantae: Risky's Revenge (Wikipedia.org)
Shantae: Risky's Revenge Webpage

Whip it.

20160207:
Unaware of the game's genre, I was surprised to learn that Shantae: Risky's Revenge was a Metroidvania. Before this realization, I first thought the game had an excessive amount of talking. In hindsight it makes sense.

Setup: Used a gamepad and used the default controls, though the confirm button was 'B' instead of 'A'. I had trouble getting used to this.

I didn't immediately realized Shantae could climb chains.

Gameplay: At the beginning Shantae can jump [A], attack [X] (whips her hair), dance [Y] (does nothing yet), crouch/crawl, and dash backwards [LB]. She's also able to jump into the water and swim. Later, at a shop, the player can purchase various magic attacks [RB] which consume Shantae's mana when used. Eventually Shantae's dance will allow her to transform (Monkey, Elephant, Mermaid).

The Dance Spirit grants Shantae the Monkey Dance at the magic fountain.

Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Great, beautiful art style
+ Promising gameplay
+ Great soundtrack

Neutral:
~ Decent story.

Minor Cons:
- Hands-off/minimal approach to how to play.
- Limited video options: 4:3 windowed full screen, original resolution, and stretched.

Run Shantae, Run!

- Map should have a hotkey

Recommendation:
Playing Shantae: Risky's Revenge today was a delight and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys the Metroidvania genre. While it didn't play as smoothly as a Castlevania game, the gameplay was solid and quenched a longing for Metroidvania games which I didn't know existed.

Shantae's a monkey! Cling to walls and jump higher.

Steam: 93 minutes (total game time)