Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse Review

by Harry Sheridan

July 23, 2015

Wii U

 

About a year ago, I was browsing the internet and saw that Wayforward was launching a Kickstarter for game called “Shantae: Half-Genie Hero”. Since Wayforward developed DuckTales Remastered, a game I’d played through and loved, I decided I’d give the campaign a look. It didn’t take long to convince me to contribute some money to this game, which had managed to capture my interest with such ease. That was the first time I’d even heard of Shantae. Not long after that, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse was released on the Wii U. I heard nothing but good things about the game, but wasn’t able to get it because I was a broke college student. It then slipped under my radar until recently, when I decided to finally buy and play this wonderful game.

 

Presentation

If I had to sum up this game with only one word, it’d have to be “charming.” Right from the get-go, this game had me completely enamoured with just about everything it threw at me.

-Visuals-

First off, this game is gorgeous. Originally released on the Nintendo 3DS, Pirate’s Curse features a beautifully-sculpted 2D world featuring 6 islands to explore. Each of the islands offer completely unique environments, ranging from a ruins-filled jungle to a desert temple to the actual underworld, with plenty of creatively designed creatures to fight. Also, the character designs in this game were top-notch. Seeing the giant character portraits appear on-screen during dialogue was always a treat, as I got to see the characters in all of their illustrated glory (the three zombie siblings Rottytops, Poe, and Abner Cadaver were among my favorites). A really minor complaint here is regarding the dialouge text, which I wish had some sort of styling, as it's pretty plain-looking. Again, really minor complaint, but I thought it was one worth noting.

-Soundtrack-

Next up is the soundtrack and, man oh man, composer Jake Kaufman (Shantae series, Shovel Knight, Ducktales Remastered) has managed to deliver yet again with each and every track in Pirate’s Curse. They bring so much life and charm to a game already brimming with it. One of my favorite tracks is “Scorching Dunes” from the Tan Line Island level and I completely recommend going and listening to it as soon as you finish reading this. Or right now. Seriously, it’s that good (in fact, I’m actually listening to the OST as I type out this review).

-Story-

Alright, so next up is the game’s story. While the plot was fairly simple (great evil has been awakened, gotta go beat him!), it was the dialogue and character interactions where this game really shined. The dialogue was incredibly enjoyable, with its rapid-fire wit and all-around sense of fun. Honestly, my only problem with the game’s presentation (and it’s a minor one) is that there were times when the game got a little too fanservice-y, although this was pretty easy to overlook considering how much fun I was having.

 

Gameplay

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is an action platformer that draws a lot of inspiration from other great games in that genre, such as Super Metroid. As you race to stop the return of the evil Pirate King, you’ll explore 6 different islands (1 hub island + 5 “dungeon” islands) and fight a host of monsters and defeat the 5 giant bosses.

-The Power-Ups-

As you progress through the game, you’ll come upon various pirate-themed items, appropriately called “Pirate Gear”, that function as power-ups for Shantae, allowing her to use special moves such as a long-raged pistol attack and a sword dash. The Pirate Gear was honestly one of my favorite gameplay features, since they made it possible to further explore the game’s world and allowed me to go back to previous levels and hunt for the hidden collectibles that I’d previously missed.

-The Collectibles-

Speaking of collectibles, this game has a bunch of them. There are 32 Heart Squid (collecting 4 increases your health) and 20 Cacklebats (you’ll probably want to collect all of these guys before going to face the final boss) hidden throughout the various islands and it was such a joy to collect them all. Nothing beats that feeling of accomplishment once you return to the first level equipped with the final Pirate Gear and finally grabbing that one Heart Squid that’s been sitting up in a tree and taunting you the entire game.

 

Overall

It may have taken me nearly a year to get around to playing Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse, but man, was it worth the wait. After hearing how great it was from pretty much everyone that played it, I had pretty high expectations going into Pirate’s Curse and it totally met them. Exploring and fighting my way through this beautiful world (brought to life by an abundance of memorable, quirky, colorful characters and a fantastic soundtrack) was an absolute blast and I’d 100% recommend it to anyone looking for a great time.

 

Rating: Excellent/10

+Really fun gameplay

+Beautiful world

+Memorable characters

+Witty dialogue

+Fantastic soundtrack

-Occasionally  too much fanservice (looking at you, Desert Princess costume)