This game is awesome. It's one thing for a game to make you love the series, and another for a game that makes love the whole genre. Shantae is very underrated. Pixel Shantae is in my opinion, peak Shantae. I love the linear open world, all the characters are so fun and I am very well invested in the world and all it has to offer.
If I had a nickel for every time a sequel to an established franchise dropped it's original formula/concept in favour of pirate shenanigans, and ended up being all the better for it, becoming the fan favourite that even the series' detractors enjoyed, I'd have 2 nickels; which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.