Felt that the game was a bit dated
An absolute upgrade in every way over Risky's Revenge, Pirate's Curse oozes charm with even funnier characters along with a beautiful art style and super satisfying gameplay.
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.
This kinda makes me wanna skip beating the first two games in favour of this. My god how peak it is.
LESBIANS
A good retro game that is bound to keep you happy. It's a lot of fun and is a fantastic Metroidvania game.
I am going to be very personal and vulnerable in this review. I very much am biased and unable to look at this game with a more critical eye, my apologies. I've wanted to play this game for so long. When Half-Genie Hero was getting a lot of buzz back in 2016, it got me interested in the series. This game in particular was on Game Pass at the time, so naturally I took the opportunity to play it right? Actually no, and the reasoning requires some personal background.
I've been struggling with my identity for a long time now. Before I recently discovered that I'm transfem, I was often ashamed of myself for my interests, and not being how I was "supposed" to be. To tell the truth, there's plenty of media I've been interested in checking out over the years, which I haven't allowed myself to. The main reason being that 'Guys don't do that and I'll be mocked and ridiculed for it.' Shantae was one of these cases. How was I, a male teenager, supposed to justify playing a game where the main character is a belly dancing genie woman? I mean that's just ridiculous right?
After coming to terms with my identity, I've been trying to open myself up to more things that I was pushing away all this time. After all this time, I finally played a Shantae game, and the experience was purely magical, for lack of a better word. Right away, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse was hitting me right in the nostalgia. As a kid, one of my favorite things to play was the original Adventure Time game, also made by Wayforward! Booting up this game, being met with the incredible 16 bit look, hearing another legendary soundtrack by Jake Kaufman, fighting enemies while platforming in 2D, it just...felt right.
As silly as this probably sounds, playing this game felt like I was just my old self again. Before I was stressing over my identity, my relationships, my future. Before I was struggling to come to terms with who I am as a person. I was just...my authentic self, playing a game I loved and enjoyed. The game's world and lovely cast of characters pulled me in immediately. It's got a great sense of humor, all kinds of whacky and entertaining scenarios happening at every corner, again, just like Adventure Time.
I don't just love the game because it reminds me of Adventure Time though, that'd be silly. Let's get into what makes Shantae so amazing. For one, the metroidvania gameplay. The game doesn't have one big map like most games in the genre do, or even some other games in this same series. Instead, there are a handful of separate islands you fast travel between. Each one has a handful of collectibles to find, a dungeon, a new ability to unlock, and a boss fight. Each island also has its own mini story arc with the characters you run into and these are absolutely delightful. My absolute favorite is Spiderweb Island where you have to carry Rottytops to her home. Rottytops is without question my favorite character and she gets a fair amount of depth throughout the game, which I appreciate.
Though, one of these little arcs, specifically the one on Sunburn Island, is clearly just an excuse for fanservice, if you know what I mean. That's not a negative for me, I just thought it was worth pointing out. I honestly love how these games just do not care. I mean, all of the different characters you run into throughout the game not only have unique sprites, but portrait art too. The team clearly just wants to draw hot women and I have to respect that.
Regarding the islands themselves, there are both Heart Squids and Tinkerbats to find on them, and a lot of them require abilities you'll have to come back with later. Heart Squids increase Shantae's maximum HP, while Tinkerbats are simply just for 100% completion. The true final boss is hidden behind collecting all of these. As for the abilities and upgrades, Shantae does not have her magic in this game, meaning no animal transformations. Instead, Shantae finds Risky's different pirate gear throughout the different dungeons and adds them to her arsenal. These include a pistol, a big hat for gliding, a scimitar for attacking directly below you, boots that allow you to run super fast (think the Speed Booster from Metroid, except you're also invincible while moving that quickly), and a cannon for additional jumps in mid-air. Sure, these aren't really magical at all, and don't have the spectacle that the animal transformations do, but they are so much fun to use. They can all be activated on the fly and can even be chained together in really fun ways.
Revisiting older areas with your new equipment is so fun in this game. Not only can you reach new areas that you couldn't before, but you feel so much stronger, with so many ways to easily take out enemies. Ever try staying in the air as long as possible while bouncing on zombies' heads with the scimitar? You should! I also love that your hub area of sorts, Scuttle Town, does change as you progress. There are always new scenarios and dialogue to experience there, most of which are pretty funny!
Playing this game just makes me feel so fucking good, man. Normally I wouldn't be inclined to go after everything in the game for the sake of a true final boss or whatever, but I did here because I was having too much fun! I didn't want to reach the end yet! I love this world, I love these characters, I love how satisfying this game is to play. I love that I'm feeling this way playing a game. I love that I'm finally opening myself up to experiences like this.
I love that I'm being more true to myself. I love...me.
I've been struggling with my identity for a long time now. Before I recently discovered that I'm transfem, I was often ashamed of myself for my interests, and not being how I was "supposed" to be. To tell the truth, there's plenty of media I've been interested in checking out over the years, which I haven't allowed myself to. The main reason being that 'Guys don't do that and I'll be mocked and ridiculed for it.' Shantae was one of these cases. How was I, a male teenager, supposed to justify playing a game where the main character is a belly dancing genie woman? I mean that's just ridiculous right?
After coming to terms with my identity, I've been trying to open myself up to more things that I was pushing away all this time. After all this time, I finally played a Shantae game, and the experience was purely magical, for lack of a better word. Right away, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse was hitting me right in the nostalgia. As a kid, one of my favorite things to play was the original Adventure Time game, also made by Wayforward! Booting up this game, being met with the incredible 16 bit look, hearing another legendary soundtrack by Jake Kaufman, fighting enemies while platforming in 2D, it just...felt right.
As silly as this probably sounds, playing this game felt like I was just my old self again. Before I was stressing over my identity, my relationships, my future. Before I was struggling to come to terms with who I am as a person. I was just...my authentic self, playing a game I loved and enjoyed. The game's world and lovely cast of characters pulled me in immediately. It's got a great sense of humor, all kinds of whacky and entertaining scenarios happening at every corner, again, just like Adventure Time.
I don't just love the game because it reminds me of Adventure Time though, that'd be silly. Let's get into what makes Shantae so amazing. For one, the metroidvania gameplay. The game doesn't have one big map like most games in the genre do, or even some other games in this same series. Instead, there are a handful of separate islands you fast travel between. Each one has a handful of collectibles to find, a dungeon, a new ability to unlock, and a boss fight. Each island also has its own mini story arc with the characters you run into and these are absolutely delightful. My absolute favorite is Spiderweb Island where you have to carry Rottytops to her home. Rottytops is without question my favorite character and she gets a fair amount of depth throughout the game, which I appreciate.
Though, one of these little arcs, specifically the one on Sunburn Island, is clearly just an excuse for fanservice, if you know what I mean. That's not a negative for me, I just thought it was worth pointing out. I honestly love how these games just do not care. I mean, all of the different characters you run into throughout the game not only have unique sprites, but portrait art too. The team clearly just wants to draw hot women and I have to respect that.
Regarding the islands themselves, there are both Heart Squids and Tinkerbats to find on them, and a lot of them require abilities you'll have to come back with later. Heart Squids increase Shantae's maximum HP, while Tinkerbats are simply just for 100% completion. The true final boss is hidden behind collecting all of these. As for the abilities and upgrades, Shantae does not have her magic in this game, meaning no animal transformations. Instead, Shantae finds Risky's different pirate gear throughout the different dungeons and adds them to her arsenal. These include a pistol, a big hat for gliding, a scimitar for attacking directly below you, boots that allow you to run super fast (think the Speed Booster from Metroid, except you're also invincible while moving that quickly), and a cannon for additional jumps in mid-air. Sure, these aren't really magical at all, and don't have the spectacle that the animal transformations do, but they are so much fun to use. They can all be activated on the fly and can even be chained together in really fun ways.
Revisiting older areas with your new equipment is so fun in this game. Not only can you reach new areas that you couldn't before, but you feel so much stronger, with so many ways to easily take out enemies. Ever try staying in the air as long as possible while bouncing on zombies' heads with the scimitar? You should! I also love that your hub area of sorts, Scuttle Town, does change as you progress. There are always new scenarios and dialogue to experience there, most of which are pretty funny!
Playing this game just makes me feel so fucking good, man. Normally I wouldn't be inclined to go after everything in the game for the sake of a true final boss or whatever, but I did here because I was having too much fun! I didn't want to reach the end yet! I love this world, I love these characters, I love how satisfying this game is to play. I love that I'm feeling this way playing a game. I love that I'm finally opening myself up to experiences like this.
I love that I'm being more true to myself. I love...me.
This review contains spoilers
This game was fun for the most part. I enjoyed unlocking new abilities and fighting the bosses. The levels themselves were overall fine, but some parts of the levels were not designed very well, causing them to be very frustrating.
The story was good. It gave a compelling reason for everyone to be acting the way that they were. The characters are all likable and had their own completely different personalities. I also really like the designs of all of the characters (take that however you will). All of the pixel art in the game is very well-done.
The combat is decent, but has its moments where it feels terrible. If you get swarmed by multiple enemies, there aren’t many options for you. Even if you get hit, the invincibility frames are almost nonexistent, so it can be a challenge to even retreat when you need to. This becomes apparent in Mud Bog Island since it is full of big monsters that are hard to dodge. A lot of enemy placement ties back into some level design segments feeling not great to go through.
I would be able to look past all of my other complaints, but the one thing that really bothered me was the fact that the collection of the dark magic is a soft requirement for beating the game. While technically not needed, beating the final boss without all of the dark magic results in a few lines of dialogue and then the credits roll. This left a bad taste in my mouth, so I had to go back and collect all of the dark magic. I don’t like when games require or kind of require the collection of collectibles to complete the game as it is meant to be completed. I had already collected half of them by the time I reached the final boss and I already had my fun exploring all of the levels by then, but I had to go back to all of the levels I already explored and explore them more now that I had all of the abilities. While already feeling like a huge chore, some of the magic was easy to find, but the rest was getting annoying to the point of me just looking up a guide. This also annoyed me since I don’t like using guides as they make me feel like I’m cheating and not really playing the game, but by then I was just tired of looking around. Beating the final boss after all of that was actually fun since the boss was an actual challenge the second time and the story was actually resolved nicely after winning.
The story was good. It gave a compelling reason for everyone to be acting the way that they were. The characters are all likable and had their own completely different personalities. I also really like the designs of all of the characters (take that however you will). All of the pixel art in the game is very well-done.
The combat is decent, but has its moments where it feels terrible. If you get swarmed by multiple enemies, there aren’t many options for you. Even if you get hit, the invincibility frames are almost nonexistent, so it can be a challenge to even retreat when you need to. This becomes apparent in Mud Bog Island since it is full of big monsters that are hard to dodge. A lot of enemy placement ties back into some level design segments feeling not great to go through.
I would be able to look past all of my other complaints, but the one thing that really bothered me was the fact that the collection of the dark magic is a soft requirement for beating the game. While technically not needed, beating the final boss without all of the dark magic results in a few lines of dialogue and then the credits roll. This left a bad taste in my mouth, so I had to go back and collect all of the dark magic. I don’t like when games require or kind of require the collection of collectibles to complete the game as it is meant to be completed. I had already collected half of them by the time I reached the final boss and I already had my fun exploring all of the levels by then, but I had to go back to all of the levels I already explored and explore them more now that I had all of the abilities. While already feeling like a huge chore, some of the magic was easy to find, but the rest was getting annoying to the point of me just looking up a guide. This also annoyed me since I don’t like using guides as they make me feel like I’m cheating and not really playing the game, but by then I was just tired of looking around. Beating the final boss after all of that was actually fun since the boss was an actual challenge the second time and the story was actually resolved nicely after winning.
restarted it now in pc and finished it; decent little metroidvania, but the horrid machine translation to all languages but english make the experience soulless.
This game was my entry into the Shantae franchise, a great platformer. It has simple mechanics, but ones that can only be mastered by more attentive players. The collectibles are also well balanced, not requiring the gameplay to stop to collect them. However, what stood out the most to me was the art; in this game, the character sprites and environments exude personality. A simple game but very competent in everything it sets out to do.
I played this game back in the day when it released. I was going to write a review based on what I remember, giving it a 4.5, but I said: "Why not play it again to have a better understanding and experience with it" with the whole purpose of giving you a better review. And oh boy oh boy... I'm afraid it's peak.
I can see some backtracking being annoying, specially if you forget what to do or play it across various sessions. But my only criticism with this game would be that I want it to last 100 hours if possible. It's just so good. I went for the 100% then Pirate Mode, and the game didn't disappoint at any point.
But being relatively short has its perks, like bombarding you with new areas, new characters, and of course, new SONGS. I'm not kidding when I tell you that the music in this game can't be recreated no matter the mastermind you give that task. This is a our universe only kind of experience.
The story is kinda there to guide you through the levels, it's nothing serious much less a masterpiece of storytelling, and the game doesn't try to be like that either, it's just fun.
The gauntlet at the end where you apply everything you acquired during the game was really cute, I liked it.
And I want to leave it at that to recommend you to give it a try, it's lighthearted and funny, not consuming at all in any aspect, you are leaving with some good OST to listen later, and a good game to remember.
I can see some backtracking being annoying, specially if you forget what to do or play it across various sessions. But my only criticism with this game would be that I want it to last 100 hours if possible. It's just so good. I went for the 100% then Pirate Mode, and the game didn't disappoint at any point.
But being relatively short has its perks, like bombarding you with new areas, new characters, and of course, new SONGS. I'm not kidding when I tell you that the music in this game can't be recreated no matter the mastermind you give that task. This is a our universe only kind of experience.
The story is kinda there to guide you through the levels, it's nothing serious much less a masterpiece of storytelling, and the game doesn't try to be like that either, it's just fun.
The gauntlet at the end where you apply everything you acquired during the game was really cute, I liked it.
And I want to leave it at that to recommend you to give it a try, it's lighthearted and funny, not consuming at all in any aspect, you are leaving with some good OST to listen later, and a good game to remember.
The story of the Shantae series is one of the most fascinating tales in indie games. What started as a small underdog, released at the end of the GBC with little to no acclaim, managed to return years later, bringing with years banger after banger, and eventually turning into one of the most popular indie franchises.
In my opinion, Shantae and the Pirate Curse, the third title of the series, is the one responsible from making Shantae the juggernaut that is today. A really memorable and enjoyable platformer and metroid-vania, able bring together so many fun and crazy scenarios and formulas that make it impossible to be bored.
Graphically impeccable, with a snappy flow and a really endearing writing that makes yu grow attached to this cartoony world and its goofy heroes and villains. Also the music is a straight up banger.
Long live Wayforward. There is a reason they are such a beloved studio.
In my opinion, Shantae and the Pirate Curse, the third title of the series, is the one responsible from making Shantae the juggernaut that is today. A really memorable and enjoyable platformer and metroid-vania, able bring together so many fun and crazy scenarios and formulas that make it impossible to be bored.
Graphically impeccable, with a snappy flow and a really endearing writing that makes yu grow attached to this cartoony world and its goofy heroes and villains. Also the music is a straight up banger.
Long live Wayforward. There is a reason they are such a beloved studio.
I think this game is funny and fun
The 'Wonder Boy'-esque gameplay style is abandoned for more traditional Metroidvania stages. It's a bit longer than 'Risky's Revenge' and also has better stages and music. I can see why so many people treat this as the best in the series.
Pirate's curse dares to ask the question "what if shantae had a single good game?"
Um metroidvania com gráficos, musicas e controles perfeitos, ele pega tudo de bom do seu antecessor e eleva ao quadrado. Recomendo para qualquer um que tá afim de um plataforma com mulheres desenhadas de forma que faria sua família e amigos ter vergonha de você.
loved all the characters, very fun game
Super sympa Risky.
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.
A great and fun metroidvania. Great characters, fun mechanics, banging music; overall just a fun time.
"Ooooh soy un masturbador crónico, me encantan las tetas y los dibujos erótico, oooooooooh nine eleven" -Fans de Shantae, posiblemente
The game was advertised by news platforms as a Metroidvania. But the upgrades you are given early are at a slower rate than any Metroidvania I have played and they don't substantially improve the lethargic base kit.
It may be other's cup of tea. It certainly isn't mine.
It may be other's cup of tea. It certainly isn't mine.
Still playing, but loving it so far! It's an awesome platformer/metroidvania, has great music, and probably the best pixel art I've seen on the 3DS. The 3D effect is well done too!
não esperava nada e ganhei algo mais ou menos
gostei!
gostei!
Regarded as the best Shantae game, but I find myself being a bit annoyed with how badly the difficulty is balanced in this game.
مستوى كل جزء في السلسلة بعد هذا ينحدر بصعوبة
هل عشان السلسلة سيئة؟ ام ان الجزء هذا رائع لدرجة انه يتخطى باقي الألعاب و يخلي شكلهم سيئين؟
اشوف انه مزيج بين الاثنين
سلسلة شانتاي مهيب بتلك الروعة و هذا واضح من بداياتها لكن هذا الجزء مميز لانه مختلف بشدة عن كل شيء قبله و بعده
و هذا بدون ما نتكلم عن كيف انه جزء مثالي كلعبة فيديو بشكل عام
اذا بتلعب جزء واحد بالسلسلة ف ارجوك خله ذا لانه رائع
هل عشان السلسلة سيئة؟ ام ان الجزء هذا رائع لدرجة انه يتخطى باقي الألعاب و يخلي شكلهم سيئين؟
اشوف انه مزيج بين الاثنين
سلسلة شانتاي مهيب بتلك الروعة و هذا واضح من بداياتها لكن هذا الجزء مميز لانه مختلف بشدة عن كل شيء قبله و بعده
و هذا بدون ما نتكلم عن كيف انه جزء مثالي كلعبة فيديو بشكل عام
اذا بتلعب جزء واحد بالسلسلة ف ارجوك خله ذا لانه رائع
fun game with great music but easy bosses and a bad ending
professional backtracking simulator but the fun kind
fun lil metroidvania!
They hook you in with the visuals and music, then you stay for the platforming and metroidvaniaing. Shantae don't ever change.