Playing shantae and it's mediocre attempt of a metroidvania got me in the mood to play the grandmaster of the genre.

The age of the game is clear to see on replaying, vague clues about where to go (and no clue at all about the majority of them), health sponge bosses in particular ridley and mother brain, as well as poor platforming.

The game still shines through its atmosphere and its music however creating a scary feeling of being on an unknown planet, its important to notice its flaws but also its strengths thematically, as well as of course being a pioneer of a genre with such amazing games.

The idea to switch shantae to a traditional metroidvania was a smart idea, previous games in the series like pirates curse were essentially metroidvanias as is, without a map and having to travel between locations setting it apart.

The transformations are heavily improved after the vastly disappointing 1/2 genie hero, giving it a more fluid feel whilst still keeping the old dances in form of siren powers.

Overall any shantae game that doesn't live up to the pirates curse quality is a shame for me, but this was a huge step in the right direction for recapturing that magic and I'm excited for what's to come.