Overview – developed and published by WayForward, in collaboration with Limited Run Games, Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is the latest entry in the hair whipping, magic dancing adventure series. As the Half-Genie hero Shantae, stop Risky Boots world spinning plan in this once cancelled adventure, originally planned for the Game Boy Advance. This title is available on all current platforms, with a link to each version at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank WayForward for providing the copy of Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution and the Deluxe content that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. I will be covering the core gameplay experience, with minimal spoilers for the experience. I will also be referring to the game as the shortened name of Shantae Advance, for the sake of brevity.
Story – after defeating Risky Boots in the first adventure, Shantae and her friends are constructing new anti-pirate defense for their home. Suddenly, Risky Boots appears and engages in battle with Shantae. During this confrontation, Shantae falls into a subterranean cavern, followed by her friends. They discover that Risky Boots plans to rotate the surface world, allowing her to pillage landlocked areas, so Shantae sets out on a new adventure to stop the Pirate plans.
Gameplay – Shantae Advance is a side scrolling platform adventure, where the player controls the titular Half-Genie guardian of Scuttle Town. The gameplay loop follows a chaptered structure, where the player needs to complete objectives for that section of the narrative. As Shantae, travel Sequin Land to stop Risky Boots, who has used the Tremor Engine to alter the placement of different areas. Now Shantae must return Sequin Land to its original state.
As the world has shifted, the landscape has changed and altered the way that places are reached. In order to travel to the world, the player will need to fly on the back of Hatchet, a bird that has been raised by Shantae’s friend Sky. To be able to reach new areas, the player will need to collect maps obtained during the adventure. When a map has been collected, giving it to Sky will unlock a new area to go to, pushing the adventure forward.
The different areas that can be explored are split into two types, the first is the towns, where NPC characters can be interacted with. By talking to the different characters, players will gain new information and details to help them with their objective. While in the home area of Scuttle Town, the player will be able to access various facilities. These are the shop and bath house, where items can be bought and Shantae can restore her energy.
Then we get onto the real meat of the game, which are the action stages. Inside these stages there is a special mechanic that is unique to this adventure, travelling between the foreground and background layers of the area. While exploring the action areas, the player will need to utilise both layers of the stage. there will also be special switches that activate the Tremor Engine, which will shift the stage between normal and swapped states.
When the stage becomes swapped, the player will be able to access some previously unattainable areas. This can make some areas that were previously blocked without powers reachable, these can also be tied to some puzzles and locked gates. It is important to check all of these areas, as there will also be hidden details in the swapped terrain. The different layers will have hazards, obstacles and threats that will hurt Shantae, but there are ways to overcome them.
The most common way that Shantae can defend herself from enemies is her Hair Whip, which is her standard form of attack. Shantae can defeat some enemies in a single strike, whereas others will take multiple hits to defeat. For more challenging enemies, Shantae can use magic spells which are purchased from Rottytops, the zombie shop keeper. There are many magic spells, which require Magic Points (MP) to use so their use can be limited.
From the variety of spells, the player will be able to use lightning, fire and a power ball to damage enemies. Then there are support skills like increased running speed, at the cost of MP, as well as skills like being able to run on air. All of the skills can be switched freely from the sub menu, alongside items like healing potions and MP restoration potions. The spells aren’t the only magic that Shantae can use, as she can also use her dance magic.
As the Half Genie guardian, Shantae can use her belly dancing skills to access magical transformations. By activating her dance magic, the player can transform into several creatures, including a monkey and a crab. While using these transformations, Shantae can get access to areas that may otherwise be inaccessible. To unlock these forms, a special Wish Charm must be used at a magical fountain, which can be found in the dungeons.
Speaking of the dungeons, there will be gates and caves in each of the action areas. The caves will have small puzzles and some will also have special upgrades, increasing Shantae’s health, providing new powers to transformations and more. Each of the caves can be accessed freely, as long as the player can access the entrance, they can get inside. However, the gates will be locked and require puzzles to be solved before they can open up.
When entering a gated dungeon, the player will need to navigate the many rooms of the dungeon. Inside each of the dungeons, the player will encounter puzzle rooms, platforming challenges and dangerous enemies. As the player makes their way through each room, there will be deadly challenges and risks to the player. Thankfully, there will be the Save Sage, a mystical being who can record the progress of the adventure.
These will be important as the dungeons are very challenging, with spikes, pitfalls and even fire breathing statues. If Shantae is killed at any point, she will be reset to the last Save Sage, losing all of her progress after the last save. The game can be saved in dungeons, between areas and in Scuttle Town. The Save Sage will usually appear before tough segments, so it is important to use him whenever he is encountered to prevent loss of progress.
Throughout the dungeons, players can encounter environmental puzzles, which will require the player to use gimmicks to progress. This can include bombs and even carnivorous plants, using them effectively to traverse the puzzles that are tied to them. There will also be moving platforms, which will help the player navigate bottomless pits. Players can also encounter water that Shantae can dive into, but can also use her transformations to explore.
The dungeons are fairly long with gates that need keys, paths that require specific transformations and puzzles that must be solved to progress. This leads to some backtracking, which can also cross into puzzles in different areas in general. Then there are the key items, which are required for progress. These can apply to the dungeons and outside of them, affecting different areas of the game world, including towns affected by Risky Boots.
As the player defeats enemies and breaks certain objects, they will drop gems, hearts and potion vials. The gems that are dropped are the currency that is used for purchasing items from shops, which are added to the player total. If the player takes damage, picking up hearts that are dropped will restore lost health keeping the player alive. Then there are the potions, which restores a portion of MP that has been used for magic spells.
During key points of the dungeons, the player will encounter powerful foes. These opponents can be deadly, with powerful attacks that will quickly defeat Shantae if the player is careless. The boss fights can also have multiple phases, increasing the difficulty of the encounter for the player. Defeating these Bosses will push the narrative forward, can provide important upgrades as well as items to aid the progress of Shantae on her adventure.
The game itself has two play modes, split between modern and classic. In Classic Mode, the game runs as it would on a Game Boy Advance, presenting the original sprite work, resolution and general UI elements. The modernised Story mode introduces new animations, redrawn HD art and a complete overhaul of the visual elements for the HUD and UI. Both of these version have identical gameplay, so it is down to the personal preference of players.
Last to discuss is the Multiplayer mode, which is a fun and chaotic battle mode for between 2-4 players. In this bonus mode, players can battle it out in frantic battles, where players must knock each other out to be the last person standing. Players have access to an attack, jump, power ups and the ability to climb. The stage rotates during the battle, adding to the mayhem that can occur as players attempt to spike their opponents.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to cover the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – as this game was originally developed for the Game Boy Advance, there is a rather simple 4 button input system. All of the face buttons are used, with the ability to jump, attack, use magic and activate Shantae’s dance. The magic and dance buttons are also repeated on the shoulders/triggers. The D-pad and thumbstick are for movement, with all of the controls in general being comfortable with all controllers used.
Difficulty – this is a fun and challenging game, with a fairly balanced difficulty curve to the experience. As it is an adventure game, there is some back tracking and exploration that is required. This can lead to getting lost and the potential for death, which can lead to progress being lost. The best way to combat this is to grind out some gems, picking up healing items and saving often. It can also help to take notes inside the dungeons.
Presentation – Visually, Shantae Advance has vibrant sprite work and environments, which makes the game world pop. The animations and HD artworks have that distinct Shantae charm, with elements of fanservice in the design. The special HD art is gorgeous and enhances the experience for the modernised mode. Then we have the sound, which is delightful to hear, with a soundtrack that makes excellent use of the GBA sound engine.
Final Thoughts – I am quite the fan of Shantae, having played the different versions of the game over the years. This title may have been planned 20 years ago, but it feels new, fresh and unique in the series. The special rotation mechanic is fun, giving the experience a whole new dimension. The action is fun, the puzzles were challenging and the narrative was a delight, with the familiar cast as well as new characters with charming quirks.
I did have a couple extremely minor hiccups with the game, with some needed items and secrets being awkward to find. But this didn’t have a negative impact on the experience. I very much enjoyed the special HD updates, with the bonus Deluxe DLC, which provides unique costumes that give the game a little more fanservice. I can happily recommend Shantae Advance, as it is tremendous fun, easy to play and a great adventure for everyone.
In the end, I give Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution a final Score of 5/5. This is an excellent platforming adventure, which uses its special gimmick to maximum efficiency, elevating the experience and making it feel unique. This is combined with HD art and animation that make the characters and world really pop. If you want to check this game out for yourself, links to each version will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
W.Kohaku Media 