Summary
Shantaehas never quite achieved the mainstream success it deserved, despiteevery entry in the indie series receiving critical acclaimfor its innovative mechanics.WayForward’s plucky star hasnow been going for 23 years, but with struggles surrounding creative decisions and finding the right platforms, the series has only received five entries. The first sequel,Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, was originally shelved because the technical limitations of the time prevented designer Matt Bozon from realizing his perspective-shifting vision. That game will finally be released in 2025 for the GameBoy Advance with the help of Limited Run Games.
Despite not achieving mainstream success, Shantae has amassed a dedicated fanbase, with some of those original titles selling for four figures on the collectors' market. Thankfully, due to the aforementioned re-releases and continued support from Nintendo, all the previous entries are currently playable on Nintendo Switch. Metroidvania fans will not want to sleep on this one. Here are all the games, ranked.
Shantaewas a ground-breaking release for its time, pioneeringShantae’s trademark shapeshifting abilities. Typical of metroidvanias, unlocking one of the animal transformations will allow Shantae to traverse previously inaccessible areas. Each animal also offers an additional combat option, although none are as useful as her standard hair whip attack, especially once upgraded.
These mechanics gave the series a distinct identity, and the colorful and tongue-in-cheek world thatWayForwardestablished with Sequin Land would go on to shape the series' signature charm. Despite its good qualities, the original has not aged especially gracefully, as one might expect of an early 00s indie title. It lacks a good map, and the textures can make it difficult to interpret the background from platforms in some of the busier sections, making it a clunky experience for modern audiences.
4Shantae: Risky’s Revenge
The Story Begins
There was an eight-year gap between the first two Shantae titles, with the aforementioned original 2005 sequel shelved and development restarting on a third entry. Published by WayForward themselves, this game marked the developer taking full control of the franchise, and they took their time to deliver a worthy successor. It’s most apparent in the stunning sprites, whichbring the world and diverse cast of enemy types to life.
It also shifted to a much more narrative-focused experience. Curiously, the developers opted to treat it as the planned third entry, meaning it follows on after a story that was never told inShantae Advance: Risky Revolution. That can make it a bit jarring to understand for new fans, butRisky’s Revengedoes at least establish the franchise’s central characters and the larger plot surrounding Shantae’s search for answers about her heritage.
Shantae and the Seven Sirensupped the production value, apparent right away with a toe-tapping trailer featuring the vocal stylings of famed animated voice artist and Shantae herself, Cristina Vee. WayForward partnered with Studio Trigger to produce fully voiced, anime-style cutscenes for the game, which were a great addition to the storytelling. The only shame was that there weren’t more of them. And with the story taking a swerve into new territory, the series arc mysteries remained unsolved.
Shantae and the Seven Sirensalso added a host of new transformation abilities andnew layers of depth with a card-based character build system. Shantae can gain various perks and buffs, granted by equipping cards found around the map. Unfortunately, due to some of these having random spawn points, completionists and fans who wanted to experience everything were left with a somewhat frustrating task. But for those looking to power through the campaign, it’s an excellent addition to the series.
The first Shantae game built for home consoles, the developers ofShantae: Half-Genie Herotook full advantage of additional specs to deliver an excellent all-around experience. It did shift the seriesfrom a Metroidvaniato a much more linear approach, which was a controversial move. However, the game features gorgeous animation with a diverse variety of new enemy types, level designs, animal transformations, and arguably the best boss fights in the series.
It delivers a nice helping of lore for long-term fans, while remaining accessible enough to serve as an entry point to the series. It explains Shantae’s role as a guardian, what that means to this world, and the believed extinction of genies. Shantae’s mother was seemingly one of the last living genies, making Shantae, as a half-genie, one of the last bastions against supernatural evil in Sequin Land.
Ironically, the best game in the series is the one where Shantae loses access to her signature powers. It was a bold choice for the third entry, and yet it came together. There is a nautical theme that permeates the world, most notably with the principal antagonist being the wicked pirate Risky Boots.Shantae and the Pirate’s Cursebuilds on that, with Shantae having to collect mythical pirate gear that acts in place of her usual transformations.
Pirates Cursereplaces harpies and mermaids with good old guns and swords. It completely changes how the game plays, making it unique in the series. WayForward has been clever to not give fans too much of a good thing, with Shantae regaining her powers and future games improving on the traditional format. It’seasily the hardest game in the series, which helps it endure as a fan favorite. It’s the only Shantae game that requires precision platforming, and the boss fights pose a greater challenge than their contemporaries.
