Shantae: ½ Genie Hero Review – Dance Through the Danger

I’ve been very hard on 2D platformers over the last few years; in fact, in all honesty, I’ve been hard on 2D visuals in general. For some reason, 2D visuals and pixel art still seem to go hand in hand; perfectly understandable back in 1990, but why is the genre dominated by such ugly, blocky monstrosities during the age of 4K visuals? Blurry textures and HD presentation do not mix particularly well.

Shantae: ½ Genie Hero actually fortifies my dislike of pixel art, not because the game demonstrates a particularly ugly version of it; quite the opposite. Shantae reminds me of just how good the 2D subgenre can look when it’s done right, and it really is done right. It doesn’t have a large development team or a big budget, yet demonstrating the visuals of a top-tier animated kids’ show cements ½ Genie Hero as a masterclass in presentation. This should be the new industry standard.

Introduction

Shantae: ½ Genie Hero is a 2D platform game developed and published by WayForward Technologies. It is the fourth game in the Shantae series, following Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse (2014), and the first to be developed specifically for high-definition game consoles. The game was released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in June 2017, with a PlayStation 5 port released in November 2021.

The game was funded via Kickstarter, and although the campaign ended in October 2013, WayForward still accepted donations via PayPal on its website up to December 2014, raising over US $900,000. A PlayStation 3 version was initially announced but cancelled due to lack of interest by backers. Matt Bozon, one of the creators of the Shantae series, revealed that the title of the game was stylised as ‘½’ Genie Hero as a tribute to Rumiko Takahashi’s manga, Ranma ½, which he cited as an influence on the Shantae series.

Along with its digital release, Marvelous published a retail edition of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita versions of the game. The ‘Risky Beats’ limited edition contains a thirty track soundtrack CD. A physical ‘Ultimate Edition’ including all DLC was also released on April 3rd, 2018.

Story

Late one night, the half-genie Shantae is awoken by a mysterious voice. Following it outside, she discovers a secret cave where a messenger from the Genie Realm warns her of an impending evil that only she can defeat, but disappears before it can explain further. Shantae suddenly awakens, revealing the experience to have been a dream. She goes to visit her Uncle Mimic, who is working on a new invention, the Dynamo, which will keep Scuttle Town safe from attack by powering an energy field, making Shantae’s job as the town’s guardian much easier.

However, the pirate queen Risky Boots begins a siege on Scuttle Town, with one of her Tinkerbat minions stealing Mimic’s blueprints. Shantae gives chase and defeats Risky, retrieving the blueprints, but Mayor Scuttlebutt once again fires her from her position as the town’s guardian genie due to Risky’s escape and the damages incurred. Mimic reveals that several components are still needed to complete the Dynamo, so Shantae begins searching across Sequin Land for the remaining components, hoping to prove her worth by helping those in need along the way.

Gameplay

Like the previous installments of the series, the player takes control of Shantae, a half-genie who can use her hair to whip-attack enemies. Throughout the game, Shantae can obtain mystical dances that allow her to transform into various animal forms, each with their own abilities, including those which can access otherwise inaccessible areas.

Along with returning transformations, such as the monkey and elephant, new forms include a bat that can fly across long gaps, a crab that can maneuver underwater, and a mouse that can crawl through tiny mazes. These transformations can be further enhanced by collecting secret upgrades.

Unlike past Shantae titles, which featured connected world maps that could be freely explored, ½ Genie Hero is divided up into several action stages which can be replayed to obtain new items that become accessible with the use of unlocked powers, some of which are required to progress through the story. The magic meter system from Risky’s Revenge returns, which allows Shantae to cast offensive and defensive spells which can be purchased from the Scuttle Town shop.

Graphics/Sound

The game is presented with high-definition 2D characters without a single blocky pixel in sight, and they sit nicely within 2.5D environments, unlike previous entries which used a prominent pixel art aesthetic. Characters are always on the move, constantly animated even when idle. There’s a colourful, cartoony visual style with a slightly middle-eastern theme in the environments. It all feels very Shimmer and Shine; Hopefully, the parents among you will know the reference.

The music for Shantae: ½ Genie Hero was composed by Jake Kaufman. The theme song for the game, the stunning ‘Dance Through the Danger’ features vocals from iconic voice actress Cristina Vee (Miraculous series, Neptunia series) who also provides the voice talent for Shantae herself and main villain Risky Boots in some scenes. Longer visual novel-style scenes and side-content aren’t voiced.

Replayability/Trophies

Completing the game unlocks ‘Hero Mode’, which gives Shantae access to several of her transformations from the beginning of the game in order to facilitate speedruns. An additional ‘Hardcore Mode’, featuring more difficult enemies, was later added via a free update. Upon finishing any of the game’s campaigns, the player is rewarded with bonus artwork based on their final time and completion percentage. This artwork can be viewed via an in-game gallery, which also features several pieces of fan art by Kickstarter backers.

To obtain the platinum, you will probably want to play through the game at least twice: a normal playthrough and a 100% speedrun. It should be noted that there are actually two speedrun trophies: one for beating the game in under 3 hours (Speed Runner) and another for getting 100% in under 4 hours (Quick Collector). These time limits are generous yet also quite intimidating for more casual explorers. With careful study of a walkthrough guide, it is possible to simply complete the game in under 3 hours at 100% to get both trophies at the same time.

Theoretically then, it is possible to obtain the platinum in a single playthrough, though this may spoil some of the enjoyment of the game, but you could potentially complete everything in under 4 hours if you manage your time carefully and use a detailed guide and avoid taking breaks, yet the game is so much fun to explore that I genuinely don’t recommend rushing it.

Conclusion

Shantae herself is a great character, and one I want to see a lot more of. She’s ditzy yet funny with it, and never one to shy away from a fight. Even in her base state during the first level, without any spells or upgrades equipped, there’s this awesome, almost cinematic sequence where she bravely throws herself into battle against Risky’s Tinkerbat invasion. It’s a truly epic opening. In case you didn’t notice, she’s absolutely gorgeous too. The skimpy ensemble and hypnotic dancing are sure to keep your attention.

There’s a nostalgic simplicity to the gameplay too which makes the game very easy to jump into and a lot of fun to master once you work your way around some of the surprising challenges. Yes, as easy as it is to wipe out most enemies with a few hair flicks or a fireball to the face, some of the boss encounters, ‘chase’ sections and traversal of narrow platforms when under attack can prove quite challenging, and so overcoming these threats by harvesting a few extra hearts, healing items or spells can be very rewarding.

Shantae: ½ Genie Hero is a lot of fun. A lot of love clearly went into its creation, and broken down into core components, there’s very little to complain about, but a whole lot to praise. The richness and vibrancy of the visuals are mind-blowing, right up there with rare 2D visual masterpieces like Skullgirls and Cuphead. It blows any pixelated competition out of the water.