Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
I liked Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, but this one was a massive disappointment. The visuals are really good, particularly the character designs, and there's quite a bit of variety in the transformations as well, but that's about it. This was a letdown both as a platformer and as a metroidvania.
Unlike a regular platformer, this game barely has any levels. It forces you to revisit every level multiple times to progress the story, and most of the levels aren't particularly good to begin with. The game is severely lacking in content, so it pads the playtime by making you replay the same stages over and over. For some reason, the mermaid level in particular is overloaded with secrets compared to the others, so you'll be returning to it almost every time you complete another level.
Many of the levels have boring design and are a chore to get through. Unlike a metroidvania, there's no fun in backtracking because you have to replay an entire level just to reach a tiny new thing you couldn't access before. As a result, it feels like you're doing the same thing over and over again. On top of that, several sections instantly send you back to the beginning of the area if you touch spikes or lasers, which is extremely annoying.
The story is also one of the most barebones I've ever seen. The whole thing is basically a fetch quest for random items. The music is generic but alright. I did like one vocal track quite a bit, but unfortunately it only plays during your first run through the opening level and never appears in-game again.
The bosses are alright, but nothing special. The Giga Mermaid in particular has a nice design but one of the most underwhelming boss fights I've ever seen. It's extremely easy and quick, with attacks that are simple to dodge and very basic platforming. I know it's not exactly the same genre, but compared to the mermaid fight in Cuphead, it's a night and day difference. Also, for some reason, you can't replay any of the bosses. The game will happily make you replay the same boring levels countless times, but not the slightly interesting part at the end.
As for the transformations, I appreciate the variety and the designs, but more than half of them are barely used while a few are used all the time. The harpy transformation is also extremely slippery and hard to control, which made a section near the end requiring precise maneuvering particularly frustrating.
I tried a couple of the DLCs, but dropped them pretty quickly. As others have mentioned, most of them are very difficult (even harder than Hardcore Mode), and they once again rehash the exact same levels with only minor changes. I have no desire to play the same thing for the millionth time.
[This review was also posted on Steam]
Unlike a regular platformer, this game barely has any levels. It forces you to revisit every level multiple times to progress the story, and most of the levels aren't particularly good to begin with. The game is severely lacking in content, so it pads the playtime by making you replay the same stages over and over. For some reason, the mermaid level in particular is overloaded with secrets compared to the others, so you'll be returning to it almost every time you complete another level.
Many of the levels have boring design and are a chore to get through. Unlike a metroidvania, there's no fun in backtracking because you have to replay an entire level just to reach a tiny new thing you couldn't access before. As a result, it feels like you're doing the same thing over and over again. On top of that, several sections instantly send you back to the beginning of the area if you touch spikes or lasers, which is extremely annoying.
The story is also one of the most barebones I've ever seen. The whole thing is basically a fetch quest for random items. The music is generic but alright. I did like one vocal track quite a bit, but unfortunately it only plays during your first run through the opening level and never appears in-game again.
The bosses are alright, but nothing special. The Giga Mermaid in particular has a nice design but one of the most underwhelming boss fights I've ever seen. It's extremely easy and quick, with attacks that are simple to dodge and very basic platforming. I know it's not exactly the same genre, but compared to the mermaid fight in Cuphead, it's a night and day difference. Also, for some reason, you can't replay any of the bosses. The game will happily make you replay the same boring levels countless times, but not the slightly interesting part at the end.
As for the transformations, I appreciate the variety and the designs, but more than half of them are barely used while a few are used all the time. The harpy transformation is also extremely slippery and hard to control, which made a section near the end requiring precise maneuvering particularly frustrating.
I tried a couple of the DLCs, but dropped them pretty quickly. As others have mentioned, most of them are very difficult (even harder than Hardcore Mode), and they once again rehash the exact same levels with only minor changes. I have no desire to play the same thing for the millionth time.
[This review was also posted on Steam]
Mini Review: Only 6 levels which you have to replay a million times to pad the playtime. A lot of uninspired level designs and transformations that are barely used. Bosses are underwhelming and you can't replay them either.
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