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Games : Recommended
Ranking:
Sale Price: $74.36 Last Price: $ Buy now! 3rd Party 29.95 In Stock
Release Date: December 20th, 2016 Movie Release Year: 2016

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

Overview -

When Shantae is awoken by a mysterious voice, she learns that she is the only person capable of putting a stop to an evil that threatens to plunge the world into darkness. In her biggest, most beautiful adventure to date. the 'Half-Genie Hero' will explore distant lands and discover countless secrets in order to save the world from impending doom.

OVERALL:
Recommended
Rating Breakdown
VIDEO
AUDIO
Tech Specs & Release Details
Release Date:
December 20th, 2016

Video Review

Ranking:

'Shantae' is frequently beautiful to look at, swapping out the sprites of older entries for hand-drawn 2D models. Simply watching characters move around is an absolute joy, with Shantae herself being given a ton of flair that turns her every action into something of a dance. Even when the bosses stumbled in terms of gameplay, it was a joy to see their visual design. Each level is also packed full of small touches that makes this one of the most artistically lovely games of the year. Sadly, some of the 3D environments look a little basic and feel at odds with the 2D art, but the sheer beauty of the majority of the game makes that a small blemish at most.

Audio Review

Ranking:

Jake Kaufman's music is absolutely wonderful, with every single level boasting extremely catchy, danceable tracks, some of which are still stuck in my head days after finishing the game. There isn't a single bad track here, and even in the game's worst moments, the soundtrack was such a joy to listen to that it made everything a great deal more enjoyable. Easily one of the best soundtracks of the year, and possibly the best in the series. The audio design is frequently fantastic, making even the most common enemies more charming then they would be otherwise. Voice acting is infrequent, but consistently

Final Thoughts

The shift to more linear level design can definitely sting, particularly in the moments where the game still encourages exploration without providing any sort of map, but the platforming here is terrific, and 'Half-Genie Hero' is filled with boundless charm that makes it a delight to experience, with art and music that are an absolute joy to behold. While the game is light on extra content right now, the promise of free DLC that will expand the game dramatically could easily lead to this being the biggest 'Shantae' yet. It might not be the half-genie's best adventure to date, but it's an upbeat, extremely fun game that's well worth checking out for anyone who likes platformers.