Review: Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero (Steam)

www.ticgn.com/review-shantae-1…

If there was one game I’ve been anticipating since before this year even began, it was Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero. Although I wasn’t a backer, I have always been a big fan of Wayforward’s work. I own plenty of their titles from throughout their history, whether they be licensed titles like the Adventure Time games and DuckTales Remastered or their original works like Mighty Switch Force and, of course, the Shantae series. I knew from the get-go that I wanted to be the one to review this one – albeit for Playstation Vita. Things may not have worked out that way, but I can’t thank a certain TICGN writer enough for gifting me a copy of this game on Steam.

Story

One night, the title character is awoken by something coming from a secret cavern. A messenger from the Genie Realm alerts Shantae of an evil that only she is capable of defeating. Okay, so it was actually a dream (except for the alerting) and she finds that her uncle Mimic is working on a new invention that could help protect Scuttle Town and give Shantae some downtime. Only problem? Series villain Risky Boots takes the blueprints for the machine and it’s up to the hair-whipping half-genie to take them back and help her uncle get the parts necessary to build the machine.

That’s pretty much the plot in a nutshell, but other villains (namely the Barons) hop in to conjure their own evil plans. Considering this plot never really shows up again until the final act, the other villains intruding in on the adventure effectively makes it out to be more of an episodic setup than much else. If there’s anything I feel like could be improved in this aspect, it’s that it would have been better if their schemes tied in with Risky’s own handiwork. As is, it’s never implied that they are, despite a few of them having incentives big enough to potentially make them into fuller-fledged plots. It’s nothing I’d lose sleep over, but it does feel somewhat distracting.

If it has to be like this, though, I’m glad to see that the writing itself is as tongue-in-cheek and hilarious as it gets. From start to finish, there’s a wide range of jokes and goofy character interactions to laugh along with. Even though I typically look for some sort of standard in humor, I can’t help but break out a smile and chuckle when some of the more lowbrow punchlines take place. I feel like I shouldn’t have been able to laugh at “P.O.O.P. T.O.O.T.,” but I did. It’s likely the element of surprise kicking in to match with the overall playfulness Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero flirts with. But mixed with those cute gags are some more meta lines and mockeries that hit straight home for pop culture enthusiasts. Squid Baron is one of the villains that appears in this installment, and without spoiling any details, every single bit of his conversations with Shantae is pure gold!

Come to think of it, the episodic nature and hilarious writing could only serve as reasons why there should be a Shantae animated series. I’m sure series creator Matt Bozon would be more than happy to have that be a thing!

Graphics

This game is a work of art! I mean, wow. Just looking at still screens, there is detail crammed into every little thing shown. For 1/2 Genie Hero, Wayforward took a similar approach to the art style as they had with DuckTales Remastered, and the results are freaking God-like! Heck, I think this game looks even better than DuckTales Remastered. The characters are even more animated, and the environments have even more lushness and flourish with artistic brilliance. What’s especially noteworthy about the sheer awesomeness of the visuals is that previous Shantae games have a pixel art style. Those games already looked fantastic with their fluid spritework and lovingly crafted backgrounds and tiles, but the HD hybrid of cartoon 2D characters and gorgeous 3D environments in 1/2 Genie Hero practically make the pixel art look like child’s play.

Audio

Wayforward games have a tendency to host a string of catchy and diverse musical pieces in their games, and Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero is certainly no exception to that unspoken rule. I played this game with headphones on throughout the entire adventure for this reason. Naturally, I wasn’t disappointed. There are a good amount of atmospheric pieces in the title, but the ones that will really catch the player’s ears are the level themes. These tunes have often reminded me of various video games from the 90s; by that I mean those that were released on CD-based consoles would feature OSTs that would make anybody playing want to get up and dance. That’s the kind of vibe I receive from this game’s soundtrack.

The sound effects are just as pleasant. It’s always satisfying to hit things thanks to the sound design, and other effects are actually very memorable. While I’m on the subject of sound bytes, I should give props to Cristina Vee. She not only provides a ton of voice clips for some of the female characters throughout the game, but there’s also one adreneline-pumping song in the soundtrack that’s completely sung by her. All the composers of 1/2 Genie Hero‘s soundtrack should pat themselves on the back, really.

Gameplay

Fans of 2D platformers rejoice! Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero plays as well as it looks. As the eponymous half-genie, players advance through busy and varied platforming stages where all sorts of obstacles and baddies can butt in. Shantae increasingly builds up a list of abilities she can perform as the game progresses. She gains the ability to transform into different kinds of animals with her genie powers, allowing her to advance through and explore around the level terrain in ways previously unfeasible. Doing this also allows for the player to search for collectables and therefore find reasons to replay each level in the game.

Interestingly, the whole “Metroidvania-esque” structure of previous games has been streamlined this time around. Don’t get me wrong, the levels themselves beg that they be explored if you aren’t just headed straight to the end boss. It’s that the player now has a lot less room to be lost. This is thanks to the inclusion of a world map, allowing for players to access levels instantly and conveniently, and the fact that the NPCs in Scuttle Town are very helpful and provide as much direction as possible to make sure the player can gather enough clues to know where to go next. These aspects alone make this my favorite game in the series.

Not to mention, Shantae is a fun character to control. Running and jumping as her is as tight as that of a Mega Man game, and the hair-whipping attack gives off a Castlevania feel. The transformations are also fun as they each have their own uses and benefits for situational purposes. For example, the elephant transformation allows for the player to break big blocks while the crab one grants access to underwater territory. There are also upgrades for each of the abilities, and for that matter, there’s an item shop where players could use in-game currency to buy replenishing or protective items as well as upgrades for Shantae’s own attacks. One detail I like about the transforming process is that unlike previous games, the player doesn’t have to wait for Shantae’s dancing animations to change to transform into something else; upon booting up the sequence, the selection is more intuitive and less pace-breaking since you can select from up to four transformations at once as shown on-screen.

The whole thing is very solidly paced and, most importantly, fun. It is fun to hop and hit enemies, it is fun to explore the levels, and it is fun to fight the dastardly dynamic bosses at the end of each level. There’s so much that happens throughout the adventure that it’s hard to not get wrapped up into it all. Especially entertaining stage setups include a magic carpet race through the sky, a giant worm-like creature headed upwards through a desert tower, and sliding across conveyor belts while avoiding hazards in the way. I love the scenarios and I love playing through them.

Verdict

Pretty much everything about this title is filled with the idea of fun in mind. There’s a feeling of heart and soul in Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero that many games don’t quite achieve. All the elements that make up this spectacular effort are clearly and lovingly crafted to perfection. If Mighty No. 9 is this year’s embodiment of why people shouldn’t back video games, then Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero is this year’s embodiment of why people should. After all the craziness and chaos that I’ve witnessed in 2016, I’m more than happy to have this game close the year for me. This is my favorite game of 2016, hands down.