Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Reviews
Shantae and The Pirates Curse is a joyful and surprisingly deep pixelated platformer, and is an indie title that you should consider.
I love this game. It feels great to play, it’s super fun, and I didn’t want to put it down. Some of the Achievements look to be really challenging, so if you’re an Achievement hunter, keep that in mind. A fun challenge, but a challenge all the same. If you’re a fan of old-school gaming (right down to the final level that may have you questioning your sanity after failing so often), this has that with a new-school coat of paint.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse was a great game on the Game Boy, and its arrival now on the Nintendo Switch makes is worth a try for those of you that missed it.
If you enjoyed Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, then chances are that you will take to this with a similar embrace. For those that have never played a Shantae game, it’s easy enough to get to grips with without knowledge of the series. On the whole, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is a stylish and fun 2D platformer that fits as well, if not better, than it does on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Some of the backtracking may be a bit tedious for some and the save system in particular is less than desirable. These are only small criticisms in the grand scheme of things though because Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse as a whole is an absolute joy to play.
A metroidvania that you will want to explore and collect everything. A game that will make you fight, navigate and laugh from start to finish.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is platforming done right. From the tight controls, excellent level design, beautiful art style and great sound direction, there is much to like about Shantae's latest Switch adventure. There are many hours to enjoy with this one, and as such I highly recommend Shantae to any platforming game fans.
When all is said and done, Shantae And The Pirate's Curse is the definitive Shantae experience, and it feels just as fabulous as ever on the Nintendo Switch.
So, in summary, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse was a fantastic game. It was a streamlined, beautiful and entertaining experience held back only slightly by some minor quibbles. It made me care about the world of Shantae much more than I thought possible, and managed to close the series on a decidedly high note. That’s a long way of me saying this — Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is the best game of the series. For $19.99, it’s a steal, and a game that belongs in any 3DS or Wii U owner’s library. So stop reading and go buy it! It will help pass the time until Half-Genie Hero finally releases, and gets me hooked on genie magic once more.
Honestly, Pirate’s Curse refined the franchise the most and gave fans a lot to hope for and look forward to. While I can see an argument that Seven Sirens is the best game of the franchise, for me, that honor belongs to Pirate’s Curse. And this replay on the PlayStation 5 only served to crystalize that fact for me. So, if you haven’t tried it yet, give the best Shantae game a chance and discover why so many people love this underrated franchise.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is one of the best 2D platformers out there.
'Shantae and the Pirate's Curse' is a highly enjoyable platformer that doesn't take any risks. It's almost like comfort food in a way. You know what to expect, and it scratches that particular itch, but it's ultimately empty calories. Hopefully WayForward Technologies will take more chances and innovate with the next entry in the series, 'Shantae: Half-Genie Hero.'
Summary – No lamp or wishes required, it’s already just about perfect.
Shantae and The Pirate’s Curse is another brilliant game from WayForward. If you’re a fan of the series, then you’re going to love playing this one as I did for my Shantae and The Pirate’s Curse review! It has a fun story, a new twist on gameplay and lots of content for you to enjoy. As always, the music from Jake “Virt” Kaufman is great, and you’ll definitely find yourself humming a song or two after you’ve finished this one!
Entertaining character interactions, the inclusion of an enemy respawn mechanic and a retro-facing aesthetic art-style offer enough to save this Metroidvania love-letter from the trappings of repetitive gameplay, an uninteresting plot and predictable enemy movements.
Platforming is tight and varied, and the plot matches the lighthearted tone of the rest of the game. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is a spirited little game, and by far the best 2D platformer on the PlayStation 4 to date.
UPDATE: I fixed the scaling issue. I just had to go into the Wii U Settings and shrink the bounding box a bit. Worked perfectly!
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse might put off a lot of its target audience with its bright and cartoony graphics, but devoted Metroidvania/platformer fans will not want to miss this excellently animated sprite game. The controls are good, and there is a lot of interesting locations to explore as this has more of an 'adventure' feel to it than Castlevania does. The progression is slower than would be preferred, and the humour and style can be off-putting, but this is a game that is evident the people who made it actually tried, which is a rarity with games these days.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is at times frustrating, but is mostly a fun, light-hearted, and immediately and consistently enjoyable videogame. The characters are loveable, the music is catchy, the graphics are solid, and the amount of care put into the game's setting is admirable. It successfully blends old and current philosophies of game design and execution, being reminiscent of classics like Zelda and Sonic the Hedgehog but also striking out and standing firmly as its own series, and one that will hopefully be around for a long time.
This is a fun, but relatively simple, Metroidvania - beginner-friendly, but a title that can easily satisfy a craving, especially if eager for a solid 2D platformer.