Shantae and the Pirate's Curse

1. Yotsuba

   Oct 27, 2014

   10

   Quite possibly the most fun I have had in a Downloadable title in my entire life. The game looks great, the animations are smooth as buttah',Quite possibly the most fun I have had in a Downloadable title in my entire life. The game looks great, the animations are smooth as buttah', the music is good, the gameplay is fun. 60fps and it never dropped for me once.
   
   Quite possibly my favorite thing about this title is how likable and interesting the characters are in this game and often times how funny the game is. It has a way of playing with your expectations in a way that will make all but the most soulless person chuckle.
   
   Also the 3D effects look fantastic and really add a lot to the experience of this game, something that you really have to see to fully appreciate.… Expand

   • 6 of 7 users found this helpful
2. JimEarthman

   Dec 20, 2014

   10

   It's a beautifully animated game with excellent game play, Great dialogue, memorable characters, power ups that make you feel reallyIt's a beautifully animated game with excellent game play, Great dialogue, memorable characters, power ups that make you feel really powered-up, decent replay value for what it is, and the potential to introduce you to a great franchise. Fans of the previous titles will gravitate to this game, while still being open to newcomers to the series. Though not perfect, it kind of lacks in the boss battle depart and there is a rather size-able, though short lived, difficulty spike near the middle of the game. Though the stuff it does right it does exceptionally well. I have owned many Nintendo Eshop games, but if this one is not publicly remembered as one of it's best, than I don't know which one would… Expand

   • 1 of 2 users found this helpful
4. theAGamer

   Nov 9, 2014

   10

   An amazingly engaging and entertaining metroidvania game that proves that genre can still thrive. The presentation is amazingly smooth,An amazingly engaging and entertaining metroidvania game that proves that genre can still thrive. The presentation is amazingly smooth, colorful, and fluid with tons of unique animations and detailed sprites and character drawings in cutscenes. There is also some really impressive ( and somewhat humorous) use of stereoscopic 3d. The music is by Jake Kaufman, so naturally it's incredibly atmospheric and catchy, with funny song names like "Rave in the Grave" (Rottytopps's theme) and "DO U EVEN WHIP" (true ending scene music). Speaking of which, this game's writing can be downright hilarious at times! All the characters are funny, there are some very funny references to things like he-man (bran-son) and some fourth wall breaking sprinkled in. Apart from that, the game's story actually feels like it evolves and progresses a lot, with some very touching and plot heavy moments that really feel substantial, and an overall theme that the game makes apparent at the end that makes you really think about the whole adventure.The game never takes itself too seriously, except for when it needs to, and it nails both. The gameplay is nice and fast paced. The combat might feel slow at first, but you'll be able to buy upgrades to increase your attack speed and power. You can also purchase some "advanced fighters moves" which can help avoid enemies, reduce knock back, and perform a super kick move to do more damage.The trademark "hair whip" that Shantae is known for feels incredibly satisfying, and would even make the likes of Willow Smith impressed! On top of that, there's also an Rpg number damage system that displays how much damage enemies take in numbers above their heads, which really helps in emphasizing the power of some items or damage boosters, and let's you know which way is the most efficient for killing baddies. In addition, the combat and exploration is spiced up with pirate themed items that Shantae gathers on her quest, which really help in making for great new scenarios in exploration, puzzles, and combat. I won't spoil what they are, but they're all fun to use and can be upgraded a lot as well, and keep the exploration and backtracking fresh while still offering usefulness in combat. On to the next bit, there is a bit of backtracking in this game, but I never felt it got entierly too tedious. The way it works is that Risky Boots is docked at the beggining of each island, each having one dungeon and a set number of collectibles and a theme. The islands all felt unique, and the collectibles were very well hidden. The collectibles did also require some backtracking to acquire, but the best way to go about it is to just explore every area to the fullest with every item you have when the game needs you to backtrack to progress, which is very often. The backtracking itself didn't really bother me since your items later on make it much easier to travel and traverse, as well as explore.Some areas were complete slogs to travel through again, but then you can just use a pirate flare to teleport back to Risky's boat. Finally, in terms of length, this game is well worth $20. There are 32 heart squids ( think zelda heart pieces, but squids) and 20 Cacklebats (plot devices that give you a much better ending) to find in the entire game, with 3 squids in each dungeon and however many Cacklebats on an island. The game will tell you how many you have on the island select screen. The time it took me to 100% complete the game was 10 and 1/2 hours, which and i enjoyed every moment. The game is definitely worth $20, and well worth completing. There is also and additional "pirate mode" once you beat the game, which lets you replay the game with all of the gear unlocked from the start and challenges you to try to speed run the game in under two hours, or complete it in the fastest time. I have yet to try this mode, but I can definitely see how it can add a lot of replay value to an already great game. The few nitpicky I have with this game is that there is some knock back, which gets very annoying when you get knocked off a screen or chain. Thankfully, you can purchase the recover move to recover from knock back slightly. The item system is also very unintuitive, since you have to double tap the bottom screen to heal, and you have to wait to fully recover. These are just small annoyances on an incredibly solid game. In conclusion, Shantae and the Pirate's curse is and amazingly charming and engaging game that knows exactly what it wants to be, and has an incredible amount of fun with it. If you're a fan of metroidvania games, zelda games, or even just 2d platformer games in general, don't let this one fly under your radar and make this a must buy for this year.… Expand

   • 2 of 4 users found this helpful
5. chesaro

   Dec 23, 2017

   9

   This was my first shantae game, and oh boy i got hooked. The gameplay, mechanics "upgrades", everything feels really great.
   
   This is a gameThis was my first shantae game, and oh boy i got hooked. The gameplay, mechanics "upgrades", everything feels really great.
   
   This is a game worth playing because of the mechanics and the characters, the story feels like something they had to put to make the game, but is not bad by any means.
   
   i hope they keep the shantae games coming.… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
6. Firemam

   Jun 13, 2021

   9

   This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I highly recommended this game
   First, this game completely in pixel but pixel in 3ds always make different than any other 3d game in 3ds (pixel makes this game perfectly beautiful with light colour tone that will relax you after work so much)
   Secondly, this is a zelda-like game so anyone who want to try zelda 2d.... This is the best series
   This is perfect but i give 9 because the last map..... Its just tooooo hard. From the start to this map, this game Relatively easy so anyone who thinks this game is easy will cry at this map… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
7. INU4SH4

   Sep 30, 2020

   8

   Firstly I really want to praise the 3DS effects of this game. There is so much depth in character portraits during dialogs and there is also aFirstly I really want to praise the 3DS effects of this game. There is so much depth in character portraits during dialogs and there is also a lot of depth in the game itself. The music and voice-acting weren't that amazing but the incredible visual effects make for it.
   
   Gameplay-wise this play like a gem. The combat animations are smooth, there are a few challenging enemies and bosses but overall the game is accessible for everyone. It doesn't require an absurd amount of skill but there are many cool puzzles involving all the powers you can acquire in the game and you also have to be smart during boss fights.
   
   Overall, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse offers a linear narrative with a lot of puns and good comedy, sexy pirates and gals, and a vibrant world with many secrets and collectibles to find. Must-play platformer.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. watchdogs4

   Jul 8, 2021

   0

   Didn't enjoy it, not recommending. Levels are boring and story is very meh. Avoid at all cost.

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful

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