Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

 Switch
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Image
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 73 Ratings

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  • Summary: Shantae is roused from a deep sleep, suddenly alert. She plunges into the moonlit forest in search of answers. In nearby Scuttle Town she discovers a mysterious trapdoor, and beyond that, a luminous subterranean cavern. A familiar voice calls out, drawing Shantae to a beautiful fountain.Shantae is roused from a deep sleep, suddenly alert. She plunges into the moonlit forest in search of answers. In nearby Scuttle Town she discovers a mysterious trapdoor, and beyond that, a luminous subterranean cavern. A familiar voice calls out, drawing Shantae to a beautiful fountain. Touching its waters she is immediately spirited away to the fabled Genie Realm. At her feet a magical seal swells as some powerful evil seeks escape. The chamber trembles with a deep, bellowing roar and everything goes white. Shantae sits upright, back in her bed. Was it just a dream? Or a vision of things to come?… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. NintendoWorldReport
    Jun 28, 2017
    90
    Although the main game is short – there’s a prize for beating it in under four hours – there’s a speedrun mode and an even harder difficulty that both offer some interesting looking concept art. I did a slow run, getting everything I could that didn’t involve replaying stages for money, and want to go back and give the speedrun option a try down the road. The transformations are a blast to use, and there were a lot of “Wait a minute...” moments when I unlocked things like the crab claws and the bat form. Shantae also looks fantastic, and the music nails the atmosphere of the various stages.
  2. Nintendo Life
    Jun 16, 2017
    90
    All told, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero has never been better; the enhanced versatility of the Switch lends the game a new sort of appeal and convenience that wasn’t there before, and the first DLC expansion is due out this summer. This is a charming, colourful, and sometimes challenging Metroidvania that will no doubt prove to be a memorable addition to your collection.
  3. Gaming Age
    Aug 4, 2017
    83
    The positives in Shantae: Half-Genie Hero ultimately more than outweigh the negatives. Again, you'll probably like the game much more if you're going in as a Shantae fan to begin with, but this game is enjoyably pleasant enough that that's by no means a prerequisite.
  4. Cubed3
    Jun 19, 2017
    80
    Whilst it starts off somewhat slow, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero quickly kicks into top gear and stays there right until the end, making for one of the most engrossing 2D platform adventures of recent times. A few unnecessary special abilities may have been tacked on, but the balance for the essential ones is spot on. Also, it may suffer from being too easy on the standard difficulty setting, but there is a harder setting for veterans to tackle, as well as plenty of reasons to revisit the different levels included, with a Metroid-esque feel to proceedings at times.
  5. Pocket Gamer UK
    Sep 19, 2017
    80
    A bright, sharp 2D platformer that's brimming with diversions and exciting set pieces.
  6. Switch Player
    Jun 14, 2017
    70
    Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is a beautiful, fun platformer that is a welcome addition to the Switch's library. A little on the short side, the game does suffer from being too easy in its "normal" game mode. Still, if 2D platformers are your thing, you can't go wrong with Half-Genie Hero, the titular belly-dancer will certainly have you tapping your feet to the beat - just make sure you play in Hard Core Mode if you like a challenge!
  7. FNintendo
    Aug 9, 2017
    70
    Shantae: Half-Genie Hero brings the series to the Nintendo Switch and it certainly is a fine specimen that makes use of its marvelous visuals and sound to bring a fun action platformer experience to Nintendo's new console. While some elements need a bit of polishing, such as the control precision in key moments and the overall level design, this is a game that opens good prospects for the Shantae series.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 14
  3. Negative: 3 out of 14
  1. Kierzyn
    Aug 10, 2017
    10
    Wonderful music, appealing levels, simple, enjoyable story, good gameplay, and fair amount of hidden treasures make this game a great choiceWonderful music, appealing levels, simple, enjoyable story, good gameplay, and fair amount of hidden treasures make this game a great choice not only for fans of platformers.… Expand
  2. Evan_Turchiano
    Feb 24, 2018
    10
    Shantae: Half-Genie Hero was an amazing game for me to play. I definitely recommend it for any gamers who enjoy platformers. The soundtrackShantae: Half-Genie Hero was an amazing game for me to play. I definitely recommend it for any gamers who enjoy platformers. The soundtrack was amazing, and it was suitable for every single stage (if that's what you call it). The graphics were great, too, and the fact that it's for almost every console and everyone will be able to enjoy it. My favorite characters tbh are either Shantae, Bolo, or Rottytops. Or Twitch & Vinegar. The levels were very appealing! (Hope this helps.)… Expand
  4. goodandbad
    Jul 18, 2018
    10
    Das Spiel ist vom Anfang bis zum Ende liebe voll zusammen gestellt.

    Grafik: 2.5D Welt mit 2D Handgezeichneten Charakter 10/10 Musik: Up    Das Spiel ist vom Anfang bis zum Ende liebe voll zusammen gestellt.

    Grafik: 2.5D Welt mit 2D Handgezeichneten Charakter 10/10

    Musik: Up Beat und passt zum Spiel 10/10

    Gameplay: Hatte jederzeit volle Kontrolle über Shantae und co.

    Für Metroidvania Fans ein muss    … Expand
  5. b00lpr0p
    Jan 24, 2019
    8
    A pretty and funny indie game, with a nice level design and a moderate to easy difficulty. It worth a try.
  6. Keenanu
    Jul 31, 2017
    8
    Fun little metroidvania/sidescoller hybrid. You'll get about 6 or 7 hours of platforming, collectable hunting and backtracking out of this,Fun little metroidvania/sidescoller hybrid. You'll get about 6 or 7 hours of platforming, collectable hunting and backtracking out of this, and that's 100% completion with every collectable. I'd say play at the harder difficulty, normal was pretty easy. Half Genie Hero is a little more streamlined and linear than previous Shantae entries, with a hub world and the ability to fly to each area whenever you want. All you unlock after completing the game is hero mode which just gives you all of your abilities at the start of the game, so I don't see much replay value or longevity here.

    I'd give this a light recommendation seeing as there's not really anything like this on the switch just yet. I had no performance issues or long loading times at all and the game looks great on the switch.    … Expand
  7. afm185
    Jun 21, 2020
    6
    •There are two things in this game that are great- The music and the visuals. The music is always nice to listen to and everything, literally•There are two things in this game that are great- The music and the visuals. The music is always nice to listen to and everything, literally everything, is pretty in this game. The characters, the backgrounds, the enemies.
    •The gameplay is kind of lacking. It’s fun, but none of the platforming is all that difficult or interesting aside from the rings in the second level. The transformations help with that, but there are still no sections that really tested me or impressed me. On top of that, the second level is the only one with interesting level design. Everything else kinda bored me. And the fact that you come back to these places literally like 5 times each is really not helpful in making me like them any more.
    •The combat is just alright, it’s easy and simple and that’s about it. There’s barely any depth at all, because all your moves go in a straight line or don’t need to be aimed at all, and it’s not hard to line up shots against enemies like ever.
    •The enemy variety is there, but the fact that it’s never difficult to fight anything leaves it so the only thing I liked about them is the way they look (for the most part, at least). The bosses, though, all look great, and are all at the very least fun to fight against, if also a bit too easy.
    •The story is just ok. There’s the whole overarching plot of the genie realm being in danger but it’s kinda just a whole lot of singular stories per level which I didn’t really dislike, but they didn’t really interest me either.
    •The dialogue, too, is usually just alright, though it’s clever in spots. What annoyed me a bit is that not everything was voiced, but random dialogue was (although it was only for certain characters). It’s a small gripe, but I would’ve liked if all the lines were.
    •The characters, though pretty generic, are all pretty good (especially to look at).
    •It’s also really, really short. The only reason it’s not like two hours is because you go back to each level a few times, and it’ll take a bit to find the spot where each item is.

    Overall:
    It’s an enjoyable game for the most part. It’s worth the time, and even going back through the levels is alright, but nothing really impressed me aside from the music and visuals. I’d say it’s good, but that’s about it.    … Expand
  8. dunco64
    Nov 26, 2017
    0
    DO NOT BE FOOLED by the positive things you hear about this series, this game is an absolute smelly trash heap of a **** game. It starts outDO NOT BE FOOLED by the positive things you hear about this series, this game is an absolute smelly trash heap of a **** game. It starts out somewhat promising albeit very easy but with okay platformer mechanics, but the game IMMEDIATELY makes you backtrack to levels you have already been to, and not in a fun way like how in Metroid you backtrack because you get something new and cool to use and find more stuff in a previous area, no, they just tell you where to backtrack to and force you to go there and collect more ****
    The game is pretty much 95% backtracking which would be okay if the levels were fun enough to play again, but they are not at all satisfying to go back to over and over again, especially if you're not sure what they are having you backtrack to find. It all just becomes infuriating and boring, I recommend you do not waste your money on this piece of **** game unless you enjoy hating yourself and everything around you. Got about 2 hours out of it before it became unplayable.    … Expand

See all 14 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Best Switch Game of 2017
70
#70 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2017
51
#51 Most Shared Switch Game of 2017

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