- Publisher: XSEED Games , WayForward
- Release Date: Dec 20, 2016
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One
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Feb 8, 2017WayForward proved its considerable talent at creating fun, colorful, retro-inspired platformers long ago and each Shantae title has simply reinforced that reputation. It should come as little surprise that Half-Genie Hero continues that tradition. While some longtime fans might be somewhat turned off by the more contemporary visuals and streamlined level design, others will undoubtedly enjoy these changes. Regardless, though, the core gameplay should be more than enough to keep the majority of gamers satisfied. So, whether this is your first Shantae game or your fourth, Half-Genie Hero is a fantastic platformer that’s a pleasure to see, hear, and play.
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Nintendo Force MagazineJan 4, 2017Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is a Kickstarter game that really delivers on its promises, and should make every single backer feel like their money was well spent. [Issue #25 – January/February 2017, p.74]
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Dec 21, 2016Half-Genie Hero is exactly the game that fans of this series were clamoring for. The controls have never been so tight, the new visual style works wonders, and the writing is consistently funny and creative.
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Dec 20, 2016In the six hours I spent on my first play through of Half-Genie Hero, I found myself smiling at the creative level design, laughing at the whimsical characters, and striving to get better whenever I missed a challenging jump. It’s rare that I ever want to play a game to completion twice, but I absolutely intend to throw myself back into Sequin Land to uncover all the secrets I missed in my first run—maybe I’ll even tackle the “Hero Mode,” which is designed for speed runs.
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Dec 25, 2016This is great news for platformer fans. It's not perfect, but it's incredibly enjoyable and one of the best games of the series.
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Feb 8, 2017The Shantae series reinvents itself and in Half-Genie Hero we find a healthy renovation that took a risk and it paid off, as this game brings very welcomed variety and a new visual and animation style. Half-Genie Hero will fit very well both with Shantae followers and with those who appreciate a good platforming experience, complete with backtracking elements.
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Dec 18, 2016There's no denying it's one of the most beautiful 2D games I've ever seen, and it might have taken the title easily if Owlboy hadn't come out just a couple of months ago. It ran flawlessly on the Wii U, so I have no doubt it'll look just as breathtaking on more modern consoles and PCs.
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Feb 10, 2017The boost graphics look nice, specially the new sprites and animations, but sadly the constant backtracking and the linear design of the levels make evident the lack of content of the title, and the lost of the exploration inherent to the franchise in previous entries.
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Jan 4, 2017Shantae looks lovelier than ever in high definition, swaying hips more voluptuously to boot. However the wonderful belly dancer lost some charm through her cartoonish traits, despite a wider array of powers. Inspired by the trends, particularly crowdfunding, Half-Genie Hero openly embraces an episodic structure, confining exploration meanwhile. A more straight(way)forward approach, but this episode falls a little short in comparison to the scale of the previous trilogy, unless upcoming DLCs prove otherwise.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 39 out of 47
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Mixed: 3 out of 47
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Negative: 5 out of 47
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Dec 23, 2016
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Jul 5, 2017
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Sep 27, 2019