Heart-Breaky Hero

Oh Shantae, how do I love?? thee? Let me co??unt the ways...

As I've noted before, rarely do video games make me literally smile while I'm playing, but WayForward's Shantae series has me grinning like a durn fool. I'm besotted with these adventures, having fallen in love with their wonderful visuals, energetic soundtracks, vibrant worlds and, most of all, warm and lovable cast of characters. Particularly, these plaudits belong to Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, a game I've gone on record as saying is a masterclass in perfect game design. Pirate's Curse is in my Top Ten of all-time, and the Shantae series as a whole is embedded in my heart. I can't q?uit?? the Half-Genie Hero.

It's with this spirit of devotion that I approach this review of WayForward's fifth entry in the Shantae canon, Shantae and the Seven Sirens. Eschewing the typical release format, Seven Sirens arrived piecemeal on Apple Arcade, launching alongside the platform back in September 2019. The second half of Seven Sirens arrived on Apple Arcade in March of this year, with the game now finally available in its entirety on other platforms. A v??ery curious delivery method, one which frankly does not suit an eight-hour, single-map metroidvania. Still, it is what it is. Let's see if it has been worth the wai??t.

It's time to dance? into danger once again... RET-2-GO!

Shantae and the Seven Sirens (PS4 [reviewed], PC, Xbox One, Switch, Apple Arcade)
Developer: WayForward
Publisher: WayForward
Released: September 19, 2019 (Apple Arcade), May 28, 2020 (Other platforms)
MSRP: $24.99

Shantae and the Seven Sirens sees the titular Half-Genie Hero and her pals leave the sanctity of Scuttle Island for a fun-filled vacation on the recently opened Arena Island, where Shantae is scheduled to perform at the "Half-Genie Festival." Things go awry fast, however, when her five newly met genie pals vanish during the festival's opening ceremony. Now seemingly the only? guardian on the island – and well out of her jurisdiction – Shantae sets off on another hair-whipping adventure, exploring the lengt??h and breadth of this strange locale in efforts to get to the bottom of the mysterious kidnapping.

Recent Shantae titles have been a little divisive among the fanbase. This is mostly due to the very different design philosophies behind the latter games. 2014's Pirate's Curse used classic pixelated graphics, item-based puzzles, and a series of themed island labyrinths, leaning in on the metroidvania angle, whereas 2016's Half-Genie Hero used modern vector sprites, stripped back the metroidvania elements, and went with far more traditional "head right and jum??p" platforming action.

With Seven Sirens, WayForward has experimented with blending both styles, cherry-picking the colourful cartoon aesthetic of HGH and the open exploration elements of Pirate's Curse, infused into a single interconnected map, much like you see in titles such as Bloodstained or Hollow Knight. Unfortunately, rather than become the sum of its parts, Seven Sirens actually feels like a step backward, or at leas??t sideways, from bo??th of its aforementioned predecessors.

Despite efforts to offer a deeper, more exploration-themed vibe than Half-Genie Hero, Seven Sirens' gameplay loop is frustratingly simplistic. Shantae heads to a zone, finds a missing genie, fights a boss, then gets a new skill that allows her access to the next zone. This is essentially the layout for the entire game – no more, no less. Fans of "shakeup sequences" from previous titles – such as Run Rottytops!, the Magic Carpet Ride, the Mermaid Factory, or the Shmup Lair – will be disappointed to hear that no such set-pieces appear in Seven Sirens. Ev??en for a relatively short title, this repetitive, room-clearing natu??re saps spirit, with gameplay eventually becoming robotic, rather than engaging.

Seven Sirens reuses a chunk of assets from the previous entry. Spread liberally throughout the adventure are returning enemies, scenery, sounds, layouts, special effects, and even boss attacks. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, after all Half-Genie Hero still looks divine, but it further galvanizes this sense of repetition. This is best exemplified by the appearance of Shantae's nemesis, Risky Boots, who the player not only battles on four occasions, but whose showdown is the same battle copy/pasted in from her appearance in Half-Genie Hero.

Shantae has a new quartert of animal transformations, styled after cute aquatic critters. But with only so many skills required by this genre, the well is running dry. Newt is just Monkey reskinned, Tortoise is more-or-less Elephant, while Gastro Drill and Frog are essentially the exact same skill, only utilised on different surfaces. These abilit?ies are partnered with Shantae's new "Fusion Magic" – powerful but woefully designed spells that cut the legs off of the game's difficulty. All of these abilities, combined with an over-abundance of loot, heart-drops, and power-ups, make our hero borderline unstoppable by the halfway mark.

At every turn, Seven Sirens is a odd mix of old and new design ideas that are often overly-familiar, unnecessary, or not developed enough to warrant inclusion. Returning weapons such as Pike Ball and Bubble are available, but pointless. Why give our gal a "Healing" spell when there are already numerous potions to buy, a spa to visit, and every other enemy drops free hearts? Additionally, the "Seer Spe??ll" is a laborious mechanic that perhaps should never have left the drawing board.

Where Seven Sirens shines, as is always the case with WayForward, is in its utterly delightful visual design. Every new friend, enemy, and frenemy are an absolute charm to behold, decoratively drawn and exquisitely animated. The Shantae team are masters of creating magnetic characters – warm heroes and forgivable villains – and Seven Sirens continues in this tradition with its titular boss characters. Unfortunately, while the sirens are expertly conceived, the battles themselves are uninspiring, even dull on occasion. Each siren is beautiful and inventive, but there's nothing here (save for perhaps the finale) that matches the enjoyment of HGH's Giga Mermaid, Ammo Baron's rocket army, or even PC's Empress Spider.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect, however, belongs to the unfulfilled promise offered by Seven Sirens' new location, cast, and story. The flat narrative renders Shantae's new genie friends – alongside the seven sirens themselves – as empty vessels with little player connection. That's 10 new characters, none of whom join Shantae on her adventure, or in battle, and have little to say in conversation. Every one of the story's stars is bursting with the potential to become a series' mainstay, but by the time the credits roll, we haven't gotten to know any of them. Introducing the final boss during the final boss fight is an exam??ple of the ?lack of importance placed on the new cast, while another new character just "turns up" in the last hour to help save the day with her deus ex magic-a.

Weirder yet, Shantae's crew – a vital part of the series' spirit – has perhaps the least agency to date. Bolo and Uncle Mimic make lean appearances, Sky has seemingly had a personality transplant, while Rottytops no-shows entirely until the last act. This is one of Seven Sirens' most confusing aspects – that the team would create all these vibrant and magical new characters, develop luscious character models for them, then have them bring so little to the story. Regardless, they all look dang cool.

I understand that all of this sounds very disappointing, but it must be clarified that Shantae and the Seven Sirens isn't inherently a bad game. It looks great, it controls well, and it maintains an air of light, cheerful adventure throughout. It offers a handful of new features, such as a hula side-game, a stat-boosting trading card mechanic, and short cutscenes from anime studio Trigger Inc. - adding pizazz to the lean presentation. Seven Sirens is also an ideal entry-level game for speedrunners, due to its fast-paced gameplay, lack of grind, low difficulty, and easily-skippable dialogue.

Nobody who plays Seven Sirens is going to have a bad time. It's a crisply made experience, retailing at a relatively modest price (a certified bargain on Apple Arcade). But the series has been better than this, offering players more variety, smarter mechanics, laugh-out-loud comedy, unpredictable adventure, and a dose of genuinely emotional storytelling. Despite the weaknesses, there's still a weekend of light entertainment waiting here, especially for those who fancy a spot of map clearance on the brighter side of your Axiom Verges and Hollow Knights.

Oh Shantae??, do I still love thee? Let me count the ways...

Are you kidding me? Of course I do. WayForward is a fantastic studio, proving time and again that it can produce top-tier adventures, with awesome aesthetics, starring magnetic characters. With Shantae and the Seven Sirens, something just went a little screwy in the ol' spell-book, resulting in a sequel that fails to evolve the series, and even recedes it a little. The Shantae fanbase will happily play new entries into perpetuity, myself included, but with Seven Sirens, it's clear that as our beloved purple-haired genie gal twirls into the?? next generation, it's important – maybe vital – that she learns a few new da?nce steps.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a compact, attractive, and agreeable adventure, but its muddled design lacks variety, innovation, and vital story engagement. As such, Seven Sirens feels like a sequel on auto-??pilot, one that doesn't seize the opportunities offered by its exciting world and lively new cast, ultimate??ly resulting in an entry that's good enough, but had the capacity to be truly magical.

_{[This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Raising a toast to our beloved community

Helllo friends, and welcome to the weekend. I hope that the? past seven days have been good to you and yours, and most importantly that you are staying safe and well. We are undoubtedly in a year for the history books. Please take care of yourself, those around you, and lend support if you are able to those who are h?andling this intense year particularly poorly. Whatever we have, we have each other.

I've not played a whole lot this week other than Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, the DLC expansion to NetherRealm's head-splitting MK 11. Regarding the story epilogue... Well... I could write a book on my thoughts. The bullet-point version is that while I don't care for certain plot beats, characterizations, tone, and another reliance on that conclusion, Aftermath's story does have fantastic animation, wicked fight choreography, and amazing vocal performances from both Mara Junot as my eternal empress Sindel, and from Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who is absolutely in his element as Shang Tsung. Of the new characters, I'm currently digging Sheeva the most, though a??ll three fighters are looking strong right off the bat. It has begun... again.

That's what yer boy has been up to. But we aren't here to talk about me, we're here to talk about you... yes, you. So drop us a quick note below and tell us what has been keeping you entertained this past week or incoming weekend. Whether its new games, old games, replays, backloggery, or even just making your own game??s, come and share the joy with us. We love hearing about it.

Have a safe and?? pleasant weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.

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Genie still in the bottle

Today sees the launch of the latest entry in WayForward's utterly delightful Shantae series. Shantae and the Seven Sirens, previously available exclusively on Apple Arcade, is now available to purchase on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nint??????????????????????????endo Switch.

However, regarding the Switch release, not all territories have seen the Half-Genie Hero and her pals arrive on the eShop. It seems that Europe, Australia, and New Zealand have suffered a last-minute delay, and Shantae and the Seven Sirens will not be available to download on the Nintendo console until June 4. WayForward simply cited circumstances "beyond their control" as the reason for this holdup.

The fifth game in the franchise, Shantae and the Seven Sirens sees the beloved hero travel away from Scuttle Island to hook up at a?? gathering with her fellow genies. But before the party can?? get started, Shantae's brethren are whisked away under mysterious circumstances. Tagging up with her faithful friends Sky, Bolo, Rottytops, and even that scurvy dawg Risky Boots, Shantae once again sets out to save the day, one hair-whip at a time.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is available now on PS4, PC, X??box One, Nintendo Switch and Apple Arcade.

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Including this adorable plush toy

Limited Run Games has opened pre-orders on the physical release of Shantae and the Seven Sirens, giving dedicated fans the opportunity ??to pick up a hard copy of the Half-Genie Hero's newest island-hopping escapade.

As previously reported, Shantae and the Seven Sirens is available in two formats: a standard boxed edition for PS4/Nintendo Switch, priced at around $35, and a special collector's edition, which includes a steelbook edition of the game, a mini-poster with reversible art, soundtrack CD, a pack of 50 "Monst?er Trading Cards", and a faux Game Boy cartridge. This set retails for around $70. Also available is a super-cute Shantae plush doll, created by the good folk at Fangamer, which is yours for around $24.

Pre-orders close on June 14, with all items expected to ship around three months thereafter. Meanwhile, Shantae and the Seven Sirens launches May 28 on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. It is available to purchase right now on Apple Arcade.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens Collector's Edition [Limited Run Games]

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No chance of Ret-2-Gone

We're just a couple of weeks away from the official release of WayForward's Shantae and the Seven Sirens, which will see the titular Half-Genie Hero and her pals hit PC and consoles for another exciting adventure. As is their wont, Limited Run Games has announced a physical re?lease of this cheerful sequel for PS4 a?nd Nintendo Switch platforms.

A standard, boxed edition of Shantae and the Seven Sirens will be made available on both platforms, but hardcore fans might want to take a glimpse at the newly announced Limi?ted Collector's Edition. This set contains a copy of the game in steelbook packaging, a mini-poster with reversible art, soundtrack CD, a pack of 50 Monster Trading Cards, and a ?faux Game Boy cartridge, tipping the ponytail to Shantae's handheld origins.

The Limited Collector's Edition will retail for around $70 USD (not including shipping) and will be available to pre-order from the Limited Run Games website on May 15. Pre-orders are open for four weeks,?? so you should be able to grab yourself a copy in good time. The standard edition will also be available to pre-order at this time. For everyone else, the digital release will retail at respective storefronts for around $30.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is available now on Apple Arcade, and launches o??n PS4, PC, Xbox On??e and Nintendo Switch May 28.

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A complete game

Surprise! Shantae and the Seven Siren's bizarre "half release" concept is finally over, as the game has officially been deemed complete on the Apple Arcade with the release of the second half last week.  Taking to Twitter, WayForward has confirmed that they "aren't currently ??planning for there to be DLC."

Although WayForward did not provide an exact reason for strategic shift, I can only guess that due to Apple Arcade's push for no microtransactions that they requested the game be "complete," and WayForward decided to carry that on to the other ports. As someone who was frustrated by the Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition: good!

For those who aren't in the know, the Ultimate Edition is a confusingly separate SKU for the last Shantae game that does not allow save file transfer. So if you played the game at launch and 100%ed it, you couldn't import it into the future ultimate ve??rsion. I still have this weird dispar??ity where I have the game complete on my original copy, and all of the DLC completed separately on the other edition.

As of right now, Shantae and the Seven Sirens won't have that problem.

WayForward [Twitter]

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Whip mah hair back and forth

The Half-Genie Hero will make her long-awaited return on May 28, when WayForward Games releases Shantae and the Seven Sirens in i??ts entirety for PS4, PC, Xbox One, and N??intendo Switch.

The fifth entry in the fantastic?? platform series sees Shantae -- along with her pals Skye, Bolo, and Rottytops -- set sail beyond Sequin Land to visit a strange tropical island, guests of the upcoming Half-Genie Festival. But when several attendees vanish under strange circumstances, it's up to Shantae to search far and wide, meeting new fr??iends (and old enemies) on a quest to save the day once again.

The first "chapter" of Shantae and the Seven Sirens was launched with the release of Apple Arcade, with the concluding chapter being made available to download today. For those of you who are holding off for the standard release, at least we finally have a specific ????date to look forward to.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens launc?hes on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch May 28, while "Parts One and Two" are available to download now on Apple Arcad?e. Details on a physical edition from Limited Run Games are expected at some point in the future.

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Shan-tae De-lay

WayForward Games has announced that Shantae and the Seven Sirens will not meet its initial winter 2019 release date, and has been pushed back to spring 2020, which is an announcement a helluva lot of smaller titles have been making this mont?h.

Speaking on Twitter, the developer noted that the Half-Genie Hero's latest adventure is "nearly finished" and will be "worth the wait." The first part of Shantae's escapade is available on Apple Arcade right now, but the full game, along with ports for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nin?tendo Switch, are not?? ready to leave the lamp just yet.

Hey, everyone! Development on Shantae and the Seven Sirens for Console/PC (and Apple Arcade Part 2) is nearly finished! We've moved the release window to Spring 2020, but promise it will be worth the wait! Thank you for your support! pic.twitter.com/7fJMzileVl

— WayForward (@WayForward) December 12, 2019

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Half-Sized Hero

WayForward?'s loveable hero Shantae is preparing for the Totaku treatment, as the Half-Genie Hero has been announced as one of 2020's additions to the miniature toy line, which already includes a huge roster of recognisable gaming faces.

There are currently no details pertaining to Shantae's look, pose, or release date, but after receiving a positive response from he??r fa?ns on social media, Totaku announced the purple-haired princess' inclusion, where she'll be joining previously-released characters such as Kratos, PaRappa, Sonic the Hedgehog, Jin Kazama, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Agent 47, and many more.

Ok, let's deal with the elephant in the room: Shantae fans, (myself included), have been asking for our favourite gal to receive her own amiibo for literally years - and this release isn't exactly that - bu??t hopefully her Totaku iteration will be as dynamic and neatly designed as Nintendo's figurines, and will see her dancing onto our bookshelves and desktops soon.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is c??urrently in development for PS4, PC, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. A tria?l version of the game is available now on Apple Arcade.

BREAKING NEWS:

You asked, we listened, and now it’s confirmed. #Shantae will be joining the TOTAKU Collection in 2020! @WayForward 🤠pic.twitter.com/mktSbWpLpt

— TOTAKUâ„¢ Collection (@mytotaku) November 23, 2019

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Half-Game Hero

WayForward Games announced, via Twitter, that part one of its platform adventure sequel Shantae and the Seven Sirens will land on Apple Arcade tod?ay, surprising fans with its sudden appearance on the all-new gaming platform.

A slightly confused communit??y then took to the reply box to seek further clarification on whether the new "Part One" subtitle implied that the sequel would be episodic, whether this is just a demo, or seeking further clarification on a release date for oth?er platforms. WayForward remains tight-lipped for now, repeating fervently that more details are coming soon.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is the fifth game in WayForward's colourful and joyful series of platform adventures. The specifics of the new storyline are yet to be unfurled, but we do know that Seven Sirens will see Shantae, Rotty, Skye, Bolo and the rest of the gang journey far away from Scuttle Island, ??on a quest that will introduce new locations, characters, and oh-so-adorable animal transformations.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens: Part One launch??es today on Apple Arcade. There are no new details regarding the previously announced PS4, PC, Xbox One and Nintendo Switc?h platforms.

Join Shantae on an all-new tropical adventure! Shantae and the Seven Sirens Part 1 launches tomorrow @AppleArcade! pic.twitter.com/cxDf3jlZml

— WayForward (@WayForward) September 18, 2019

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Getting Ret-2-Go

WayForward has finally revealed the official title to their upcoming adventure sequel, previously known simply as Shantae 5. Shantae and the Seven Sirens will see the half-genie hero and all? of her pals return for another rip-roaring adventure, only this time away from their usual locale of ?Scuttle Island.

According to WayForward, this latest entry in Shantae series will see all of its beloved characters travel to a far-off land in search of remaining half-genies. There Shantae, Rotty, Sky and co. will encounter wild adventure and meet new friends and enemies, including ??the titular "seven sirens". While exploring this "non-linear, interconnected" new world, Shantae will discover new dances, utilise new abilities, enjoy mini-games and engage in WayForward's trademark epic boss battles.

As you can see from the screens below, newly released by the developer, Seven Sirens will see a return to the art style from previous release Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. While I will admit to feeling a smidgen of disappointment with that - as this series has been known to reinvent itself with each release - we can also see plenty of all-new additions, including cutscene portraits, a new UI, a whole bunch of new characters and even a cute mer-creature transformation. I'm still chomping at the bit to get on board with this new adventure, particularly as its colourful world will feature the return of labyrinths, ala the amazing Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. Exciting stuff.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is scheduled for launch l??ater this year for PS4, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Apple Arcade.

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