Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse PS4 Review by Eivmoe of We Touch Games
Genre: Action, Adventure, Indie, RPG
Developer: WayForward Publisher: WayForward
Release Date: Apr 23, 2015 PC / April 2016 on PS4
Shantae is a throwback to the age of action platformer which dominated the market during the PS2 era, be it Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, or Psychonauts, the ones who owned the market are now back with the combined knowledge of what made those games great. Just like Shovel Knight did when that game was released. Be it upgradable weapons, exploration, collectables, witty humor, and more. It fulfils just what you expect from a action platformer which has now made its way to Playstation 4!
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse was developed and published by WayForward Technologies for Nintendo 3ds and WiiU, back in 2014, and then ported to both steam and now PlayStation 4. They have 2 other games and a fourth upcoming in the Shantae series, with Pirate’s Curse being their third game within this franchise. The long history in their game library becomes clear when we look at the polished and excellent game we are presented with.
Music is a very strong selling point with all of the Shantae games, but becomes even stronger when we are met with amazingly composed music by Jake Kaufman (who also has done music for games such as DuckTales: Remastered and Shovel Knight to name a few), who gives us high energetic music that follows the game exceptionally well. It suits every situation you run into, from boss battles, to escape runs or even the stealth missions, the music is on point throughout your adventuring. It makes you crank that volume up as you go out and explore.
Difficulty in this game is also a great point, it is not too hard for a child to get hooked on it, and not too easy for an adult to be bored with its combat. Shantae‘s main difficulty comes from its platforming and how you deal with enemies, it can get a lot harder if you want it to by ignoring enemies, or become very easy if you take your time and eliminate every enemy before they even get close to you.
Controller response and controllability is spot on, never once during my playtime did I feel I messed up a jump or an attack because of poor controls or them being unresponsive, which is a key point in any platform game. Its controls are basic, however, like most 2D games, with the exception that you are not able to shoot in more than two directions, forwards and backwards. In other words where you aim the gun you shoot, and can only shoot from a standing position so ducking and shooting is not a possibility. Its other weapons are like your hair, perfect. Decent range and damage and all of them have their own uses, making the learning of controls a very rewarding feeling.
Story and character development are all well rounded and become more expanded as you explore more of the already well known ladies and gentlemen in this crazy world. Old bosses return as quest givers and play a role in the story where they are all expanded upon further, be it getting married, a stone cold boyfriend or just a long wanted vacation, the characters all continue along with the story. The story is simple but fun, a curse is upon Risky’s crew from their old captain which forces them to serve him and wreak havoc. You need to stop these monsters and foil the plans before this pirate master is revived! The game does well with hyping you up for the boss and building up his character without telling too much at once.
Art style is nothing amazing, but does draw a nice nostalgic feeling towards the PS2 era of graphics, and while it is not a drawing point of Shantae, it fits well, which in turn does not make it feel out of place. Better graphics ,however, would not have hurt the game. Character portraits, or when a character is shown in full picture, are well done and shows just what they are capable off. Every single character you meet has an idle animation which is unique, be it from two different builders or two different side characters who you see often. Even the main character has a wide array of different animations from staying crouched butt wiggles, to a belly dance as she uses her magic lamp to suck fumes in.
All in all Shantae is a excellent action platformer that is fully recommended for whatever platform you desire, and I recommend this game at it’s full price it is currently listed at on any platform. While the game is old school and nostalgic for people who grew up with the PS2 era, the game is simple enough for anyone to pick up and have a great time with. Definitely worth checking out.
Pros
Action and platforming key elements of the game
Witty comedy and character interactions
Upgradable weapons.
Many items to choose from
Collectables
Interesting characters
Optional areas and great exploration options.
Great music
Decent graphics and story
The puzzles you are given are easy enough to grasp
Cons
Little to no replayability if you finished the game 100%, however this is my only con about the game as overall it is a well executed game!
Eivmoe gives Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse a Drastik Measure 8.6 out of 10 (86)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/345820/?snr=1_7_15__13 (PC)
https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/shantae-and-the-pirate’s-curse/cid=UP2053-CUSA01609_00-SHANTAECURSENA01
