By: AVA WOFFORD
Staff Writer
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse came out 23 October, 2014 by WayForward. This specific game is the third and last of a series of games following the second game Shante: Risky’s Revenge. Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse was the first developed for a home console as it came out both on the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS. The game is a 2 dimensional single-player platformer. The game follows Shantae, a half- genie who lost her powers along with her island known as Sequin Land due to the Pirate’s Curse. She is forced to go against foes and pair up with old enemies to vanquish the Pirate’s Curse and the Pirate Master.
While the game is now on consoles such as the Nintendo Switch as of late, I will be talking about the game on 3DS as that is how I played it when I was younger. In my opinion this game still withholds the stand of time. First, the plot. The overall plot is extremely minimalistic however it makes up for this in side stories. This type of story was pretty popular back then with games like Mario taking center stage. One of the best things this game has going for it in plot is the bringing back of Risky Boots, a pirate that has been in all 3 games that Shantae usually needs to fight and is usually seen as an enemy. Risky brings much more to the plot as not only Shantae’s story is being told, but so is Risky’s. Risky joins Shantea due to the Pirate’s Curse taking away all of her weapons, except for her pirate ship which Shante needs to use to save her land. Because of this the plot progresses through not only fighting, but from hearing Risky’s side of the story and the importance of her weapons. This brings me into my next point, characters. The characters are pretty important in Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse as you need to talk to them to progress in the game. Each character has their own very unique personality which makes it more of a treat than a hassle to talk to them. Our main character Shantae is a hyper, clumsy teenager. Risky on the other hand is calm yet angry and pretty straight forward. This already sets up a pretty interesting main couple which only gets more entertaining since they are frenemies. We also have some pretty cool side characters such as a zombie brother and sister who treat eating brains like dating, a sister who always gets her new husbands killed, two explorers who never actually discover anything, and more. The cast is pretty funny and helps you as the player stay on your toes. One of the game’s best visuals involves the setting. The setting is great. There are multiple different settings throughout the games as you need to unlock and travel to different islands in order to progress and eventually win the game. The setting gets more tricky and difficult to navigate over time which makes it more appealing as you play along. Each island is considerably different with completely different enemies, different platforming, and different weapons hidden that you will need to complete that island. My favorite island is Spiderweb island due to the beautiful purple color palette that takes over the island. Finally, and probably the most important, the game play. While there are a few things I would change, the game is smooth and very easy to control. For the most part the game is fair, however sometimes enemies will walk behind things which causes you not to see them and lose a life, if not die. The weapon mechanics are some of my favorites as it’s fun to learn the new weapons and be able to pull them out when needed. The platforming is pretty great as well due to how much stuff there is that you can interact with. There are really tricky parts and really easy parts so you never get bored or exhausted from playing. I enjoy the 2D type platform style and it really adds to the charm of Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse.
I played Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse when I was younger and remember enjoying it a lot, so when I revisited it I was hoping for the same feeling, and it did not disappoint. The game still holds up. Sure, the game isn’t as revamped as the newer games we have today, but the art style and fun platforming make up for that. When walking into the game however there are a few things you might want to keep in mind. First, While the game for the most part is PG 13, the outfits the characters wear, mostly the females, is a bit provocative. While this component does not affect me, if you have a problem with this you might want to avoid this game. Second, The game is very puzzle and fighting based. If that’s not your cup of tea you might want to reconsider playing this game. Third, You do not need to play on a 3DS the way I did. This game is out on many other consoles with the most used console out of the bunch being the Nintendo Switch. If Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse sounds interesting to you, I’d 100% give it a shot. My nostalgia surrounding this game was huge as it really did serve a lot of purpose in my childhood, when I revisited my expectations were pretty high and I was glad to know I wasn’t wrong about how cool this game really was. In general this game gets a high review for me. If you’re looking for a retro, pixel platformer, this is the game for you.
