I got Shantae as this months round of free games with gold on Xbox. I am a big fan of side scrolling metroidvania type games, so I was eager to check it out when it was announced. I was not disappointed by it at all, Shantae half genie hero is a fun game with a wonderful art style and goofy story.
The whole game is fairly tongue in cheek with the story. It's kind of an after thought and is thrown together with a sense of self awareness that makes it fun. The story isn't the main portion of the game and it shows, but despite this it is serviceable enough for the laughs and it keeps things moving forward. While it wasn't the most critical aspect of the game, it did what it had to do and provided enough chuckles to keep things going.
The first thing that stuck out to me was the art style. The game has a hand drawn art motif that is simply beautiful. Characters are meticulously drawn and their quirks show in their movements and dialogue bubbles. It's a lot of fun to see Shantae react in the text bubble in funny ways, as well as the many characters you meet along the way. Additionally, the worlds are colorful and there is nary a frame rate hitch to be seen. The game plays well and it looks awesome.
The overall gameplay is a lot of fun too. It has a lot of metroidvania elements that make it appealing, while also doing some things differently. You gain forms that give you new abilities and help you reach to previously inaccessible areas, much like any metroidvania. There are secrets aplenty and items to collect. Boss fights are fun, if not overly difficult at times and I was able to get 100% item completion without any guides.
Shantae Half Genie Hero is an extremely fun game that should not be missed, especially if you are able to get it as a free game with gold. I learned that there is another game the developer is working on and now I am eagerly anticipating the new game's release!