Zera Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 (edited) Greetings, folks. Today I'm here to review Shantae and the Pirate's Curse for the 3DS. This is the third game in the overlooked Shantae series, following Shantae on Gameboy Color and Shantae: Risky's Revenge on DSiWare. Shantae is what I like to call an action-adventure-platformer-thingy, while others may prefer the term "Metroidvania", whatever that means. It's got sidescrolling action, platforming, adventure and RPG elements, and even a bit of light puzzle solving. This game is a direct sequel to Risky's Revenge (Henceforth abbreviated RR), and player's who liked that will certainly like this. If you want to know a bit more about this series, I recommend you watch GameXplain's reviews of the first two games. In this game, Shantae has lost her magic and turned from a half-genie into a human. She must team up with her nemesis, the pirate queen Risky Boots, in order to prevent the resurrection of the evil Pirate Master. The presentation is a strong point, with excellent 2D sprite-animated characters and detailed environments. The music is also great. I should also mention that the game has a good sense of humor. "In one early example, Shantae wakes a dragon with the scent of a ham, causing it to drool down the mountain it’s perched upon. The drool collects in a pool, which attracts a couple of spring breakers, whose pale skin reflects the sunlight onto a nearby temple wall, revealing a hidden petrification spell Shantae has been searching for." - IGN's review, by Scott Thomson The controls are tight, and there are several very significant gameplay improvements over the last two games. This game is longer than RR. While none of the six islands are as big as the world of RR, as a whole this game is bigger. The map system has improved drastically. In RR, part of your map might look like this. When in actuality, the land itself looks like this. The maps in Pirate's Curse are grid based and show the size and shape of areas better, making them much more useful. Furthermore, dungeons now have maps, which is a huge step up from having none at all. In every dungeon, you will find a piece of pirate equipment that expands your abilities, just like finding items in Zelda games. You can also spend money at a shop to purchase upgrades and items. You can find heart squids hidden throughout the land, and for every four you collect, you can have the Squidsmith smash them with a hammer for a permanent extra heart. Destroying these adorable creatures is cruel, but it must be done because this game ramps up in difficulty quickly. As for any major issues with this game... it doesn't seem to have any. It's not going to blow your mind or anything, but the developer WayForward did a very good job of making this game not suck. The most common complaint I've heard from other reviewers is that there's a lot of backtracking, but this argument is invalid since 80% of it can be avoided by buying a few Pirate Flares - cheap items which instantly return you to the ship. I guess some reviewers simply didn't bother with them. It took me exactly ten hours to beat this game with 100% completion, so I'd say it's worth the $20 price. After beating the game you unlock Pirate Mode, which let's you start the game with all pirate items. Not only is this mode fun, but it creates all kinds of shortcuts - if you can somehow beat the entire game in less than two hours, you'll unlock something. There's also supposedly a reward for a 100% speedrun, but no one has gotten it yet, so I'm not sure. If you're looking for a challenging action-adventure-platformer-thingy and have $20 to burn, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is definitely a good choice. This game is also available on Wii U, and the first two Shantae games are on the 3DS eShop. 9 out of 10 (Arrr!) Edited December 4, 2016 by Zera Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Red Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 oh wow, been meaning to try it out but this is making me lean towards doing it sooner. will probably get the Wii U version since that system doesn't get enough support (and it'll probably look/feel better), haha. thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbus Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 I can concur that this game is really, really good. It cleans up some of the annoyances that the prior game had. Each Shantae game is its own special snowflake that is indicative of the era that it was made in. The first game (available on the 3DS Virtual Console for like $5) is harder, and not as clean-cut, but it's arguably the most satisfying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zera Posted November 22, 2014 Author Share Posted November 22, 2014 (edited) Zera's Ultimate Guide to Speedrunning Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Do you want a new wallpaper, but have no idea how to clear Pirate's Curse in less than two hours? Follow these tips, and you'll succeed! Tip #1: Unlock Pirate Mode. Beat the game to unlock Pirate Mode. Starting the game with all the pirate items will do wonders for your speedrun. Tip #2: Master the Boots. By using them while alternating the Cannon and Hat, you can fly over tons of obstacles at incredible speed. Tip #5: Use Pirate Flares. Pirate Flares instantly return you to the ship. Since a major goal of speedrunning is to eliminate backtracking, this item is a must-have. Tip #3: Save Keys. Any key can be used on any locked door in any dungeon. Skip locked doors in Pirate mode and save the extra keys for later dungeons. Tip #4: Draw a map. That's right, draw a map, just like many did for The Legend of Zelda. Ascertain the locations of doors, locked doors, keys, heart squids, and cacklebats. This will help you route an optimal path through each dungeon. Miscellaneous Tips: Before leaving Scuttletown to go to Saliva Island, return the Library Card to Sky for 100 gems. After bringing the Lost Soul to Rottytops, give Abner the Death Mask for a Pirate Flare. When battling the Cyclops Plant, jump-cannon-cannon-scimitar to defeat the first phase instantly. If a boss is giving you trouble, dish out damage quickly with a Super Monster Milk and a Super Pike Ball. The Bubble item is very useful for some bosses. (Flesh Pop / Meat Chunklet / Bento Box / Lobster Tail / Potion) will heal (2 / 8 / 12 / 16 / all) health, or (0.5 / 2 / 3 / 4 / all) hearts. Of the three skills you can buy in the shop, Recovery is the most useful since it can avoid untimely pitfalls. There is a secret retro-style mini-dungeon that can be accessed by dashing left with the Boots in the first room of the Spittle Maze. This area also contains keys. For quick money, there are some large vases in Tan-Line Temple that respawn every time you enter the room. Edited September 19, 2017 by Zera Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VincentASM Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Nice, sounds promising. I played a bit while I was at EGX and thoroughly enjoyed it. Just waiting for an EU release date now, along with Azure Stiker Gunvolt... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbus Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Nice, sounds promising. I played a bit while I was at EGX and thoroughly enjoyed it. Just waiting for an EU release date now, along with Azure Stiker Gunvolt... Wait... Gunvolt's not out in the EU!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zera Posted November 23, 2014 Author Share Posted November 23, 2014 (edited) Wait... Gunvolt's not out in the EU!? Apparently not. They must be translating it to German, French, Spanish, etc. Edited December 4, 2016 by Zera Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VincentASM Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Wait... Gunvolt's not out in the EU!?Shhh... Shovel Knight just came out 2 weeks ago. But I can give the guys a break since they're indies although it doesn't make the waiting any less painful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbus Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Is that really on the indies, though? That sounds like classic Nintendo, who still think it's 2001. Japan comes first, Europe might as well be Nunavut, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florete Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Interesting that this topic is so recent, yet I never noticed until now... I just finished the first Shantae and got Risky's Revenge on Steam (much as I like handhelds, $5 on Steam beats $12 on 3DS). It was a bit tough to get into, but pretty fun and cute once I did. Most of my problems were minor or are just mechanics of old that I'm not used to anymore (like not having a map). And in all honesty, it's actually fairly rare for me to be able to enjoy an old game that I never played when I was younger in the first place. It's definitely a series I think I can get more into. Whether or not I get Shantae and the Pirate's Curse any time soon depends on when I play Risky's Revenge and how much I like it, but I'm sure I'll be looking forward both to it and 1/2 Genie Hero. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zera Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 PSA: Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (3DS) is on sale until January 22nd! If you want it for $15 (25% off), grab it now! Source: http://www.pixeldynamo.com/news/gaming/2015/01/11/47234/na-sale-shantae-pirates-curse-3ds/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florete Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 So Risky's Revenge was really easy until I tried to beat Magic Mode and get the no heart holders achievement at the same time (I was also going for the no potion use one, but fuck that). Last boss is stupid in second phase. I beat her really quickly the first time, but the method I used just isn't doing it now. I heard about some glitch that can insta-kill the final boss and I have to wonder if I accidentally did that the first time. (Yes, I know the topic was made for Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, but hopefully OP won't mind if I use it as a Shantae general thread. I didn't want to make a new topic, ya know) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zera Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Risky's Revenge is the prequel to Pirate's Curse, so it's relevant enough for this topic. Sadly, the original doesn't get Magic Mode or achievements, so I can't give you any tips. Considering that the Director's Cut currently costs LESS than the original, I think it would be very nice if WayForward updated the original with a patch or something. Is it possible to patch DSiWare games? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florete Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Is it possible to patch DSiWare games?I imagine it would be. The game is available through the eShop, and the eShop has been known to hold patches, so... And I did beat it, so that's down. Just need to beat the final boss without using potions and see ending 3 (which is literally just waiting out the clock on my 100% file and finishing it again) and I'm done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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