Shantae Celebrates 20 Years With A Switch eShop Sale, Up To 50% Off

Never played this franchise but I always respected its longevity. Might finally give it a try, now where to start?

@Rainz idk. Anyone know where to start in Shantae

@Rainz Pirate's Curse is probably the best place to start. It's a good series but definitely has a little more in charm and character than it does in great game design.

@anoyonmus @Rainz The series order goes Shantae, Shantae Risky's Revenge, then Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. Shantae Half Genie Hero is a bit of a sequel and a reboot, and Seven Sirens is the sequel to Half Genie Hero.

As a heads up, the Original Shantae is a Game Boy Color game, it has been ported to Switch, not remastered, so it will play almost exactly like it did back in 2002. Pirate's Curse is considered to be the pinnacle of the series by many, but I'm not sure I'd recommend as a starting point since it is a direct sequel to Risky's Revenge, a game that released back in 2010. The other Shantae games match up closer to Risky's Revenge than they do the original Shantae.

@RubyCarbuncle She did get a Mii costume. So she isn't completely left out.

@Coalescence It's the better game (besides the annoying cannon puzzle), but that's not the question. What is the best place to start? Since Shantae does have a story and recurring characters it would make more sense to start with Risky's Revenge.

Risky's Revenge is short and sweet. Pirates Curse evolves everything from Risky's Revenge. Those two are the best in the series in my opinion. I really wish they'd go back to a pixel art style, although fingers cross for a zelda-like 3d style game soon.

@Rainz I started with Pirate's Curse and I still think it's the best. Half-Genie Hero is second for me, followed by Seven Sirens. The first two are a little clunky imo, but Risky's Revenge might actually be a perfect starting point.
Not sure if that helps you decide where to start, but it's something!

@Rainz It probably makes the most sense to start with Risky's Revenge. For a Metroidvania, Shantae is filled with characters that progress the story. These characters reoccur in other games. It's also the cheapest game, other than original Shantae. But you get a lot more gameplay than Original. If you don't like Risky's Revenge, you are not gonna like any other game in the series. And Risky's Revenge is the template used in the rest of the series. You can play the games out of order though. It's not really an issue. BUT to see if you even will like the Shantae, before you buy every single game, dip your toes in with Risky's Revenge.

First discount of the GBC game if I'm not mistake so picked that up to complete the set on Switch.

@Dark_Isatari I'm of the exact same might set as you. Pirates Curse is the better game BUT Risky's Revenge is where to start.

Pirate's Curse is one of my favourite games of all time! I liked the first 2 games a lot too. Sadly, I just can't get into the 2 newer ones and I really don't like the more vector/tweened style graphics. But yeah, Pirate's Curse is one I will always come back to and enjoy completeing again for the umpteenth time, its exceptional, and a bargain at that price.

@Knuckles so go with half genie hero?

risky's revenge was pretty fun, but to some extent it feels like shantae's becoming more "style over substance" as time goes on...

also, bring her hair vibrancy back!!!

Has it been 20 years already?
I still remember before the first game's release following every update of the game's development with Craig Harris, back when a certain other website was good. It was such an impressive technical marvel, pushing out so many colors and detailed animations on the humble Game Boy Color. I think it put a few early Game Boy Advance games to shame. It was such an interesting series pulling from classic gameplay motifs from Metroid, Castlevania, and Gradius before it became en vouge to do so. Now it's gone a bit beyond cult status and become a shining beloved series. It made me so happy to see the Mii Fighter representation in Smash Brothers Ultimate. They modeled her beautiful winsome hair, she can do the flash kick that she has in the first game, and she has the power kick from Pirate's Curse so I consider her a full character in Smash. I'm so happy for all the success in the series I never been happier to be a fan, a Day Zero Shantae Fan if you will. All I can say now is well done Erin and Matt Bozon, well done!!

@Rainz

Pirated Curse! It is the best one.
Half Genie Heroe is a good entry point, but shorter.

@anoyonmus @Rainz I've played part of Shantae, and I've finished Risky's Revenge and 1/2 Genie Hero, so I'm not an expert. I started with 1/2 Genie Hero and I didn't feel lost in the slightest. The story isn't hard to follow if you haven't played the others and the mechanics are very modernized compared to the others. You can skip the first game altogether; it didn't age very well. Risky's Revenge is good, but it also didn't age all that well. I've had Pirate's Curse in my backlog for forever, but I really need to play through it.

So, basically, what I'm trying to say is hop in wherever. They're fun games that are definitely worth your time.

@Azuris I absolutely agree. I started with 1/2 Genie Hero and it was a great way to hop into the franchise. If I had started with Risky's Revenge or the first Shantae then I might not have played other games in the series.

Start with Pirate's Curse if you can! Then go forward and backward from there.

I actually started with risky’s revenge...and that’s it.
(I really have to play the other games)

Just kinda baffled how physical versions of these games are in such short supply. Surely an anniversary collection of at least the first three games in the series is justified.

Ah, I noticed the games were on sale on the eshop when I checked. Happy 20th anniversary. I pretty much have all the games on 3DS but have Half Genie Hero on PS4 and Seven Sirens on Switch. Not a bad idea to have all the games on Switch then I can create a group of Shantae games. 🤔

@FishyS They made Advanced Wars Reboot and we can't even get our hands on that one.

Time for a multi game cartridge with all games. I would definitely buy that one. Not a big fan of the limited run versions...

@anoyonmus @Rainz I marathoned all 5 in order last year. It was a lot of fun. The GBC original will definitely test your patience. There is some pretty obtuse game design. Risky's Revenge (2) is shorter, but better. It started out on the Dsi eShop. Then, Pirates Curse (3) is the best one for me. Great story and lots of cool power-ups. Half-Genie Hero (4) is next . It's shorter than 3 if you ignore the DLC, which I found pretty repetitive. But the main game is fun. Finally, Seven Sirens (5) is probably the easiest of the lot, but still a lot of fun. They all continue the story forward, but it's not a complicated plot at all, so don't worry too much about that.

Best one was on 3DS and I will not change my horny mind

I'm kinda proud of Wayforward. Although, the first Shantae wasn't a big hit, they still tried to establish this game, and now she has become one of the most charming indie game characters. For me at least. Most other companies would have just given up on it and let it die.

Shantae for Smash! Oh wait...

@Angelic_Lapras_King Same here. The original Shantae was the only one I didn't have on Switch. I have been waiting for a sale, and this is a good one. Now I also have a complete set!

Happy 20th anniversary Shantae!

Great, Seven Sirens is FINALLY on a noteworthy sale at 40% off. I may have to grab it.

Dang, doesn't look like there's an equivalent sale on Xbox.

I love the anniversary picture with all the different Shantaes! I've never actually beaten one of the games before, but I plan to one day. They all look very appealing.

Don't start with the Gameboy color/first one.
The screen is too small, there's no dungeon maps, and no direction. I've had my share of old games, but this was too harsh for me!

May try again with a newer game!

So no sale for Wii U or 3DS versions? Bummer.

20 years! I hope it doesn't stop. I love Shantae! Too bad Nintendo doesn't...just like how Sony doesn't care about Gravity Rush :/

They ought to just throw all the games and dlc in to a collection at this point.

It needs an anime series.

This discount finally opened the doors for me to take the plunge and finally get Shantae: Half-Genie Hero after leaving it in my wishlist for a long time.

No regrets at all. It's an amazing game. Can't wait to finish it so I can move on to Seven Sirens.

Never notice way forward since a couple of years back, that's when i start digging for other games they have been involved with and that's how i came across Shantae (i know, the shame) i did start with the one available on psvita and went from there, a very good franchise that i can't wait to play a new game.
Happy 20 years!!