Shantae: Risky’s Revenge – Director’s Cut Review

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Life as a half-genie is hard work. After destroying Risky’s Tinker Tank, rejecting an offer to remain in the Genie Realm, and returning home to Scuttle Town, Shantae now finds that she has to repeatedly defend her home from the monsters that roam Sequin Land suddenly keen to face her in battle.

Soon sauntering in to watch Uncle Mimic’s Relic Hunter Expo, he reveals this year’s object of mystery to be an oil lamp that Risky soon arrives to steal. Warned that the lamp is extremely dangerous, despite her best efforts Shantae fails to stop her nemesis from escaping – a failure that results in Mayor Scuttlebutt firing her as the town’s Guardian Genie.

Keen to return the lamp in order to show her worth, Mimic explains that the lamp’s power was once divided between three magic seals. The half-genie is therefore challenged with collecting the seals before Risky can, hopefully putting an end to another of her rival’s dastardly schemes.

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With Shantae: Half-Genie Hero nearing release in September, Shantae: Risky’s Revenge – Director’s Cut‘s arrival on the Nintendo eShop for Wii U lends a chance to experience the hair-whipping, belly-dancing hero’s second adventure. And, it’s a blast.

Rightly remembered as a stellar release on Nintendo DSiWare, WayForward has worked hard to bring Risky’s Revenge to current-generation consoles. That leaves their pixel-based masterpiece intact but adds new high-definition character portraits and illustrations to sharpen the game’s already outstanding presentation.

Still retaining her genie powers at this point in the series, Shantae can perform Monkey, Elephant, and Mermaid dances to overcome challenges as well as her standard moves such as jumping, ducking, performing a backdash, and the trusted hair-whip attack.

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Such skills will be put to use as Shantae traverses greatly varied locations such as Lilac Fields, Tangle Forest, Polyp Bay and Pumpkin Fields, with gems collected on your adventure letting you buy Potions, Magic Vials, Fireballs, Pike Balls and Puffs at Shops to help see you through to completion.

Those that are looking for an additional challenge can play in Magic Mode, which sees Shantae wear an enchanted Dancer costume that lessens magic consumption but cuts her defense in half. This can only be unlocked after playing the game through to its conclusion, which comes as a shame for those that have already completed Risky’s Revenge.

The pixel art remains wondrous with the soundtrack being heart-thumpingly pounding and soaringly majestic, with the only complaint that lingers lying in the manual save system – which risks lost progress at every unsuspecting turn.

Shantae: Risky’s Revenge – Director’s Cut is reborn in the Director’s Cut, which loses none of its near-perfection in the transition to Wii U. WayForward whip up a fantastical adventure for their half-genie, and one that will long linger in your memory.

Version Tested: Wii U
Review copy provided by WayForward

9/10
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