Now those sticking solely to this site are probably wondering what the hell took so long for an update. And those who follow me on social media are probably also wondering the same thing because I tend to avoid talking about most real life situations because nobody wants to hear me complain, although I do it anyway. The abridged version is family issues, finals, the holiday season keeping me plenty busy, and a general lack of interest and motivation. So basically, the time between Youmacon and now just has not been an easy time for me to write. I'm feeling it now though, so let's play a similar game to the last one I reviewed and use it as a bridge to bigger and better things.
On that note, Shantae Risky's Revenge. Now I actually only played this and its sequel, Pirates Curse, just a few weeks ago. In fact, I completely skipped the first one, due to the evils of tax. The good news is that you don't need to play the first Shantae to understand or enjoy Risky's Revenge. You can start with the second game, which is good because, jumping the gun a bit here, Risky's Revenge apparently does everything the first game does, but better. I've heard pretty good things about Risky's Revenge, so let's see if it holds to those praises.
The abridged version of the first games plot for those who care is that Shantae, a half-genie and Scuttle Towns guardian, is tasked with retrieving the Steam Machine from the evil pirate Risky and stopping her plans to take over the world. Spoiler warning, Shantae wins. The second game begins with Uncle Mimic unveiling a relic that he recently uncovered: a lamp. Before anyone has anytime to think about what it is, Risky crashes in and steals the lamp. Shantae battles Risky but is knocked unconscious. The Mayor of Scuttle Town, being sick of all this pirate nonsense, blame Shantae for the mess and fires her from her position of town guardian. Shantae, in order to redeem herself, must stop Risky's new plan, whatever it may be, by traveling through Sequin Land and collecting the three seals of the lamp in order to keep Risky from using whatever power it may hold.
Risky's Revenge is a Metroidvania. In order to see this adventure to its end, you'll have to travel all across the world, with backtracking rearing its ugly head on more than one occasion. You'll have to traverse dungeons in order to get the seals, which is done by solving puzzles and defeating enemies. It's pretty basic stuff really. In terms of moves, Shantae isn't really treading new waters either. She can run and jump with the best if them, and she can attack enemies with her hair, using it like a whip Belmont style. If you have the gems to spare, you can also buy sub weapons, which can also be used to help dish out the pain at the cost of magic.
Of course, Shantaes most well known skill is her ability to transform into different animal forms by means of belly dancing. Once Shantae learns a transformation dance, turning into an animal is as simple as holding down the dance button until she does a certain move. There's the Monkey, which can run faster, has a smaller hit box, and can jump up walls Mega Man X style, the Elephant, which can break through rocks and certain barriers, and the Mermaid, which can't do much but flop around on ground, but grants Shantae the ability to swim. And each of these forms have one upgrade to find, which allows you to progress with the game, as well as helping you get some of the hidden collectibles.
Now it may seem like Risky's Revenge doesn't really do anything groundbreaking with its gameplay. You'd be right, though there's nothing wrong with it following a proven formula. What Risky's Revenge excels in however is everything else. The writing in the game is top notch. You won't be having 10 minute dialogue strings, and there aren't all that many of them, but every character has lines that fit their character, and are pretty funny to boot. Take Rottytops, who shows up a grand total of twice through the entire adventure, but manages to be one of the most memorable characters in the game. This hold true for all of the other characters, and it makes talking to people never a bad time.
The graphics are also really good. Risky's Revenge has beautiful 2D sprites that are always moving in fluid, spectacular ways. The environments look fantastic and are always changing, and there's no part of the game that I would call dull. Except for the shooter section towards the end. And the soundtrack is hands down the best part of the game. When I talked about Mighty Flip Champs, you might remember me talking about how I would continually praise Jake Kaufman and his music in any WayForward game. Yeah, well guess who's back. Every track in the game is fantastic and there will be at least one track that gets stuck in your head after playing. If I had to guess, it'll either be Scuttle Towns theme or Burning Town. Or both.
So shocker, I really like Risky's Revenge. It might not break new ground, but it follows a formula that works, and manages to be a really freaking fun video game. There's been very few games that I've played recently where I can turn it on, play for a bit, and then realize that three hours have passed. On that note, Risky's Revenge is not a very long game. I ignored most of the extra stuff, and my first playthrough clocked in at a little over four hours. However, the game is very replayable, and you're going to want to replay it, because it's a very fun game, that certainly leaves an impression.
Now where can you play Risky's Revenge? Well first, there's the DSiWare version, which is the original release and the version that I played. If you have a 3DS, you can pick up the version for $11.99, which is a pretty good price for it. Then there's the iOS version, which is the cheapest version at $2.99. It also includes the Dancer outfit, which increases your magic at the cost of defense. You can even play the first bit of the game for free if you want to get a fell for the game. This however leads to the iOS versions biggest flaw, which is its crippling lack of a physical controller. If you can overcome the lack of actual buttons, then the iOS version is the version for you. Then there's the Steam version that was released last summer, which is probably the best version. At $10 you get the Dancer outfit from the iOS version, as well the ability to use a keyboard, which is miles better than a touch screen. It also changes the way that warp points work, making this version the optimal version for speed runs. Out of all those options, there should be one that you'll be comfortable with.
All images are the properties of their original owners. This sprite work is too good to be coming from me.
The Silent Protagonist saw this game at AGDQ, and it was freaking mental.
