Shantae: Half-Genie Hero was in development for a number of years. Funded via kickstarter and paypal donations, the game was incredibly ambitious in scope, but kept getting delayed. Many were worried that the game would end up being another kickstarter disaster, but after just five minutes of playing, I realized that the game was more than worth the wait.
Shantae HGH is a beautiful game, that must be stated. Forget how the series has looked in the past, this game is gorgeous beyond belief. The videos and screenshots do not do this game justice, the game has to be seen to be believed. The animation is so water-like and with a buttery smooth framerate, it looks unbelievable. The music is also far above the previous games, with fully voiced tracks right from the very beginning ( and what a start it was), and throughout the game the music stays amazing. Some of the best video game music of 2016 is in this game right here and that is saying something.
Gameplay is similar but also a little different to previous Shantae games. The game is less metroidvania ,and more linear and stage based., but replaying levels multiple times is greatly encouraged, especially since you can only access certain areas of the levels once you have the appropriate power-ups to go where you need. Shantae still attacks with her hair, which can be upgraded repeatedly, and she can use power-ups as well as magic to make things easier for herself. In fact, it is not smart to go into some of the boss battles without some attack magic. Speaking of bosses, they are amazing in this game and range from quirky to epic encounters, all of which are memorable ones.
With an amazing level design, and creative bosses and enemy A.I., Shantae : Half-Genie Hero has a lot going for it, but that is not all. The game still has that quirky sense of humor that the previous games had, but the story just makes it shine so much brighter. No spoilers here, but this entry in the series has the best writing yet by far. WayForward Technologies set out to create the ultimate Shantae game and they did. I honestly cannot find faults with it at this moment. If I did not recommend this, I would be an idiot. Buy it now!