Shantae: Half-Genie Hero has come to Nintendo Switch and it feels like a match made in heaven. Shantae has a long history on Nintendo systems and Half-Genie Hero is right at home on the system thanks to its hybrid nature and HD Rumble.
Much of what was said in the original review is still the case, so I will discuss some different things here. First and foremost, the HD rumble is implemented brilliantly. From specific events to just using attacks, and dancing, the HD rumble felt like something that was always meant to be in the game. That is how well it was done. In fact, the dancing and transformations actually felt like they had more of an impact this time than in previous games, and the other versions of Half-Genie Hero.
Next, I must mention that the game’s visuals feel more lively than in the Wii U version, for lack of a better word. The visuals held up on both docked mode and handheld mode and the framerate was stable. The music felt great, and as stated, the HD rumble was used perfectly such as with the dancing music. It worked in sync with the beat and that was a great touch.
I did notice some control issues though, but it might have been an issue with the Nintendo Switch pro controller. When I crouched to attack, I kept turning to the left even when I was trying to attack enemies facing right. The issue was not present on the Joy-Cons, so I am not sure if that is an issue with the game, or with the Pro controller.
That said, I must say that this is still an amazing game, and a near perfect experience. Shantae HGH is a fun game and full of excitement. On Switch, it is a far improved version over the Wii U, and I daresay that this may in fact be the definitive version. If you have a Switch, then get this game.
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A code was provided for the purposes of this review.