Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut

 PC
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 44 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 44
  3. Negative: 5 out of 44

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Jinx
    Jul 27, 2014
    8
    Excellent little metroidvania! I played the entire game shortly after release and had a great time with it. The original version was for the DS. This is a port of the iOS version, which had an extra "magic" mode and enhanced cut-scene artwork. The gameplay runs at the original 4:3 aspect ratio, so you'll have black bars on the right/left of the screen. It scales nicely up to 1080p, though-Excellent little metroidvania! I played the entire game shortly after release and had a great time with it. The original version was for the DS. This is a port of the iOS version, which had an extra "magic" mode and enhanced cut-scene artwork. The gameplay runs at the original 4:3 aspect ratio, so you'll have black bars on the right/left of the screen. It scales nicely up to 1080p, though- very crisp pixels. There are no filters unfortunately, but you'll probably be sitting back with a controller, and it's really beautiful pixel art. The animation is great, too. I saw some people complaining that the pixel art wasn't totally redone in high res for PC, but I'm glad they kept the original presentation.

    Otherwise, very good music and fun gameplay that mixes melee and different types of magic attacks. Lots of exploration, looking for items, and backtracking. Some later parts get a bit confusing - especially the last dungeon. I got frustrated sometimes, but you can always check a guide online if you get lost.

    Overall, not quite as good as say Shovel Knight which I played the week before. But still a really worthy release for fans of 2D platformers on PC.    … Expand
  2. llamayarmybar
    Nov 3, 2014
    6
    It features some pretty awe-inspiring Gameboy ADVANCE sprite work and though the music is tolerable at times, it doesn't really seem to hook me like other games in the same vein. Aquaria for instance has a much more memorable soundtrack, as well as Warioland IV and Monster World IV. Oh wow. I think I just found out why people thought this game was so well worth the wait! Yeah, its aIt features some pretty awe-inspiring Gameboy ADVANCE sprite work and though the music is tolerable at times, it doesn't really seem to hook me like other games in the same vein. Aquaria for instance has a much more memorable soundtrack, as well as Warioland IV and Monster World IV. Oh wow. I think I just found out why people thought this game was so well worth the wait! Yeah, its a mash-up of other 2D platformers, which is pretty hard not to do these days. Shantae has a variety of moves, but considering how far the original gameboy color game came in its overall complexity, this "successor" feels half-finished in many ways. For one the character portraits are appallingly ugly, its just not a very good art style whatsoever. Like I mentioned before, sprite quality is pretty good, but not much better than say a gameboy advance title which is rather disappointing. I'm getting pretty tired of people being handed money to make games that look like they could have come out almost 15 years ago (or worse 30 years ago). Its a cute game, a little on the short side and it basically just reminded me of Monster World IV, which is a much game to begin with.… Expand
  3. SwitSwat
    Aug 24, 2014
    10
    I was one of those people who sat in front of the computer, counting down the time to when this would be released on PC. Risky's Revenge was an excellent sequel to the original Shantae on GBC. The Director's Cut offers some neat bonuses and a new 'Magic' mode that adds more challenge to the game. Definitely recommend it. Whether you have played the original Dsi version or not, you shouldI was one of those people who sat in front of the computer, counting down the time to when this would be released on PC. Risky's Revenge was an excellent sequel to the original Shantae on GBC. The Director's Cut offers some neat bonuses and a new 'Magic' mode that adds more challenge to the game. Definitely recommend it. Whether you have played the original Dsi version or not, you should get the Director's Cut. 10/10… Expand
  4. Zach254
    Jul 29, 2014
    9
    A nice 2D action adventure game that has a cool protagonist, music that fits the environment and does not give too much info when trying to find locations or items in the game. This is game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages because it does not have excessive cuss words, drugs, nudity or anything of the sort. The game is flirty but not to the point where it lacks class.

    The game    A nice 2D action adventure game that has a cool protagonist, music that fits the environment and does not give too much info when trying to find locations or items in the game. This is game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages because it does not have excessive cuss words, drugs, nudity or anything of the sort. The game is flirty but not to the point where it lacks class.

    The game could have had a more detailed map and it only has two labyrinths but it is still a great game.

    If you enjoyed action adventure games on the Genesis/SNES and don't mind GBA graphics, then this game is for you    … Expand
  5. TitaniumDragon
    Jun 3, 2020
    4
    Shantae: Risky’s Revenge is a mediocre 2D metroidvania. Originally made for the DSI, it shows; the levels always feel a bit cramped and the whole game feels rather zoomed in, as if it was originally made for a small screen – which it was.

    The first of the modern Shantae games, it is a very simple and straightforward thing – you play as Shantae, you whip stuff with your hair, you can    Shantae: Risky’s Revenge is a mediocre 2D metroidvania. Originally made for the DSI, it shows; the levels always feel a bit cramped and the whole game feels rather zoomed in, as if it was originally made for a small screen – which it was.

    The first of the modern Shantae games, it is a very simple and straightforward thing – you play as Shantae, you whip stuff with your hair, you can turn into three different animals over the course of the game (a monkey which can wall jump, a big stompy elephant that can break blocks, and a mermaid that can swim) and you go through three dungeons plus some miscellaneous other areas.

    The whole game feels really small, because, ultimately, it is; 100%ing this took under six hours, which is quite short for a modern Metroidvania. And yet, honestly, this game being longer would have been bad; it doesn’t really have a huge amount of variety, and it only really has four bosses (though you fight one of them twice). Indeed, even at its length, it still felt like a very significant amount of time was just going back through areas that I’d already beaten because the quick travel points were often in less convenient places than they should have been.

    And really, that’s kind of the game in general; the gameplay isn’t terrible, but it isn’t very good either. It’s very mediocre on the whole. The bosses are very simple, perhaps too simple, and the enemies are pretty straightforward as well, without a lot of variety – there’s less than a dozen types in the game, and that’s being generous. The game isn’t nearly as funny as the sequels are. Even the graphics are a bit ugly; the actual sprites are fine, but Shantae and her friends don’t look great and the text boxes are pretty mediocre looking.

    All in all, the game is pretty meh. I can’t even really recommend it to people who liked the other Shantae games, because it is pretty primitive-feeling.    … Expand
  6. BasilZero
    Jan 21, 2017
    8
    Game: Shantae: Risky's Revenge Director's Cut
    Genre: Metroidvania Platformer
    Developer: WayForward System: Steam (PC) Total Score: 81/100 Value Score: 8.1/10 • Story: 8/10 • Characters: 8/10 • GamePlay: 9/10 • Graphics: 8/10 • Sound: 8/10 • Music: 8/10 • Length: 7/10 • Replay Value: 7/10 • Player Value: 8/10 Pros +Metroidvania type of gameplay style +Multiple Endings    Game: Shantae: Risky's Revenge Director's Cut
    Genre: Metroidvania Platformer
    Developer: WayForward
    System: Steam (PC)
    Total Score: 81/100
    Value Score: 8.1/10

    • Story: 8/10
    • Characters: 8/10
    • GamePlay: 9/10
    • Graphics: 8/10
    • Sound: 8/10
    • Music: 8/10
    • Length: 7/10
    • Replay Value: 7/10
    • Player Value: 8/10

    Pros
    +Metroidvania type of gameplay style
    +Multiple Endings based on how much you played the game and how much you unlocked
    +Different costumes with specific abilities (available only on the iOS port and Director's cut)
    +Warp system was re-made compared to the original version of the game
    +Great character and environment design
    +Good OST

    Cons
    -Graphic options are very bare bones
    -Map system very one dimensional and not that helpful
    -Must press Alt+Enter on keyboard to go full screen, not automatic    … Expand
  7. kloplos
    Mar 24, 2015
    8
    It's a short but fun little platforming game with a cute characters and catchy music. I'm glad that this game was finally ported the the PC and I genuinely hope the newer games in the franchise will follow suit.
  8. Govnodav
    Nov 23, 2015
    7
    Nice game, nicely plays on joystick, very pretty 2D graphics, really liked it, but this game is a bit small, comparing it to others, it feels a bit unfinished, nice and catchy music, but it sound a little bit odd, because music not so high quality as for a 2014 PC game, but for 3DS it sounds nice
  9. Captain_Chaos
    Jun 22, 2016
    9
    I only recently got into the Shantae series. I actually began by contributing to the kickstarter for the upcoming forth entry, Half-Genie Hero. I had always heard good things about the series. I started with the original- an odd game by any measure, being a Gameboy Color game released at the extreme end of that console's lifespan- 2002, so extreme in fact that it had code that enabledI only recently got into the Shantae series. I actually began by contributing to the kickstarter for the upcoming forth entry, Half-Genie Hero. I had always heard good things about the series. I started with the original- an odd game by any measure, being a Gameboy Color game released at the extreme end of that console's lifespan- 2002, so extreme in fact that it had code that enabled richer colors and additional gameplay features if played on a Gameboy Advance. Sadly, though that entry was eventually available as a digital download on the Wii, it has yet to grace PC, as this entry has.

    Risky's Revenge is the sophmore entry in the series, also an oddball, being originally released as a digital download on, of all things, the DSi's download service. It subsequently made its way to iOS before find its true home here on Steam. Like its predecessor, Shantae: Risky's Revenge is a lighthearted metroidvania rich with the same quality of color, character design and music that characterized the console games that inspired it. The music in particular deserves special recognition, another striking example of Virt Kaufman's work- a chiptune luminary who has also worked on Shovel Knight, Scurge: Hive and Contra 4. Shantae herself is adorable and endearing, with her short temper and unconventional fighting style, using her hair to whip enemies and performing belly dances to cast transformation spells, allowing her to traverse walls as a monkey, crush rocks as an elephant or explore the depths as a mermaid. The game is alive with equally likable characters and great environments, and the fine detail down to individual enemies is notable. It also has surprisingly entertaining and occasionally risque dialogue. The PC controls are extremely solid and can be remapped to your liking, and support for several screen resolutions is available, so you can find the right balance between visibility and pixel quality. Risky's Revenge improves upon the original game in almost every category: previously disposable combat items now work off a Zelda style magic meter, the lives system is gone, falling in a pit now simply removes some health instead of killing you outright, enemies have much less health, there's an actual map, the dances are easier to perform, and generally, the cheapness factor is gone, though the loss of the bathouse in town is sorely felt, as this was the easiest way to get your health back in the original. However, for metroidvania standards, Risky's Revenge is very easy and also quite short, about five hours at even a leisurely pace, but for the price this isn't unforgivable. This PC Port is the "Director's cut" previously seen on iOS, and features an alternate costume for Shantae, unlockable after completing the game once. This outfit halves Shantae's magic usage but also her defense. This version also includes steam achievements and trading cards, if you're into that sort of thing. If you love metroidvanias or platformers of any kind, Shantae is well worth your time, and will delight you as it did me.    … Expand
  10. hoviadko123
    Sep 10, 2022
    6
    Shantae - Risky's Revenge is weakest from Shantae series imo. Soundtrack is still awesome but combat is little bit weird. Her first 2 hair whips are slow, when you execute them even if I upgraded whipping speed to max, map is horrible and overall it's pretty short game.
  11. haadouukeen
    Apr 2, 2023
    6
    kinda short, and the port is kinda funky, but is a nice pastime, good graphics too

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
tbd

No score yet - based on 1 Critic Review

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. CD-Action
    Oct 22, 2014
    50
    It’s built on solid foundations but obviously with a low budget. [10/2014, p.65]