Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is a bright and bombastic action platformer, with great boss battles, clever puzzles, and a charming cast that had me chuckling throughout. If you’re a fan of the series already, it is no doubt already on your wishlist or downloaded on your console of choice. If you’re not, it’s a great entry point and another welcome addition to this superb series.

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution does a great job of feeling exactly like a Game Boy Advance game that holds up in the modern day. Despite limiting itself to the capabilities of a previous console, its presentation is incredibly charming even when not played in the modern style, and the game design on display is strong enough that Shantae Advance might actually surpass some of Shantae’s other recent outings. While some of its action-centric areas can get a little confusing to explore, and it never goes quite as cinematic in its set pieces as other games, the overall package is strong and series fans will not be disappointed.

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is a well-made, quality game that’ll prove mostly entertaining for fans well-versed in the series. But it reflects plenty of choices here that are tough to wrap one’s head around, especially when other Shantae games surpass this one in both pace and polish. The restrictive 4-player mode disappointingly fails to live up to the hype. And the inexplicable lack of a map (or any typical hint system) makes this game feel antiquated next to its other entries. Thus, what should be a great game is just a good one. Wait for a sale, and make this Shantae your Half-Price Hero.

I’m glad Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is accessible after everything it went through, but you can see its struggles. It’s a fine adventure. It helps build up the timeline and backstory. I feel like it’s just a tad short and features some pacing issues that really highlight that this was a game that ended up being picked up, canceled, returned to, and had these halts in development.

As a big-time Shantae fan, I’ve loved having the opportunity to fill in the gap for the game in the seies that we very nearly didn’t get. It’s more a curiosity than something essential – more recent titles in the series are definitely better, but if this continues to breathe life into the series, then I’m all for it.

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is an interesting ‘new’ entry in the beloved indie franchise, a curious fusion of old and new design philosophies. Its creative world-cycling gameplay mechanic, sharp 32-bit visuals, densely packed overworld, and charming narrative all come together to make for a worthwhile experience, even if some more outdated elements like the lack of a map hold it back. I’d recommend this both to series veterans and to newcomers—even if this isn’t Shantae at her greatest, Risky Revolution is a solid adventure.