Shantae: Risky's Revenge

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Shantae: Risky's Revenge is a 2010 platform game by WayForward Technologies for the Nintendo DSi. It’s the second game in the Shantae series and follows Shantae, a half-genie, as she stops the pirate Risky Boots after a magical lamp is stolen. After being fired as Scuttle Town’s Guardian, Shantae sets out to find three magic seals to unlock the lamp’s power and save her town.

Gameplay is a 2D Metroidvania-style adventure. You explore a gated map, whip enemies with Shantae’s hair, and learn belly-dance transformations that turn her into animals with special abilities (monkey, elephant, mermaid) to access new areas. You collect Heart Holders to increase health and Magic Jam for upgrades. Endings depend on how quickly you finish and how many items you gather, and a New Game Plus mode lets you replay with more magic but less defense.

Development and releases: Risky's Revenge started as a planned episodic DSiWare title but became a full game at launch on October 4, 2010 in North America. An iOS port with a new Magic Mode followed in 2011. A Director’s Cut edition with a redesigned warp system released for Windows in 2014, PS4 in 2015, and Wii U in 2016. WayForward later brought the Director’s Cut to Nintendo Switch and Xbox One in 2020, with additional versions on Amazon Luna (2021), Stadia (2021), and PlayStation 5 (2021).

Reception: The game received generally favorable reviews, with a Metacritic score around 85/100 and about 86% on GameRankings. Critics praised its visuals, soundtrack, and old-school vibe inspired by Castlevania and Metroid, though the map system drew some criticism. IGN called it a “labor of love” and awarded Best Visuals and Best DS Game of 2010. The iOS version was well received too, though slightly less acclaimed.