Though Shantae has become well-established today as a recognisable indie gaming icon, there was once a time when the purple-haired half-genie hero struggled to find an audience. The original Shantae released for the GBC in 2002 and suffered poor sales, which led to publishers being unwilling to pick up the tab for funding the sequel Wayforward had planned for the GBA called Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution. Though development had progressed quite a bit, this title was ultimately shelved and interestingly wasn’t revisited when the studio eventually got Shantae: Risky’s Revenge published for the DSi as the official second game in the series.
Some concepts and mechanics from Risky Revolution were repurposed for later entries, but it wasn’t until 2023 that WayForward revealed it had resumed development on their mascot's lost sophomore outing. And after an initial exclusivity period earlier this year in which the game was only available on an actual GBA cart, WayForward has now brought this interesting piece of Shantae history to modern platforms. After having put it through its paces, I’m happy to report that Risky Revolution offers up an enjoyable glimpse into Shantae’s past that largely still holds up after all these years.
Risky Revolution picks up shortly after the end of the first game, with the evil pirate Risky Boots back at it again with another dastardly plan to rule Sequin Land. This time, Risky has obtained technology that allows her to manipulate the tectonic plates beneath the Earth’s surface, plunging Sequin Land into chaos as various towns and locales are suddenly switched into different locations and climates. Aided by longtime allies such as Bolo, Rottytops, and Uncle Mimic, Shantae sets out to round up some of Uncle Mimic’s old colleagues and put a stop to Risky’s antics.
The lighthearted and airy nature of the narrative feels right on brand for the series, showcasing all the wit and humour you’d expect. Whether you’re dealing with wolves obsessed with collecting bad video games or celibate maidens who believe Risky’s mayhem is a punishment for their horniness, there’s a thoroughly unserious theme to the writing here that keeps things moving forward at a brisk pace.
Beyond this, Risky Revolution also expertly dances around the lore implications of being the newest entry in the long-running franchise despite chronologically being the second game—there are some aspects here that feel like they don’t quite fit with the broader narrative, but then Shantae canon has always been a little loose.
Gameplay follows the expected Metroidvania blueprint of (most) Shantae games, with you visiting various towns, exploring wide-linear levels packed with baddies to battle and treasures to find, and puzzling your way through Zelda-like dungeons that grant you access to new animal transformations which expand Shantae’s moveset. The main gimmick this time around is Risky’s 'Tremor Engine', which allows you to step on a switch in certain areas of levels that will cause either the background or foreground to cycle and open up new pathways.
This world-cycling mechanic feels like an interesting ‘missing link’ evolutionary step that bridges the gameplay of the original Shantae and Risky’s Revenge, which also played around with having Shantae jump between two different layers of the game world. And while finding exactly what changed about the level and how to access the new pathways can feel a bit confusing at times, this ultimately feels like a clever take on the ‘dark world’ mechanic that a lot of platformers and action games utilise. At the very least, it also helps to set Risky Revolution apart from the other games in the series.
Aside from the Tremor Engine, this is nothing more or less than another enjoyable Shantae adventure that plays exactly how you’d expect it to. Exploration, particularly in the dungeons, is quite rewarding and fuels a rapidly ascending power curve that sees Shantae quickly amassing a host of mobility and offensive abilities that make both combat and navigation a delight. Meanwhile, the combat and platforming are challenging without being too punishing, though the early game can be a little rough given that you have more limited tools and a lot less health to cover your mistakes.
Risky Revolution can also claim to be the first Shantae game to feature a competitive multiplayer feature, which is a fun extra. I was reminded a bit of TowerFall with this mode, which pits up to four players against each other in an arena and tasks them with knocking each other into spikes. Every now and then, the square arena you’re in will rotate 90 degrees, creating new platforms and opportunities to knock your foes into traps. It’s a little thin on content and obviously is far from the main draw, but battle mode is a fun novelty and helps to round out the overall package a bit.
In a lot of ways, Risky Revolution is a cool time capsule from a different era in gaming, but there are some aspects that haven’t exactly aged the best.
The biggest misstep on the gameplay side of things is the complete lack of a map, which can make navigation and backtracking quite a headache. Though this isn’t what I’d call a huge game world to navigate, it is large and intricate enough that you can easily forget where exactly you saw that out-of-reach collectible, and this issue is compounded by the sections featuring the swappable world. I wouldn’t say that the missing map is a dealbreaker, but it’s certainly an annoyance that keeps this game from ranking among the series’ best.
Beyond this, Risky Revolution also has a tendency to be overly wordy in its character exchanges, which can make some cutscenes overstay their welcome. A personal preference, admittedly, but many of the character interactions have you pressing ‘A’ a lot as you comb through joke after joke without the scene moving forward. Given the already short runtime of this adventure, this doesn’t prove too invasive, but some of the dialogue could’ve been trimmed for an overall tighter script that wouldn’t lose the goofy charm.
As for its graphics, this looks most like Shantae: Risky’s Revenge and Shantae and the Pirates Curse, characterised by expressive 32-bit pixel art. You also have the option of either playing in Story Mode featuring modern UI elements and HD character portraits, or the more retro Classic Mode, which features the as-is GBA release that came out earlier this year. Both modes look great, though Classic feels a bit more authentic given that its visual elements are consistent with each other.
Conclusion
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.
Comments 34
Love that the original idea of shifting/flipping levels didn't go to waste!
The pixel art looks rad, but I wished the HUD would fit the game better with the same pixel art style.
Thanks for the review, glad to hear that this is overall pretty good - looking forward to playing it myself (along with the other Shantae games luckily also on Switch instead of having just watched others partially playing them) when I have the time for it!
Nothing special about it, and the fact LRG hurt the release window, there is no excuse to give them any money right now. A 50% off sale is what I'm going to wait for.
"A game delayed for 20 years will eventually be good, a rushed game is forever bad." 🤣
Jokes aside, hopefully this game doesn't disappoint the series fans or any others!
The annoying thing is that the deluxe edition outfits cannot be changed once selected, and you can't upgrade to the deluxe edition once you buy the standard one, locking you out of the DLC. A shame because the outfits are well animated.
I'm maybe a third in and really enjoying it so far. I have all the Shantae games and so far this one rates near the top. The lack of map is odd but hasn't caused any problems for me so far even though my sense of direction sucks - the game does a good job at plopping you back where you need to be most of the time.
I'm enjoying my time with it! It's on the weaker half of the Shantae games, but that's still a pretty strong game overall imo. Not as good as Pirate's Curse, Half-Genie Hero, or Seven Sirens, but better than the original and Risky's Revenge. Solid entry.
Shantae games are a strange one for me, I really like them, but never finish them, so I'm going to have to give this a miss. Good to know it didn't get lost forever though
Ah, no map, just like all of the other GBA metroidvanias... oh wait.
What a stupid design decision. Not having a map is inexcusable. Pass.
I have the GBA version of this so have already beaten it. I have to say it would be way too easy with a map. It's quite rewarding finding everything without them.
I already beat the GBA version of this game and I had purchase the Switch version for my niece to try and she beat it in a week with no issue so I don't get why people complain about the no map situation. Yes it's a Metroidvania-like game but the game doesn't reuse assets that it makes everything look the same, every room and pathway is more distinct and easy to follow so if my niece had no issue finishing it I think anyone won't either. This game is easily a 9/10 for me.
I actually bought the GBA release of this that Limited Run did. Looks awesome along with my copy of the original game, one of the holy grails that i’m amazed to have in my collection.
I have already downloaded it and this is the next game I'm gonna start playing. I'm curious to see if the absence of a map will cause any trouble or if game design actually made it unnecessary. Hoping for the best
I'm sure they could have made those colour pop a bit more
Love the Shantae series to bits and bobs. Hope Wayforward is working on a brand new chapter in this enduring franchise! Can’t get enough of these amazing games!
I almost got this last week but glad I waited because Silk Song is releasing next week! Odd it has no map but I expect them to add that in a future update. I will still get it one day, I'm a fan of the series
It's a fantastic game, taking about 8 hours to complete 100%. The game world is quite small, and there's absolutely no need for a map; I think that would have made the game too easy. Also, in the larger levels, once you reach the end, you're back to the beginning; it's impossible to get lost.
I heard that the Switch 1 and 2 versions crash a bunch on people. The game also feels overpriced, especially with the deluxe version that you cant even upgrade from the original. I pretty much love all of the Shantae games (except for the original), but I'm gonna have to wait for this to go on a big sale. Shinobi and Silksong have my money and attention in the immediate future.
I went and got it a few days, and I’ve been enjoying it just like any other Shantae game.
I have the GBA game and I've been enjoying it very much, much like the other games in the series.
The switching between the background and foreground really makes me wish this gets ported to... Virtual Boy! LET'S DO IT WAYFORWARD! Totally a worthwhile use of resources!
@NielsNL
Hou can play the built in gba mode and that makes the HUD more fitting to the artstyle
Ever since I played Risky's Revenge on iOS (and later the 3DS) and the original Shantae (also on 3DS), I've been hooked on the series ever since. I love the world it built, the quirky characters, the music, and the gameplay. Risky Revolution is no exception to this. My only real complaint with the game is the relative lack of side content, such as minigames and more collectibles beyond heart holders and Secret Squids (collecting all 50 of them unlocks a swimsuit outfit for Shantae after you beat the game).
Still, it's a minor complaint, as other entries in the series also lack such content. It is still a solid game in its own right. I have not only purchased the game for the GBA (both the purple Standard Edition as well as the gold Collector's Edition), I have also purchased it for the Switch as well (both the physical version that Limited Run Games will be releasing, as well as the digital version on the Switch eShop). It goes to show how much I love this series.
I can't wait to see what WayForward has in store for the series next! Personally, I'd love to see a 3D Shantae game next, maybe done in the style of the first three Spyro games. I'd also love to see a Shantae animated series; heck, I even came up with an idea for a pilot episode that I would love to pitch to Matt Bozon! So yeah, I am looking forward to the future of this series.
I found the lack of a map refreshing! It allows you to engage in the dungeons and crypt areas thru pure observation and memory ala Zelda II dungeons (or the original Shantae for GBC for that matter). None of them are TOO labyrinthian either and do a good job of moving you thru without feeling strictly linear.
And it's DEFINITELY not needed in the main overworlds either, since the stages just loop around endlessly (and the world-shifting mechanic pared with the foreground/background layers would make a map VERY difficult to comprehend, let along implement). Sure, it can certainly get confusing trying to recall which caves you wanted to re-enter with an animal ability later, but none of the overworlds are particularly large and everything is fairly straightforward to traverse.
I largely enjoyed my time through this game. The lack of map wasn’t awful, but I found these two aspects to be wild:
1) You can completely beat chapter 2 dungeon without a very necessary power-up (found in chapter 2) to start chapter 3. Not deal-breaking, just a “why’d you let me get this far?” head tilt.
2) The profound amount of clipping through walls and floors. I’m not someone who actively engages with breaking code, so when I soft lock myself outside the bounds of a playable area several times over the course of a ~8 hour game, something tells me that’s not 100% on me.
I'm still deciding if I should buy the GBA version or digital version of the game. I haven't bought a GBA game in years so I might go for that.
I kind of want the deluxe edition, but not for the asking price. I generally love all Shantae games--even the weaker ones are more fun that a lot of other platformer action games, but I'm going to give this one a wait.
I do not like the layered maps feature.
A lot of reviews complain about “tedious dialogue” that drags on too long (thinking of Golden Sun too) but I think this is overblown in game review culture. If you aren’t in to the story of a game, aren’t you missing a major aspect of the game’s appeal? Like “level design, mechanics & gameplay, combat, puzzles, story, etc?”
I kind of think these criticisms are just a genre preference, or else a result of reviewers being on a time limit.
Ill be grabbing this at some point down the line.
Honestly, other than Pirate's Curse, Shantae games have always been B tier metroidvanias.
I'm enjoying it overall. I hadn't even thought about the lack of a map so obviously not that big of a deal to me anyway.
I've had precisely one crash and one instance of clipping out of the level. Concerning, but not "broken" and actually kind of weirdly authentic compared to games 20 years ago.
My biggest gripe are the bosses. Boring, damage sponges.
Bought the Deluxe Edition, really fun game, like the other ones in the series. Cool to see it finally get released after so long.
The GBA version is better. At least, on the GBA the title stands out more. The Switch is full of great metroidvanais. The same can't be said about the GBA library.
https://www.emuxel.com/bongobongo123/shantae-advance-risky-revolution-review/
I've been encountering this a lot lately, in game genres like platformers and puzzlers that you'd think wouldn't really be the place you'd find it. I wonder, was the original version this verbose or did they add a load of new dialogue to it?
I've been playing the series over the years, and just when I was going to start Seven Sirens the lost entry resurfaces. I think I'll get it for Game Boy Advance despite the extra money, but it will feel more authentic.
The no-map exploration felt annoying in the first Shantae, but I fell in love with the series nonetheless, so it's not a dealbreaker for me either.
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