Shantae

"One of the best games GBC games ever"

Shantae has two things going for it: it's one of the last games for the GBC, but also one of the best. It manages to stretch the GBC to its very limits while at the same time have a style not present in very many other games.

Graphics: 10.0
One of Shantae's strongest points is its graphics. Very colorful and VERY well-animated characters and backgrounds stood out right away, while later on I came across scrolling backgrounds (this is on GBC, just to remind you), as well as smooth palette changes on characters (for example, if you walk Shantae into a bright light her character's colors become lighter, and vice versa).

Sound: 9.0
The tunes are fairly catchy, and do the most possible with the GBC's NES-ish sound system. Most games accomplish this, though, so where Shantae stands out is in its unique style of music. It doesn't sound much like any other Game Boy game, though some of the things they do with the various sounds remind me a bit of Warlocked (GBC) and MC Kids (NES). The music sounds Arabic, but has some other styles mixed in, yet it always seems to fit the situation.

Gameplay: 9.0
The controls are simple and tight: press one button to attack, the other to jump. It expands into other moves easily later on: press up twice to do a spinning jump attack, press select to go to dance mode. With dance mode, the best way to describe it is that it's like the Ocarina in the N64 Zeldas: different dances warp you to places or even transform you into animals (again, kinda like the second N64 Zelda). These animals allow you to access new areas and secrets. Combat is challenging (finally, a GBC that's not incredibly easy!) yet very fun. I have two minor gripes though. One gripe is that enemies don't telegraph some moves very well. A prime example of this is pretty much right at the beginning of the game, when you leave Scuttle Town and head east; the moles in the ground just suddenly pop up, and can hit you easily no matter if you are running, walking, jumping, or standing still. A bit frustrating that avoiding them is nearly 100% luck. The other gripe is that there are few secrets you can get at the beginning, and many that you can see but cannot get until quite a bit later. This often discourages exploring, making players wait until they actually have all the transformations and such before they start collecting Extra Hearts and such.

Replay Value: 8.0
It's just plain fun to play, and that's what will drive most players back to beat it again. Just beating it alone takes a while (it actually took me longer to beat this than Castlevania for GBA, and that speaks for itself). After you beat it you can also go back and try to get all those items you missed.

Presentation: 10.0
Due to the great graphics and sound (which are technically great for a GBC without too many fugly dither effects or scratchy PCM sounds), this game has a great presentation. It even looks and sounds BETTER than many GBA games.

Pros:
+ Excellent overall presentation
+ Fun to play

Cons:
- Fairly difficult
- One of the last GBC games (the GBC died too soon for my tastes :'( R.I.P. you sweet-ass handheld you...)

Overall (not an average): 10.0
This is easily one of the best games to grace the GBC. While it may not be for the kiddies because of its difficulty, the hardcore feel of this game will be pleasing to anyone who has ever played an olskoo NES or SNES adventure.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/19/02, Updated 06/19/02