Shantae and the Seven Sirens (Switch) Review

AN ISLAND VACATION TURNED RESCUE ADVENTURE

Way Forward has consistently put out great games and the trend continues with their next entry in their flagship franchise, Shantae and the Seven Sirens. Seven Sirens takes the hand-drawn art style of Half-Genie Hero and expands it in a way that looks absolutely gorgeous. In a lot of ways this new Shantae title feels a bit on the safe side as the mechanics and designs are more catered to refining previous elements than shattering expectations but overall it is a solid game that will satisfy fans and probably make some new ones along the way. 

The hand-drawn animation style fits Shantae so well. At the start of playing, an awesome cutscene shows off the characters in a dynamic fashion with a super catchy theme song. I was excited to see one of my favorite anime teams, Studio Trigger, given a chance to help elevate these characters through this scene. Surprisingly, there are even more cutscenes sprinkled throughout the adventure and all of them are filled with little moments that just help sell the sorts of characters involved in this story. In fact, I would watch a whole animated Shantae show. . . religiously.   

Following the events of Half-Genie Hero, Shantae and friends have decided to take a vacation, earning a heck of a deal for the group thanks to Shantae volunteering for a half-genie show and festival. While Shantae seems hesitant at first, she quickly warms up to the idea after meeting the group of half genies. Each character adds to the stellar roster of character work and they all provide a pair of power-ups for Shantae later on. Things kick off during the half-genie show when the lights suddenly cut and all of the other ladies are gone. Determined to find her new friends, Shantae vows to comb every inch of the island and the mysterious Sunken City below as well as bring the villain to justice. 

For anyone who has never played a Shantae game, players take on the role of a talented half-genie who has the ability to transform into various animals by dancing and thwap bad guys with her long purple hair. In Seven Sirens, Shantae’s animal abilities are more for traversal but she does learn four dances from the other half-genies that can reveal hidden items, electrify objects, restore life, and cause a small quake. To make things more smooth, the animal abilities are mapped to a specific button. For example, early on players get a Newt Dash that allows for quick movement, dodging danger with proper timing, and the ability to cling to walls. The dash and the other upgrades are multi-functional in a way that begs to be mastered for speed and precision. These games are a mix of exploration, simple action, platforming, and problem-solving usually in the way of finding items for specific tasks. In a way, the Shantae games feel more like a classic adventure game in tone with the mechanics of a metroidvania. What I love about them is the precise mechanics, simple gameplay, and the overall whimsical style. There’s a cuteness that runs through the entire series as well.

So far, I have played and beaten most of the Shantae games and in Half-Genie Hero I even completed it, a rare feat for me. I was able to finish Seven Sirens in about ten hours, which is average for this series, though there are some items I’ll have to look up once guides start coming out. Playing Seven Sirens without much of a guide was a challenge in a few key moments but overall there was rarely a time when I felt lost. Due to the nature of the dance abilities though there are items and goals that feel like guesswork where one enters a room, activates two or three dances in a row, and hopes for a result. This was more due to me looking for some items after reaching the final act but it is something worth mentioning. As of this writing, I have most of the collectible items and I plan on getting these soon and starting up a New Game Plus run shortly after completion. 

Dashing through enemies is a valid strategy but some are big enough that they need be fought or damage boosted through.

As with most of the Shantae titles, combat feels on the easy side, almost like a Kirby game crossed with a simple version of Castlevania. I gathered dropped items constantly to the point that I only died twice through the entire adventure and this was only because I thought I had soft-locked myself (here’s a tip use the Seer dance in the dark dungeon if you find yourself stuck) and another time because I couldn’t find the final boss’ weakness on the first attempt. Money flows just as steadily as items too and I highly recommend picking up the spike ball spells and the upgrades for even more damage against stationary enemies. Early on, I had fully upgraded the hair whip basic attack and I pretty much breezed through the entire game. With some titles this could be a negative but the visual elements, characters, and music bring such joy to my gaming life that I play through this series as a way to relax.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is in many ways a vacation for me, a delightful adventure driven by the need to connect with others and a happy pause to the constant assault of stress that just about everyone globally is currently experiencing.  

Level design is pretty basic, echoing the more relaxed tone of the series, but like any good metroidvania there are areas that steadily unlock as more abilities are learned to make the map feel denser. Each area feels unique enough and sticks to the tropical theme, featuring some truly stellar background work. My main criticism of the visuals in Half-Genie Hero was that the backgrounds were basic 3D images that didn’t really fit alongside the characters; it’s still a pretty game but I don’t think it was as strong as the art direction in Pirate’s Curse, a sprite-based endeavor. The efforts made in Seven Sirens by the art team at Way Forward pay off in dividends in my opinion, culminating in a game that looks vibrant throughout the entire experience.

The backgrounds of Shantae and the Seven Sirens are really colorful.

Unfortunately, at least on the Switch port, there are some long load times between major areas. This was mostly a pain when I had to travel around the middle of the map, in which I was crossing those thresholds more often, but I caught myself reaching for my phone when one popped up. Load times are usually better on other platforms for games like this but aside from that performance on Switch was super crisp. The only slowdowns I saw were in moments when I was speeding through an enemy-filled room with the scimitar spell activated.   

As with the entire Shantae series, the music in Seven Sirens is stellar. It’s a blend of 16-bit style synth sounds with a few sitar lines to keep that Arabian theme and the songs in Seven Sirens are all memorable. I still feel a bit more connected to the main theme of Half-Genie Hero but I absolutely adore the tunes here in Seven Sirens and the opening theme song is as catchy as it gets. 

Frequent cutscenes are a welcome addition and help flesh out the world and the characters.

All in all, it’s no surprise that Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a solid entry to the platforming franchise. Way Forward is one the most consistent development teams I’ve run into in the past decade or so and it seems like everything they touch I enjoy. I do hope to see more risks in Shantae's inevitable next adventure, as again Seven Sirens feels like a safe entry, but the elements of what makes a Shantae game are tightened here in a way that makes this title an instant classic that will assuredly live well beyond the initial release. I’m excited to see what all unlockables I’ve yet to discover and what types of additional content drops in the future and I hope to come back to Seven Sirens over and over. 

SCORES

GAMEPLAY - 9/10

VISUALS - 9/10

SOUND - 9/10

CONTROLS - 9/10

REPLAY VALUE - 9/10

OVERALL - 9/10

More information about Shantae and the Seven Sirens can be found on the official website. A digital Switch copy was provided for the purpose of review. Screenshots were captured using native Switch functionality.

Over the past five years or so I’ve been covering the Shantae series over at Marooners’ Rock where I’m a Review/Features Editor. In fact my first review there was Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse. When Half-Genie Hero came out, I played it all the way through on the Vita, a system I adore and still will pick up games for occasionally. For more Way Forward content, check out my review of River City Girls, a stylish beat-em-up in the Kunio-Kun universe, my thoughts on the Mighty Switch Force Collection, or our interview with Adam Tierney about their games, particularly post-release of River City Girls.

I would consider Shantae one of the most iconic indie game characters ever created so I hope to see her in more games in the future. She’s certainly worthy for Smash Bros, so fingers crossed for a crossover in the coming years.