Review for Shantae and the Seven Sirens. Game for PC, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 27/03/2020 The version for PC came out on 28/05/2020 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 28/05/2020 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 28/05/2020 The version for Xbox One came out on 28/05/2020
It was back in 2002 when WayForward Technologies, together with Capcom, released Shantae's first game for GameBoy Color. The title was quite successful and what was a single game became a brand and a saga with five games under its belt.
The title that we review today is the fifth, and last, game dedicated to the nice heroine of WayForward, Shantae and the Seven Sirens.
The plot
Shantae and the Seven Sirens directly follows Shantae Half-Genie Hero's ending. Our Shantae, accompanied by her uncle and her friends Bolo and Sky, arrives at Paradise Island for a vacation. There, she is invited by the mayor of the island to perform in the half-genius girls festival. Shantae, in fact, is not the only half-genius in the world e he meets five other girls of his own kind. Suddenly, the five girls disappear and it will be Shantae's job to find them and discover what mysteries surround the island.
This is the beginning of the plot and although its development does not have particular peaks of originality, we must admit that the story flows pleasantly and there are some twists, especially towards the end of the game. The plot will develop mainly through the dialogues between the various characters and, in this regard, we mention you one of the greatest strengths of the game: dubbing. Shantae and the Seven Sirens was entirely voiced in English and the voices seemed absolutely spot on for each individual character. The localization is not equally commendable, as it often runs into even trivial language errors.
Graphic and Sound Section
From a graphic and sound point of view, the game is a real treat. The cartoon style that characterizes the whole game (with the presence of some animated cut-scenes) is really beautiful to see and shows itself in a real explosion of colors, from the darkest to the most lively. The play areas are all different from each other and each of them is characterized by its own graphic and sound style. Same thing goes for the characters: all different and memorable.
As for the sound sector, however, we only need to congratulate WayForward: the music is really well done and cared for and ranges from various musical cultures. In some areas, for example, we will have musics with Arabic sounds, in others with more Western sounds.
A classic metroidvania
Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a classic 2D metroidvania. Expect, therefore, many areas connected to each other through a good level design and, above all, a lot of backtracking to do during your adventure. However, it must be said that the passage from one area to another will often require a little too long loading times in our opinion and it is not exactly the best in a game where you have to move very often between the playing areas.
Many areas, as per tradition in the metroidvania, will be inaccessible to you at the beginning and will only be reachable after obtaining powers for our heroine. From here, in fact, we come to a gameplay element that characterizes all the metroidvania and, in particular, Shantae's titles: the transformations. In fact, during the game we will get the possibility to transform ourselves to overcome certain obstacles: become a little chameleon to climb walls or turn into a frog to swim through the water channels, to name but a few.
Combat System
As in all of Shantae's titles, we will fight using the thick purple hair of our heroine to which is added the possibility of using some spells that we will learn during the game. In addition, we will be able to buy objects such as boomerangs or rockets in the various shops scattered in the play areas to vary our fighting style even more. The enemies are all different and beautiful to look at from a graphic point of view, but not very difficult to deal with. In this sense, even the boss-fights were pretty simple. This may be a cons for more experienced players, but a pro for the little ones or newbies to the genre. From the point of view of difficulty, Shantae and the Seven Sirens is an excellent metroidvania for those approaching the genre for the first time and, in case of positive feedback, it could then move on to more complex titles such as Hollow Knight or the more classic Metroid and Castlevania.
Defeating the enemies will also allow us to collect different cards or stickers depicting the enemies themselves. These cards will have value both from a collector's point of view and from a combat system point of view. They can in fact be equipped up to a maximum of three cards through the menu and will give us small bonuses in the fight (both in defense and in attack).
Longevity and New Game +
The PlayStation 4 version we tested shows no drop in frame rates and the gaming experience was stable throughout the course of our adventure. Longevity also seemed correct for a title of this type and stands at seven hours. However, this time must be doubled if you want to collect all the collectibles scattered throughout the game and solve all the environmental puzzles.
Finally, we should mention the New Game + which will unlock at the end of your first adventure. In fact, it will be possible to face the game again with a greater level of difficulty given mainly by the greater amount of damage that is inflicted by the single hit of the enemies.
Shantae and the Seven Sirens is an excellent metroidvania that shows itself with an excellent technical, graphic and sound sector, however, net of loading times a little too long. Although the plot is not particularly original, the title will still manage to keep you glued with a smile thanks to its comic verve and its friendly characters. If you are a lover of the Shantae saga and metroidvania in general, you cannot miss this title.
► Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a Platform-Adventure game developed and published by WayForward Technologies for PC, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 27/03/2020 The version for PC came out on 28/05/2020 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 28/05/2020 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 28/05/2020 The version for Xbox One came out on 28/05/2020
