A long time ago at the tail end of the Gameboy Color’s lifespan the first game in a new series emerged, although at the time it sank like a stone. Shantae became a fan-favorite, which is very different from being a hit, and while plans for a sequel on the Gameboy Advance were in the works nothing ever came of it. It wasn’t until eight years later that Shantae: Risky’s Revenge finally came out as a sequel, but in that time another game had been in development but never got to see the light of day. Shantae: Risky Revolution was supposed to be the second game in the series but the sales of the first game killed that idea. It didn’t kill the game, though, and now a bit over twenty years later the lost adventure is finally available to a larger audience.
Shantae Advance: Risky Revolutionis exactly what the name implies, the Gameboy Advance game enhanced and released as the missing chapter in Shantae’s adventures. The GBA version came first, released on cartridge by Limited Run Games a few months back, while the new version is the same game but with enhancements. Presented in pixel-chunky 240x160 resolution, you can choose to play it exactly as it would have looked if it had released back in 2004, or in a modernized version with HD text and character art during the talky bits. Whichever version you choose to play will look exactly like a GBA game on a much larger screen, but it doesn’t take more than a couple minutes before the detailed animation and expressive pixel art brush away any concerns over resolution.
As for the gameplay, the pirate Risky Boots is causing trouble with a machine that lets her scramble Sequin Land, moving coastal towns inland and land-locked areas to the coast for easy plundering. Shantae’s friend Sky has a giant bird that can take them from one town to another, with new areas opening up as their maps are discovered, and each new point of interest is a not-quite-Metroidvania-but-close platforming and combat challenge. The areas are filled with sections that can’t be reached until Shantae earns a new transformation, like the first crab form that lets her sink to the bottom of watery areas, and they’re also designed not just with a foreground and background plane but use Risky’s Tremor Engines to move things around, opening up new paths between sections of the level to find secrets and other goodies.
Twenty one years is a long time to wait for a Gameboy Advance game to show up, but Shantae Advance: Risky’s Revolution has made the trip through the decades in excellent shape. Granted, the game was never completed at the time so there’s a balance of new and old in the final release, but that works to the game’s benefit seeing as Wayforward has years of experience with the character and her world now. The only potential drawback is for physical collectors, because the Shantae complete box set doesn’t have room to stuff a sixth game into, but with any luck the return of Shantae Advance is just the latest of more to come.
Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution
