The Shantae series of games is a popular one offered by WayForward Technologies. WayForward is an indie game development firm based in California. The 20-year old firm is well-known for developing a number of popular games. Some of the games they have developed include Xtreme Sports, WWF Betrayal, Shantae, Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus, Thor: God of Thunder, and The Mummy Demastered. The Shantae series of games started in 2002 and featured a female character – a half-genie named Shantae. Shantae and the Seven Sirens is the fifth game in the series.
It is a platform single-player game released in 2019. The game is available for the iOS, macOS, Windows, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch platforms. The game features the adventures of the main character who travels to an island and has to take on the Seven Sirens to save her friends. The game has been reasonably popular on all platforms, which is why it was launched on the Nintendo Switch in May 2020.
Story and Plot
Shantae is a half-genie and is the main character in this game. The game starts with Shantae exploring the world around her. The story revolves around an invitation that Shantae gets to visit Paradise Island. Her visit to the island helps her meet friends who are also half-genies. They suddenly disappear, and Shantae sets out in search of them. She has to explore the island and the sunken city under the sea to find her friends. She comes across an old enemy, Risky Boots, who is trying to find a treasure in the island.
Shantae needs to watch out for her enemy, and the same time, explore the island to find her friends. She soon realizes that the island is being ruled by the Seven Sirens, mysterious and dangerous creatures. It is the seven sirens who have captured her friends. She now needs to find them and defeat them in battle to free her friends. The game involves the exploration of the island to find her friends. She needs to use all the tricks up her sleeve to be able to battle the Seven Sirens in this fun-filled action game set in an aquatic world.
Gameplay
The game features some of the characters from the previous games, some friendly and others enemies. The game features a number of hidden treasures where Shantae needs to find. Exploration is a key gameplay element, and the treasures can be anywhere on the island or below the island. The entire map is not available to explore. There are many abilities you need to gain to allow Shantae access to these parts of the map. There are dungeons and monsters that need to be fought to progress in the game. Dance plays an integral part in the gameplay and Shantae’s dancing affects the game and brings in interesting developments in the game. Shantae has the ability to transform into different animals, which makes the game interesting.
The artwork is colorful and engaging. There are many cut scenes within the game that are interesting and that most game players would enjoy. There are many characters and different missions to complete. It is a bit of an issue trying to keep track of them all. There is no autosave, which is a problem. You need to play carefully until you reach a save point. The quests, as well as the boss battles, are interesting but not too tough. There are shops available where you can carry out upgrades and get new features needed. Collectible cards are available, and you need to get them to complete the upgrades and finish the game.