The Shantae series is probably one of the most colorful, vibrant, and funny metroidvania series out there. The writing is consistently top-tier, there are numerous clever jokes, and the characters are optimistic and have good chemistry with each other. The Shantae canon always had a missing link. There was a game between the original and Risky’s Revenge on DS that never released. The game, titled Shantae: Risky Revolution (and later known as Shantae Advance), was in development for the GBA, but was canceled due to budget and logistical problems. This title was allegedly quite far along in development back in 2005, but because it was canceled, we never got a chance to experience what could have been an essential title for the GBA.
In 2023, Wayforward announced that they would be reviving Shantae: Risky Revolution, and the title would release on its original intended platform, the GBA, and also on modern platforms. Fast forward to summer 2025, and the game was released on the GBA and also leaked onto the internet, meaning that many people could finally play the game. On August 19, a couple of months after the (unofficial) GBA release, the title has finally come to modern platforms, including the Nintendo Switch.
HD version or original?
The console release of Shantae Advance has three modes: a multiplayer battle mode, a classic mode, and a story mode. The main difference between the GBA release a few months ago and this console version is that the “story mode” of the console version features HD character portraits and HUD elements, whereas the GBA version has 16-bit character portraits and pixel-style HUD elements. The “classic mode” of the console version is basically the original GBA version, with no HD elements. It is a question of preference of modern additions in which mode you choose. The HD character portraits do add some personality to the cutscenes and add energy when Shantae interacts with other characters.
The 16-bit portraits are a little less emotive than the HD versions. However, the HD elements don’t make or break the experience. This Shantae game has solid gameplay regardless of which option you choose. There is exploration, secrets to find, metroidvania elements, and different transformations to find. The experience is over twenty years in the making, it has DNA from the original Shantae game, yet it is more similar, in terms of features, to Shantae: Risky’s Revenge, and even to the supreme Shantae and the Pirates Curse.
Sound and visuals
Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution on the Nintendo Switch (especially in tabletop mode) is reminiscent of playing a GBA game on Switch’s big screen with big sprites and low-definition pixel art. I’m more used to playing other types of games, which don’t look so ugly on my Switch. However, the art and art direction are of high-quality. The regions look suitably different and unique, and some enemies are monstrous and well-designed. The graphics wouldn’t look out of place on the Nintendo DS. It is not that I don’t like pixel art; I love pixel art more than hand-drawn “HD” visuals, it is just that on the Switch, large sprites with low-resolution pixel art do not look good in my opinion.
On the GBA SP, on the other hand, the graphics look really impressive both from a technical and subjective perspective. In terms of sound, the sound effects are satisfying and work well, the tunes that play in each area are catchy, and there is a suitable whimsical factor in most of the music. However, Scuttle Town isn’t a perfect paradise in Shantae Advance. There have been movements that have put the town in danger.
Story and gameplay
Risky Boots has obtained access to a machine that has the power to “revolve” the towns and landscapes and place them in random orders, creating chaos at Scuttle Town, as it loses its sunny beach location. Shantae somehow has to fix the problems of the inhabitants of the mixed-up conurbations, collect the four relic hunters, and finally defeat Risky Boots. This means that Shantae has four or five level areas that have parts that can only be accessed once you have a certain item or ability, which requires backtracking and is the basis of the metroidvania gameplay. It is fun merely controlling Shantae; she is quick and uses her hair as a whip to defeat enemies.
On top of this, the player can pick up upgrades that make her hair quicker and more powerful. There are also items like spike balls and lightning (among others) that you can use to defeat enemies (and these can also be upgraded). The transformations return in Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, and she can turn into a monkey, elephant, mermaid and more. It’s a nice feeling when you unlock a new ability and realize that you can now access that dead end that you found on your last play session.
Conclusion
Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is a short game. You could complete it in under six hours. The devs may not have expanded on its original plan, but it doesn’t mean that Shantae isn’t a satisfying, fun, and colorful metroidvania adventure. Risky Boots has come up with another diabolical plan, and it is up to Shantae again to save Scuttle Town. She has to realign the towns in the game world by visiting each location and fighting her way through the areas. Picking up upgrades here and there, which allow for progress at previous dead ends. The transformations are back (the only game that they are missing from is Shantae and the Pirates Curse), and they are as useful as ever.
The console version, which was released a few months after the GBA version, uses an HD HUD and HD character portraits. These are good additions and add to the quality of the experience. However, the GBA game, blown up on a huge flat screen TV or on your Switch in tabletop mode, stretches the well-designed and colorful sprite work, and takes away from the experience. I think that Shantae Advance is best played on a Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP, where the 16-bit graphics can stand out and be appreciated for what they are. The competition that Shantae is up against on the Switch means it doesn’t stand out as a release compared to when it was released on GBA. There are so many great metroidvanias on Switch that I don’t know if the title is as valuable on Switch as compared to its release on GBA, where there are so few metroidvania-type games.
The Review
Great
