Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution

Shantae Advance is as much curio and historical relic as it is a new game. The story goes that after the original GBC game limped out in 2002 to tepid sales (a year after the GBA had been on the shelves), Wayforward started working on the follow up. However, due to being unable to find a publisher the game was scrapped, and what we have here is that 2005 GBA game finished and updated. What isn’t clear is exactly how much of that 2005 build is present in this release – I’ve heard over the years that it was as much as 90% complete, but Matt Bozen himself is on record as saying it was as low as 10%. If it was genuinely that low this release is somewhat odd and I can’t help but feel like the time and resources would have been better spent on a new game – look, I love the GBA as much as the next grognard, but the low resolution and limited buttons were a problem even when it was new. And this game DOES run on a GBA – obviously you don’t get the high-res art and menus, but the core game is literally available for the GBA. With those limitations, in some ways Shantae Advance feels noticeably more dated than even Risky’s Revenge, which was built for the significantly more powerful DSi. The screen crunch is very real, and it makes navigation in this game far more confusing than it needs to be, especially when combined with this game’s USP – the ability to move between foreground and background. This idea was flirted with in Risky’s Revenge, but here they’ve really committed - every overworld is split into essentially two separate levels that you can move between at doors. These worlds also have a button that can rearrange the two layers, so you essentially have four different versions of the same level. Wayforward in their wisdom didn’t bother to include a map, and it’s a massive problem - due to the screen crunch it can be difficult to work out what has changed at all when you stomp on that button, and the second overworld in particular I found to be a nightmare to navigate. The dungeons themselves are quite good, and like most Shantae games they represent the high points of the game. The transformations are all ones we’ve seen many times before (outside of the crab, which is basically a bad mermaid), but they’re fun and well animated, and the transformation mechanics are the quickest and snappiest we’ve ever had. The overworld and story progression though honestly would have felt sloppy and confusing even for 2005 – at this point we had two Metroid and three Castlevania games, all of which I think have much stronger design even 20 years later. So while it’s interesting to see Shantae Advance resurrected, I think it falls between two stools – it’s held back by the severe limitations of the platform, but it doesn’t have the cachet of being an actual game from 2005. It’s kind of a Star Wars Special edition, an awkward fusion of old and new that ends up feeling both dated and inauthentic simultaneously. If it had been released in 2005, I think it would be very fondly remembered by the 11 people who bought it. But in the cold light of 2026 I really don’t think it has what it takes against the dozens of better games in the genre, especially for the price, especially especially considering Wayforward’s scummy move to hide extra costumes behind a very expensive deluxe edition (you can’t buy these separately). I don’t think Shantae Advance is a bad game, but I do think it’s a mediocre one that (like most Shantae games) relies on great art, cheesecake and a cute fun story to elevate it. For the Shantae faithful only,

私はただファンサービスのためにここにいる by ボロ 同感ですボロ君！ とは言えボツGBAゲームですからあまり期待してはいけない。 でもスタッフの「理解度の高さ」に随所でとても感心した、おかげで全シリーズやろう決心を決めました。 時間と体力が欲しいw

Es mi segundo de Shantae, y esta muy bueno, diferente puedo definir, pero tengo que jugar los clasicos

Hands down the best Game Boy Advance game of this decade.

很好的游戏，香缇真的是个优秀的游戏，但是……为什么dlc不能单独购买啊……，只能一开始就买豪华版吗？？？

Buen juego pero aun siento que le falta algo que le de rejugabilidad

-3 HOURS long game -Extras hidden locked behin steep paywall: you will need to buy THE WHOLE game again as a deluxe edition

Recordaba que de pequeño jugaba mucho con la Game Boy, y en especial con la Advance pequeñita, me lo llevaba a todos lados y jugaba clásicos como Yoshi's Island, Metal Slug y también Shantae, me parecía raro el concepto en el momento pero tampoco logré avanzar mucho así que lo olvidé, y apenas ahora lo pude conseguir y jugar su remaster, y efectivamente es una jalada de historia pero esta bueno No recomendable jugar con una sola mano por favor cochinotes, se usan AMBAS manos XD Buenas naches

To anyone who has played the first shantae this is an absolute must. If you are looking for a fun causual plattformer witha short but funny story i can only recommend it

It's shantae what more do you want me to say? I love that girl!!