Ret-2-Go on vacation!
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Console: Nintendo Switch |
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A still to show the games artstyle and graphics. |
Story of
Seven Sirens is good and entertaining, but nothing we haven´t seen before from
the series. Having played 4 out of 5 games in the series how WayForward
structures these games have become clear to me. It's the more standard 'travel
the world and defeat ... bosses' but spiced up by a bunch of seemingly
unimportant side-quests like 'catch the doll thief' that end up giving you
exactly what you need to overcome your current obstacle. Maybe in part because
of this, it feels like Seven Sirens just going through the motions at times, is
on auto-pilot. It follows its own established formula to a T.
Even so,
the story was still entertaining because the personality, the game's humour and
tone and such, are big in full swing and it's as enjoyable as ever. It's a mix
of older pop-culture parodies alongside self-referential humour and 4th wall
breakings shenanigans all done in good fun. The game even references parody
characters and plots and, if I may get ahead of myself here a little, brings
back elements from the series that were removed for Half-Genie Hero such as the
Squid-Smith. This all helps create a world, an atmosphere, that is so strong
that it smooths out the story's kinks.
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A still image from the animated opening. |
The game
retains the same character designs and models of Half-Genie Hero, yes, but it
reintroduces many old enemies in the new style as well as bringing in plenty of
new ways. The backgrounds are fully 2D now instead of the 2.5D of Half-Genie
Hero. The 2.5D backgrounds never bothered me personally but it was heavily requested
by the Shantae fan base and I can't deny that it looks really good. The only
area that feels like a step down in this department is the soundtrack. It's not
bad, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it also isn't as good as
previous entries. It relies too much on previous compositions and is, all in
all, not as snappy nor catchy.
Another
department where the developers listened to player feedback is the animal
transformations. Instead of pushing the dance button and then selecting the
transformation into they are now activated instantaneously, with a push of a
button. It´s just like the pirate equipment from Pirates Curse and it´s all the
better for it. I never found the ´you have to stop to transform´ approach that
problematic but even I can admit that it´s a lot more convenient this way and
keeps the pace going.
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Dashing with the Newt transformation. |
The dancing
is now used to activate the brand-new fusion transformations. By combining her
magic with that of the other Half-Genies, Shantae can transform into new forms.
A good idea that I think the game should've gone further with. In-game, the use
of these transformations are limited. They either open up new paths, like the
normal animal transformations and/or function as screen-nukes, do lots of
damage to each enemy on screen. It's an OK use, if not a rather bland one. The
concept has a lot of potentials which the game doesn't utilise. Perhaps make
them new forms of Shantae that have completely different move-sets and
playstyles? Something that you can use as the core mechanic of Shantae 6 if you
ask me.
Back to
this Shantae game. The last thing I really need to talk about is, well, the
gameplay and the levels. As I said in the opening, Seven Sirens goes back to
its Metroidvania and it's actually the most approachable Metroidvania I know
of. Paradise Island is a well designed, good mix of exploration and platforming
with the pure platforming sections that connect the various labyrinth and the
labyrinths themselves. The game has some very strong level design. If only the
map would allow you to place checkmarks, would've made the entire experience
even that much better.
Sadly
though, I can't give the same praise to the bosses which are a clear step down
in more ways than one. While the animated cutscenes are wonderful to have, they
completely replace the introductory dialogue and buildup. They're still just as
well designed as always but they lack personality and there's thus nothing to
really latch on to with them. The fights themselves also disappoint. The boss
patterns aren't that interesting or creative and there are either over before
you know it or drag on for too long. Even the final boss has a concept at her
core that the series has done before.
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The newly added card system. |
Too easy I
can say. I play Shantae for the fun of it, not the be particularly challenged
but even I thought the game became too easy at the end. You can, if you invest
in the upgrades, just run through the levels without having to worry to take
damage, there are so many recovery options. In terms of combat, the merged
forms are too powerful. Too much of a screen-nuke that can cut down even the
most challenging of enemies. It makes the game approachable, yes, but also
makes it so you can run through the last few parts of the game practically
brainless and that isn't something a game should strive for.
Conclusion
Shantae and
the Seven Sirens is one of the best Shantae games, though arguably not the
best. It combines many of the quality of life and accessibility upgrades of the
pure platformer Half-Genie Hero with the series' Metroidvania roots alongside
listening to fan feedback such as the simplified transformations. It is also
perhaps too accessible, as the difficulty can easily be broken in half and the
game feels like it's running on auto-pilot more than once.Even so it's a game
that Shantae fans will enjoy as its heart remains the same and serves as the
best entry point in the Metroidvania genre.
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