#WII U SHANTAE SPRITES UPGRADE#

I love galleries like this, and it felt like a great addition. New this time around is an art gallery, which showcases tons of art assets from the game’s development. His whistle works similarly to the pirate’s flare from Pirate’s Curse, allowing players to back out of a level immediately whenever they want. Sky’s bird, Wrench, can now grow to gargantuan sizes and fly Shantae all around Sequin Land, ferrying her back and forth at whim to each level.

#WII U SHANTAE SPRITES UPGRADE#

You’re once again spending money to upgrade your abilities, but gold is easy to come by, so I never felt like I was really missing out on skills. One of my favorite things to return in this title is the hot spring in town. It’s comfy, fun and familiar, and I’m all for it in my wacky and charming adventure game. The writing remains witty and pun-filled. The usual cast of characters make their appearances, with Sky and Bolo giving Shantae a hand, Rottytops being a nebulous friend, and Risky and the Barons getting in our Half-Genie’s way throughout her adventures. As a result of Risky’s raid, Shantae is once again fired as the town’s genie, but that won’t stop her from doing everything she can to protect Sequin Land and her fellow townsfolk. Her Uncle Mimic, in his attempt to alleviate some of Shantae’s duties to Scuttle Town, creates a machine called the Dynamo that Risky steals in order to rip open the rift between the human and genie realms, thereby bringing about the disaster Shantae was warned about. The Genie Realm is in danger, and an unnamed genie calls out to Shantae in her dreams to warn her of the coming disaster. In terms of story, it’s pretty simple, but charming. I wish the level design had embraced a more Metroidvania-esque connectedness between zones, but there are still plenty of chances for exploration and backtracking as you gain more upgrades, so it’s not really a knock against the game itself. Each region has distinct looks and environments, and I love the verticality of every level.

The colors absolutely popped on my PS5, and everything ran smooth as butter to boot. While I still, personally, prefer the sprites from the older games for Shantae and pals, there is no denying how fluid and smooth their animations are here, or how vibrant the palette is. As she gains new genie powers and upgrades, Shantae can dive deep beneath the waves as a crab or mermaid, fly through the air as a bat or harpy, climb walls as a monkey, hang from ceilings as a spider, and stomp on enemies as an elephant.Īs Shantae’s first real HD adventure, Half-Genie Hero is absolutely gorgeous. Much like the games that came before, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero – Ultimate Edition is a fun, colorful romp through an assortment of danger-laden worlds. Our Queen of the Seven Seas is out to harm the Genie Realm, and it’s up to Shantae to stop her by using her own genie magic and some help from her friends – not to mention a ton of transformations. Our Half-Genie Hero is back and on another adventure to save Sequin Land from the nefarious Risky Boots. PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, Steam, Stadia 20, 2016 (PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Steam) Dec. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero – Ultimate Editionĭec.

Wii u shantae sprites