I’m very fond of the Shantae series. Wayforward’s Genie-themed Metroidvania franchise is a hidden gem that often gets mocked because of its scantily clad heroine or the occasional large-breasted boss enemy. Shantae Advance: Risky’s Revolution is the latest entry, yet Wayforward has drifted back to a bygone era, for better or worse.

Shantae Advance: Risky’s Revolution was actually meant to be released two decades ago, after the Game Boy Color’s original Shantae title. However, it was put on hiatus (cancelled, really) due to Wayforward being unable to find a publisher. Now, this lost Shantae adventure is back.

In Shantae Advance: Risky’s Revolution, you play as Shantae (obviously) as she attempts to stop Risky Boots, a greedy pirate. Risky has figured out how to manipulate the tectonic plates of the world in order to make previously landlocked areas coastal, and vice versa. This journey will send you across Sequin Land, learning new Genie Dances and rescuing Relic Hunters who can help you resolve the crisis.

Now, I personally have two issues with Shantae Advance above all others. For one, there isn’t a windowed mode, or even an option to adjust resolution. You can adjust the size of the gameplay window with wallpaper taking up the rest of your screen, but you can’t actually adjust the game window or the display resolution of the window itself. I can easily see some monitors, streamers, etc, having issues with this.

The other issue I had with Shantae Advance is that there is no in-game map at all. There’s no way to figure out where you have searched, where you collected items, etc. I understand that they were going for a GBA-style here, but Metroid Fusion and several other Metroidvanias released on the platform all had maps. It isn’t really an excuse.

I have seen a variety of reviews on Steam mention crashing and bugs, but I haven’t had any of that. So, either the developers have updated and patched them out, or my system just played nice. Regardless, Shantae Advance plays smoothly on my PC, and I can’t imagine many systems having issues.

The level areas are interesting, with multiple layers that offer a variety of challenges and secrets to find. This gets tricky without a map, but the colorful pixel art is a feast for the eyes, and the art style in general is beautiful.

Shantae Advance is a lot of fun overall. As I said, it is strange having a Metroidvania with no map involved, but I think this is a nice and nostalgic dip back into the Game Boy Advance era. If you prefer more modern games, then I think the previous Shantae entries (other than the first game) might be more palatable, though.

If you aren’t bothered by the classic vibe and fewer quality-of-life options that match the era it was originally meant to be created in, then I think Shantae Advance is a fun return to Sequin Land. It actually feels less like a lost game and more like a “demake”, you might see on Twitter or Bluesky. Give Shantae Advance: Risky’s Revolution a try, you won’t regret it.

A PC review copy of Shantae Advance: Risky’s Revolution was provided by Wayforward for the purposes of this review.

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Shantae Advance: Risky's Revolution

$24.99 USD

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Crisp Pixel Art Aesthetic
• Great Metroidvania Gameplay
• Fun Characters and Quest design
• Interesting Level design

Cons

• No Visual Resolution Options or WIndowed Modes
• No Map which makes exploration Frustrating