Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

In the six hours I spent on my first play through of Half-Genie Hero, I found myself smiling at the creative level design, laughing at the whimsical characters, and striving to get better whenever I missed a challenging jump. It’s rare that I ever want to play a game to completion twice, but I absolutely intend to throw myself back into Sequin Land to uncover all the secrets I missed in my first run—maybe I’ll even tackle the “Hero Mode,” which is designed for speed runs. Whether you backed the game on Kickstarter or have been on the fence with the series for a while and waiting for a time to jump in, there’s a lot to love about 1/2 Genie Hero.

Despite all my nitpicks, I enjoyed my time with Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero. There's no denying it's one of the most beautiful 2D games I've ever seen, and it might have taken the title easily if Owlboy hadn't come out just a couple of months ago. It ran flawlessly on the Wii U, so I have no doubt it'll look just as breathtaking on more modern consoles and PCs.

We absolutely give Shantae: Half-Genie Hero a recommendation; fans will find plenty to love, and newcomers will find that this is a great point to jump into the series. This is a shining example of WayForward's talent with 2D action games, and things have never looked better for Shantae.