Another wonderful game I got to play at PAX West 2019 was the latest Shantae adventure, Shantae and the Seven Sirens. I suspected after the last reveal for the game that this title would be more in the vein of Pirate’s Curse than Half-Genie Hero, and turns out I was totally right! Which is fantastic for me, since Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is easily my favorite game in the entire series. In the PAX West demo, I got to play through a dungeon full of the usual baddies, such as cranky cacti and cyclopean crustaceans. I had access to a couple magical attacks to aid me, one was a boomerang attack and the other a ball that bounced off surfaces. Using these and my trusty hair whip, I was able to get through much of the dungeon, but couldn’t have gotten far without a new transformation.
Yes, transformations are back in this game, and the new one revealed in the demo was pretty fantastic. By pressing a button, Shantae would dash, instantly transforming into a newt that could walk on any flat surface. This opened up the dungeon dramatically, and led me to fighting the boss, a beautiful yet sinister plant diva. She floated about summoning giant thorny vines to crush me. I was unable to even land a hit til I saw some pressure plates on the walls, and used my newt climb to activate them. Once I put the diva in the spotlight, flowers started to fall from the ceiling, which I could use as platforms to reach and hit her. After rinsing and repeating, I was able to put her back in the dirt.
Some other fun highlights from the demo was a boss fight against Risky, though an admittedly short and easy one. Nothing like the challenging ones the series is known for, especially the one in Half-Genie Hero. I also got to rescue another half-genie from a cage, and she graced me with the newt transformation. It seems apparent that Risky is taking the blame for the genies being kidnapped, but it also seems there’s more to the story. Either way, I can’t wait for the release of Shantae and the Seven Sirens. It easily has the makings of being the best game in the series, and I’m beyond excited to find out.
