I’m a big fan of the Shantae franchise. Wayforward’s Metroidvania series has consistently provided some of my favorite side-scrolling Metroidvania experiences. They always wind up having interesting mechanics, cool ideas, and a fun story too. Now that Shantae and the Seven Sirens is on PlayStation 5, I knew I had to check out the next-gen release.

In Shantae and the Seven Sirens, Shantae, Gramps, Bobo, and Sky make their way to Arena Town for the Half-Genie Festival. For the first time, Shantae gets to meet other Half-Genies like herself! However, during the festival’s opening performance, the other 4 Half-Genies disappear! It is up to Shantae to figure out what has happened to the girls and uncover the secrets of Arena Town and the Island it rests on.

If you have played a Shantae game, then you have an idea of what you’re in for. Shantae can attack with her hair (her regular attack) and use magic to protect herself or deal damage. As you explore the map, navigating through various areas, you’ll unlock fusion coins that give Shantae new transformations. As you save the other Half-Genies, they will teach you dances that allow you to do other things as well. All these abilities will help you reach new areas or traverse areas that were previously inaccessible.

This time around though, killing enemies can drop Monster Cards. By equipping monster cards, you can also give Shantae new skills. She can survive falling in pits, deal more damage, attract nearby gems (money), or even move faster while transformed. Gems can be used to purchase upgrades in town areas and can often be used to upgrade your hair attacks or your magic.

Additionally, you can collect food items or buy potions to restore Shantae’s health or magic. Collecting Heart Squids around the map allows you to melt them down and give Shantae more heart containers at the local “Squidsmith”. There is a Squidsmith in every town, so don’t worry about backtracking too much. There are also warp rooms, so you can travel across the map quickly.

The PS5 version comes with Dualsense audio, as well as the use of the activity function. This release also has all the content (including 5 game modes) from the Spectacular Superstar update of the original release. This means that the PS5 version is the definitive version, and you have all the content available at your fingertips.

How does it play though? Well, the gameplay is smooth. I didn’t have any crashes or lag, and the controls feel responsive and intuitive. The music is good, and the difficulty is challenging, though there are other difficulty options mixed in the 5 game modes.

I would say that Shantae and the Seven Sirens strikes a nice balance between challenge and fun. Though people with platforming issues might want to play an easier mode, there are a lot of buttons and some difficult platforming sections. The art style is gorgeous, though I will say that the fanservice is a little strange for some of the bosses.

There is also animated cinematics spread throughout, that give the game a sort of “Saturday Morning Cartoon” feel. I would love to see them make Shantae into an anime or even just a regular cartoon series. There is plenty of lore and storyline basis for it.

Overall, if you like the Shantae games, or you love a good Metroidvania, you can’t go wrong with Shantae and the Seven Sirens. The PS5 version is well polished and has plenty of content for you to sink your teeth into. There are all sorts of side quests and things to collect too, so you’ll be at it a while.

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Shantae and the Seven Sirens

$29.99

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Beautiful Cartoon Animation
• Smooth Controls and Combat
• Interesting Progression Systems
• Lots of Difficulty Options
• Monster Card Mechanic is Interesting

Cons

• Weird Fanservice Moments
• Punishing Platforming Spots