@j1mjam DUDE, Looking at your profile pic hit me with a truck load of nostalgia. Aleta was my favorite character from Code Lyoko. Such an underrated French cartoon.
Mario: At least you don't have a double ganger who shared print all over the island and blames it on you and have to clean it, 'Sigh' My weekend was just painful!
It really feels as if the Shantae series is currently in this weird middle ground where it's popular enough that they want to make a high budget game (animated cutscenes, voice acting, etc.) but they don't have enough funds yet to fully realize it.
I think these games are as mediocre as they are because wayforward realizes that people only like these games because of the sex appeal. People buy these games to jerk off, and there's no nice way of saying that
I felt the animated cutscenes were a bit off and I couldn't put my finger on why. Then I realized. With a couple of exceptions, characters don't talk and move at the same time. Either the characters are moving, or their mouths are. Rarely together.
That's Anime for ya. It's much more detailed and cleaner than most other styles of animation. But it's only really fluid in certain scenes. It's not as consistently smooth as other styles.
Some drawings are also just a bit off when it comes to proportions, anatomy and perspective. Not by much, but it's especially visible when compared to the Trigger opening.
Idk, I knew they weren’t perfect, but I kinda expected that tbh. It never bothered me, if anything, I found the imperfections very charming since they’re obviously an indie studio doing it in-house.
I tell ya, it's a shame Jake Kaufman wasn't available for this one, but the soundtrack is still pretty great! I'm loving the beachy chiptune tracks this game offers.
I think the soundtrack was still enjoyable but it’s not nearly as good as Kaufman’s work. On a bit of a side not does anyone think it’s weird that they had a remix of Risky’s theme but had a new (and completely inferior) boss theme?
I think Johnny’s on to something with that world design, while each area has a different theme and aesthetically feels different, hell I felt like I was in a Metroid setting at times, they all play the same and it kinda feels like I’m running through the same area layout with a different coat of paint. It would be cool if areas had more of the background environments incorporated into the areas platforms. For example it would’ve been cool if the ghost harbor area had some ships and cranes to jump around on or you could only explore the above water area until you get the frog power and have the underwater area open to you. Or maybe there’s a unique thing you do in each area that spices the gameplay up, that’s something Pirate’s curse did and it was great. I still think the game’s a fun time, it’s got some good things going for it but Johnny’s right, it could’ve done so much more
Yeah I do feel like this is the best way to put it. I definitely enjoyed the game and loved the underwater aesthetic the whole game had, but it did feel a little... slapped together in places. I agree with everything Johnny said but it still felt like a solid experience for me.
Mad Mage agreed, I think they could take some queues from 1/2 genie’s level designs. Everything looked different but also had different elements and mechanics
John's probably aware, but I'll just be "that guy" and point out that hurr durr Gurren Lagann isn't actually by studio TRIGGER it's by the Gainax employees who later formed studio TRIGGER now that i've pointed it out no one has to
The only review that matters. edit: your review basically confirmed my fears with the game. I'll probably give it a miss unless they update it with more difficulty settings.
Johnny: releases new video Me: Studying for exams and sees the new video "Think I'll study later" Johnny: "Please don't neglect your studies" Me: "Y'all hear sumn?"
Ever since "Pirate's Curse" Wayfoward seem to be taking two steps foward and one step back since then. Hopefully this will be a bit more complete and improved upon with DLC.
I think the problem is that you can't easily just plaster the mechanics from Pirate's Curse into a new game because she only had the abilities due to the story of the game. So they want to keep Shantae's defining feature of dancing, but can't quite figure out how to make it work in a similar style to the pirate items.
I haven’t played Pirates Curse myself but it’s a shame they used the formula for that game so quickly because it’s very obvious that they aren’t sure how to evolve the series gameplay beyond that.
@@PepsiGolem I'd say the problem is that WayForward probably never believed Shantae would get this massive. We're talking about a game series that originally only saw 25,000 copies sold globally on its first release. Now, it hit a milestone of over 3 million units. Which, yes, is a massive landmark for any Indie series. Pirate's Curse isn't held to a golden standard just because of the power-ups ― pacing, exploration, worthwhile challenge, fun bosses, snappy moment-to-moment action ― that all played a role in making that game so memorable. Just my humble opinion.
I know why he didn't do it, it was because in this game the cards have so little physical effect that it is honestly EXTREMELY easy to forget you have certain cards equipped until you feel an irksome feeling as to why you feel so slow sometimes when traveling
Johnny: I have a whole list of problems with the Shantae series. Listener: Oh, so you're not a Shantae fan? Johnny: I never said that. *Edit: to be clear, I’m not criticizing Johnny. I’m the same way with shows and games I like.
@@motorwayt-s628 Yeah, i mean this dude's a fan of the Sonic Series, it's obvious he can tolerate a few, or a lot (depending on what game), of flaws and still be a fan of something most of the time!
When the game release date was announced my twitter feed exploaded in hype & I was there too. I doubled dipped on getting the PC & Switch version via limated games...ok and the Shantae plush. This game I see it as for poeple who never tried a metroidvania but wanna give it a shot. Funny how this came out around the same week of WF looking interested into remading the original And how we are most likely getting more Shantae via anime & other ganeras like Comics [please let there be Shantae Comics] Its a fun time to be a Shantae fan
It would depend on if you prefer a slightly challenging game vs one with better graphical fidelity. Overall it seems Pirate's Curse is still the best platforming experience.
Sherry Florio Like for me it’s pirates curse Then probably tie with half genie hero and seven sirens. And then honestly tied at bottom for Shantae 1 and Risky’s revenge. Shnatae can be really frustrating to play but RR is still easily the most boring game in the series for me.
@@AnonymousGentooman It was not really released episode by episode on apple arcade. Just a demo, and then the full release. Also, most Shantae games have an episodic feel.
So Pirates Curse remains the exception not the rule, shame really. I personally enjoy SS, more than HG, but I do understand a fair bit of the complaints.
I liked more HG than seven sirens. I was quick to finish the game in a day while with half genie it took more time. Though seven sirens has more quality and I like the new characters. If they had made the stages more pretty like in HG it would've been cool
Even though this game is very easy, I will consider this my second favorite after Pirate's curse. I really like the presentation and the mobility is the closest they have come to pirate's curse. I definitely agree that there should have been a warp dance or a item to return you to the main town because those loads times are pretty atrocious for a game like this. This game definitely needs a hard mode or maybe something like a master mode where the entire world is changed with harder dungeons and enemy placements.
Shame you didn't like this one that much, John, I personally adored it and I think it needs to simmer for a bit but it might be my favorite. I felt the game still had charm in spades in spite of the flaws you have shown me it has, and is a hell of a blast to play through. I played Magic Mode all the way through and yeah by the end you don't notice the difference much anymore. But I still love it to pieces.
I feel like the collectibles are hidden too well at points. Sure a majority of Heart Squids are out in the open but a large majority of Nuggets are buried in the ground or occasionally the ceiling that you need to dig up with the turtle or quake dance, at least on the ground there is the indicator of some Tinkerbats digging indicating the there is something there but if it's in the ceiling your going to have to spam the seer dance to find it. Also I wish cards would drop more instead of the over abundance of food.
Still wanting a Shatnae TV Series by now and let me tell ya I will NEVER get tried of listening to the new theme song of her and keep In mind I actually got a chance to meet her last year at Fan Expo, who also still voices Ladybug of Miraculous! *Dances Through The Danger combined with Miraculous' Theme Song Intestines*
A nice tidbit I found while looking through the games files, out of boredom, is that the Newt, Tortus and Squid are titled as "Monkey", "Elephant" and "Harpy". Also the sprites with the battle armor are saved as "Anime_Armor"
@Ryan Fanstone ok do you know any that is a actual show with a plot thats not just fucking? If not then we need one hell Senran Kagura has one and that is just straight up softcore Porn but boy the games are addicting to play. You can turn off cloths tear and jiggles physics in the games and just play them as a hack and slash fighting games for the most part varies game by game on what Genre the game is in as they have a Sports one and a really weird creepy one called Reflexions that if you seen someone playing you would tell them go to the side of the street to pick up a hooker and get laid as clearly they need it. But anyways as i was saying we need one where the plot is just not Sex as that is a pretty boring show as you fap once and move on and never look back and hope you deleted your internet history otherwise people are going to question your art tastes
As far as I know. It's like this for the Consoles too, minus the constant stuttering. For me i was playing the Switch version and I cannot stand the load times. And weirdly it even had a few instances of random slowdown as well for me. Basically the game doesn't seem that well optimized, probably something they can fix with a patch so it's no biggie.
I don't know. I'm on the Xbox One S and, besides the long-ish loading times, I've had a rather pleasant time. No show down, stuttering, or anything of that nature.
It's the only one I haven't played, but watched and can understand entirely. Lots of lore bg, perfect end to the series with high tier threatening boss, boss matters to Shantae and the abilities work perfectly well while also having synergy and more streamlined than the dancing.
Personally disagree. I feel Half-Genie Hero is the best game and Seven Sirens is just as good as Pirate's Curse. I also feel this game has potential for future installments given the increased lore and worldbuilding. It answered many questions we had since the first game, after all.
That Trigger artsyle though I remember when I watched Gurren Lagann and couldn't help thinking "This is just Getter Robo." And then the ending was literally Getter Robo but worse
Haven't played the game, but from what I've heard from reviews, it sounds like this was to get new players introduced to Shante and test out some new gameplay formulas to see what people like
Im really hoping more modes come later on down the line, or at least other characters because the opening cutscene totally lead me to believe they were gonna play more of a role. At the very least wayford have apparently said they want to make more Shantae games, possibly in other genres to help expand the gameverse so hopefully that means more lore soon. I feel like we always end on some important genie fact without much of an answer
Been playing the PS4 version just now, and there are still a lot of loading screens, but haven't seen any lag. Enjoying it so far and the soundtrack is growing on me, but I can see why it left you a bit hollow, Johnny.
I'd say Sonic, actually. He loves the blue guy to death when he's done right but he's criticized more Sonic games than praised, I find. That's not to say games like 06 and Secret Rings don't deserve said criticism.
ill admit I'm a fan of the series though he does bring up some legitimate issues like warping and the easy drops of food and money and the large locations, I still like the game but either you love a game or not their is still something to criticize from everyone, its usually down to different viewpoints
To be fair, with the exception of PC, all of them are kinda meh. They have a lot of problems people are willing to overlook because the character is cute and the games are super easy.
@@meikaishi oh definitely, im just pointing out that for every positive he gives with these games there always seems to be something else that counters it
People have opinions. I feel like people blow the hatred of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Gates to Infinity, Sonic Lost World, Shantae half-genie hero, Sonic Forces, Super Mario Sunshine, Smash Bros. Brawl and Paper Mario Color Splash WAY out of proportion, but I mean you like what you like and hate what you don't Honestly as long as you'll explain yourself, I'll listen, but if you're just like "Wow you really dislike Sonic Mania" and refuse to do anything but spam memes to defend your point just get out of my face.
I totally felt the same emptiness after completing this one. Something like Monster Boy completely upstages Seven Sirens. But as always, there is the awesome art and unique energy to keep you engaged. Map completion sucked for me too and I was contempt with my 85% rate in the end. Maybe if they add some DLC I might go back. Kinda sad to see this franchise always being held back in some way from true greatness. Still a good experience overall. Great review Johnny and yeah, give us battle armor Shantae and Sky to play as!
I'm wondering when you'll finally cover the DS Castlevania games. You keep mentioning it quite a lot recently, and I sure love to hear your thoughts about it.
Don't forget the GBA ones! Well... Actually Circle of the Moon is better to be forgotten... Harmony of Dissonance too to be honest... Just don't forget Aria of Sorrow
@@atijohn8135 neither Circle nor Harmony deserve to be forgotten. Circle is satisfyingly challenging, while Harmony has a phenomenal horror-like atmosphere. They're not the best in the series but they can still give lessons to a lot of the bland, cookie-cutter metroidvanias coming out recently.
@@MrMrFreddy Circle of the Moon has a good amount of challenge - that's good, however I feel like the boss fights are extremely slow in comparsion to those from Aria, or even Harmony (despite Harmony being probably the easiest portable castlevania). Moveset in Circle is lacking, there's no backdash, no divekick, and of course there's the terrible decision to bind the ability to run to a 2x(direction) combination. Visually it's the worst one, the castle looks very samey, which was something SotN already solved masterfully. Most of the soundtrack is just remixes from previous games (and why they had to put the same music in 5 areas, it gets old very quickly). DSS cards are very unbalanced and they are based on RNG, but not like the souls in Aria. You simply cannot finish the game with at least 20 of them, while in Circle of the Moon I usually have 5-6 cards at the end of a playthrough, because the drop rates are so horribly low. Harmony of Dissonance in 2002 maybe was a little bit scary and the music was helping to build that emotion, but nowadays the music is just annoying to listen. This is because most of the tracks in the game are a "dissonance", which is simply not pleasant to the human ear. Besides, what is a horror game if there's no threat? Since Harmony of Dissonance is probably the second easiest castlevania there is, some might even say it's easier than SotN. It doesn't help that the game doesn't have much character customization. There are plenty of spellbooks and subweapons, but without the challenge, you might as well ignore them or stick to only one of them. Potions are too plentiful, since there's no limit on them and they are cheap. Then there's the biggest advantage and at the same time disadvantage of Harmony - level design. In your first playthrough, Harmony is just a chore to go through. At the beginning of the game (castle A - entrance)) there's some sort of rock blocking your path. In the next part of the game (castle B - treasury) you come to the other side, and there's another rock blocking your path. It indicates that it may be something important, since they put two entrances to the same place, something Castlevania didn't do before. In the next part of the game (castle A - chapel) there's a similar rock in a corner of the map. That rock doesn't feel that important - you could think that it leads to just a life up or some book, especially since there's the other path blocked by it that seems far more important. You then get the ability to warp between the two castles, and with it you get the ability to break those rocks. What most players would probably do, is to get back to the two rocks blocking the passage. Turns out, there's absolutely nothing in there besides some items that are rather useless because of the game's difficulty. The entire trip, which takes around 20 minutes, is completely wasted. This is something that is just ridiculous to me. And that's something that happens more than once in the game - you go somewhere and suddenly you cannot progress, because you need the abiltiy that was in the area that was the other path in the forkroad. It's literally dependant on your own luck if you will have to waste 40 minutes, just because you picked the wrong path, which had no indication that it is the wrong path. *However* this aspect of the game is also something that makes it strangely gratifying to plot your way through the castle, now that you know the layout. But I think it's still better to have a level design present in all of the other games (aside from maybe the ultra linear first 3 quarters of Order of Ecclesia). Two of those games are probably better than the object of this video. But those games are also quite old, and well, if I had to pick which portable CVs would make it into the video, I'd probably pick Aria of Sorrow.
@@atijohn8135 yeah I understand most of your points (I don't share all of them but I think they're fair) and I also think Aria to be the superior game in the GBA trilogy. Still, I really like them. Circle is weird but really engaging to me, too bad for the randomness of the DSS because it's a system I really like. Harmony I always feel the urge to defend it because in my personal opinion it's really unfairly treated. I really love its OST and even the raw sound quality, I listen to a lot of dissonant music so that soundtrack really clicked with me and sounds really unsettling, I think the compositions are quite sophisticated. To me they corroborate a (sort of) horror atmosphere because the game is almost completely devoid of friendly characters (Maxim is mad, Lydie is missing until the very late game, Merchant is... well, the Merchant) and the castle is really enigmatic in nature, seeing as it appears halfway through Dracula's typical resurrection century. The combination of this setting and the unnerving music makes me feel like I am exploring a spectral, rotting carcass of the castle. Maybe I overthink it, but when it comes to raw atmosphere, Harmony is one of my all time favorite 'vanias, it makes me really enthusiast haha
Shantae only had one dancing animation in Half-Genie Hero too. Surprised he didn't notice that, but I guess I'm one of the few who really cares about Shantae's dances. lol
There's a podcast I listen to, and the way they described this game is "filler arc" in that it has some big information dropped out of nowhere, does nothing with it, and the main character is for some reason a lot dumber. I don't know how true that is since I haven't played the game, but from what I've seen others say that seems accurate
Thank you for your solidarity. I greatly respect you using your platform to speak for equality. One love ✊🏽 - the Black Ness cosplayer from MAGfest 2016
@@boop0122 Ain't that the truth... Despite humoring this radical mob, they wound up just being another laundering scheme and racial attacks skyrocketed against Asians and Jews on top of general crime
Your concept for the fusion forms being alternate playable forms is practically the exact same thing as the Double Soul/Soul Unison concept from the Megaman Battle Network series. Where Megaman can practically fuse with other characters for combat, gaining that character's elemental perks/weaknesses and powered up buster attacks. But yes, absolutely, that kinda feature would be awesome. And would give them some great promo material to hype the game with.
That's a poor comparison, since the recent Shantae games are fun to play but lack the full potential. The modern Sonic games are a failure in writing and design.
@@gamerprince-tl5hg wow, another Shantae fan that doesn't rank Pirate's Curse at #1. Though for me it's a tie for #1 with HGH. I just can't pick which one I like better, there are things I prefer from each over the other
You just summarized what I felt with this game. I just stopped wondering, did I met the seven sirens? did I missed one? I felt the story way too rushed but the highlight was Squid Baron and his man cave... no doubt!
I would argue Squid Baron is the highlight of the series. I laughed so hard when I finished that one squid siren fight,and he 's outside yelling at you for ripping off the final boss from his video game idea.
Don’t know if anyone else has said this already, but... I thought the implication was that the graphics that show up during the fusion dances were the half-genies’ mothers. They passed down their powers to their daughters, and so their images show up when you use those powers. Slight spoilers, but if you compare the ghost genie to the quake dance, you can definitely see the resemblance, despite the different outfit.
Yeah the King Knight thing for Shovel Knight is god damn enourmous. It's bigger than the other 3 Shovel Knight games _combined_ and is way way more difficult, to me anyway. I keep on getting stuck on certain levels and I could still advance because of how the world map is laid out, you can skip levels and still progress, but I'm a completionist so I have to beat every level. Like I do in Mario 3, I play every single level. Eventually I'll learn how to play King Knight but yeah I don't know why it's so much more difficult. It's like how the New Super Mario Bros series of games is WAY harder than the original NES and SNES mario games, even harder than the Lost Levels. Because I keep accidentally wall jumping and stuff. King Knight is the same, I keep accidentally doing moves without meaning to and falling down pits
The dances can also be like the medallions form a link to the past where they affect the entire screen of enemies in different ways. Examplw: Fire is just damage while electric stuns them
I think what you're suggesting for the fusion forms is comparable to the forms in Mega Man ZX and ZX Advent, different forms with different playstyles.
Completely unrelated, but I've been binge-watching these videos and I've noticed a large increase of Johnny breathing in during his voiceovers in this review xD
Man, I completely feel you on the load times. Even on console, the load times take about 15 - 25 seconds (depending on the area loaded); and makes the system scream bloody murder. My guess, is that they didn't change the optimization for the game to work 100% properly with other OS or hardware; other than the Apple handhelds.
"its got half baked voice acting, some lines of dialogue are voiced and some aren't." -oh man then you're gonna have the same complaint for danganronpa if you ever review one of the games in that franchise-
The way Danganronpa does it isn't jarring though. It's consistent. The only real voice acting are featured in the trials and very plot important scenes. Everything else is just text. From what it sounds like, 7 Sirens text boxes flip flop from voiced to not voiced randomly.
He'll definitely say this too if he ever reviews any of the Hyperdimension Neptunia games. (Provided he sticks with the English dub since All cut scenes have Japanese dub).
What I didn't know you could do that at 14:07! There's so many polished little secrets about this game! Personally I liked it a lot, and having all those cards made me feel powerful! I didn't mind the easier difficulty, in fact I probably needed a breezy game considering all that's going on.
Rather than marking collectibles on map, I prefer the player can manually mark the map with stickers for back tracking, more engaging. A list of collectibles of each area is good enough, like 3 heart squid per labyrinth but arealy marked.
You basically touched on all of the issues I had with the game. While I loved it and was still fun to me, there were 2 things that disappointed me the most along with some other nitpicks like not being able to use the arrmor costume: the complete removal of the humanoid transformations, because the designs of the fusion dances were the best in the series and I wish they would've been a way to play as them like you said, especially the seer, quake and spark. And 2 I also wish the sirens had more development considering the way they're now most of them are just there to be bosses and nothing more, which is a shame and a waste of such awesome designs, especially my favorites Water lily and Octo. Empress is another of my favorites btw (yes despite knowing how she really looks like she's my number 1 favorite).
They also for some reason decided to hide something important regarding the sirens. There is a secret ending screen for speedrunning the game which (spoilers) shows Lobster siren playing volleyball with the other sirens and all of them being happy friends. So I guess the sirens turned away from evil but it's never explained in the game itself for whatever reason?
I think Pirate's Curse did it the best: very quick, short lines of dialogue to give Shantae's dialogue a bit more flair, but having all other text isolated. It's not intrusive and gives the protagonist a bit more charm.
*"Look At This. Got A Highly Energetic Intro Going On Here, Animated By Studio Trigger No Less."* Ah!! A company well known for there animation in anime... I just love their art style! 👌😆👍
Man, I'm kind of disappointed with Shantae recently. They seem more interested in their aesthetics than the mechanics. The art is great, but I wish they'd focus on making the gameplay fun first and foremost.
@@Camad pirates curse gameplay happened and probably will not happen again due to story reasons. Im down for the return though if they can work around. I would never call this game unfun though, aside from load screens, ive been enjoying it just as much. Everyone talks about this one being easy but PC was never particularly hard to me either, the only one that was was the first, and me emulating that on a smartphone may have been a factor lol. And HGH funny enough
Actually the mechanics and controls are very good, But level design, enemies and bosses just don't push back the player enough. You can easily tank a lot of damage without consequence with how many healing items they give you. I think if there weren't loading screens it's a very quick game to finish.
I was pretty sure the characters that popped up on screen when she used the other half-genie's powers were implied to be the other half genie's mothers.
There’s something oddly satisfying about seeing Shantae dancing inside Johnny’s silhouette.
Also, goatee Johnny. It’s feels like it’s been a millennia.
The music fits the dancing and silhouette really well
True anime op
Rockin that goatee like it's the Metal Gear marathon.
@j1mjam DUDE, Looking at your profile pic hit me with a truck load of nostalgia. Aleta was my favorite character from Code Lyoko. Such an underrated French cartoon.
Ikr seeing shantae dance in his silhouette is like super cool looking and super nice to look at
Shantae:
"My vacation was ruined by some jerk"
Mario:
"First a time"
Mario: You too?
Shantae: You get sold as a living doll to a squid?
Mario: I'ma shut up now
Mario: At least you don't have a double ganger who shared print all over the island and blames it on you and have to clean it, 'Sigh' My weekend was just painful!
Super Shantae Sunshine
Isle Delfeno can go stuff itself
It really feels as if the Shantae series is currently in this weird middle ground where it's popular enough that they want to make a high budget game (animated cutscenes, voice acting, etc.) but they don't have enough funds yet to fully realize it.
I think these games are as mediocre as they are because wayforward realizes that people only like these games because of the sex appeal. People buy these games to jerk off, and there's no nice way of saying that
@@mcnierstenen9017 wow a fan53 account, if only the opinions of troglodytes mattered
@@mcnierstenen9017 wtf dude stop projecting
@@TheHDEpics Oh yeah, because i should take an anime profile picture seriously
@@mcnierstenen9017 haha it even does the classic 2018 fan53 instagram jokes. do another
I felt the animated cutscenes were a bit off and I couldn't put my finger on why. Then I realized. With a couple of exceptions, characters don't talk and move at the same time. Either the characters are moving, or their mouths are. Rarely together.
That's Anime for ya.
It's much more detailed and cleaner than most other styles of animation.
But it's only really fluid in certain scenes.
It's not as consistently smooth as other styles.
Like anime then
@@AnonymousGentooman so Ocarina of Time on project64?
Some drawings are also just a bit off when it comes to proportions, anatomy and perspective. Not by much, but it's especially visible when compared to the Trigger opening.
Idk, I knew they weren’t perfect, but I kinda expected that tbh. It never bothered me, if anything, I found the imperfections very charming since they’re obviously an indie studio doing it in-house.
Me: "Finally, I can start my college essay."
Johnny: "No you don't."
Me: "No I won't."
replace Johnny with UA-cam in general and you got me
Some people aren't finished college yet?
@@islandboy9381 Lol same here ! It's a bit of a problem actually !
Stonetown3487 Yes
That would be me lol
@@conorburke1999 well yes as it's a little known fact not everybody is the same age and does everything at the same time
I tell ya, it's a shame Jake Kaufman wasn't available for this one, but the soundtrack is still pretty great! I'm loving the beachy chiptune tracks this game offers.
I thought this soundtrack sounded a bit off
I think the soundtrack was still enjoyable but it’s not nearly as good as Kaufman’s work. On a bit of a side not does anyone think it’s weird that they had a remix of Risky’s theme but had a new (and completely inferior) boss theme?
It’s decent, but not as good as it could’ve been...
Pirate’s Curse is still a better soundtrack for how high energy and intense it is
I think Johnny’s on to something with that world design, while each area has a different theme and aesthetically feels different, hell I felt like I was in a Metroid setting at times, they all play the same and it kinda feels like I’m running through the same area layout with a different coat of paint. It would be cool if areas had more of the background environments incorporated into the areas platforms. For example it would’ve been cool if the ghost harbor area had some ships and cranes to jump around on or you could only explore the above water area until you get the frog power and have the underwater area open to you. Or maybe there’s a unique thing you do in each area that spices the gameplay up, that’s something Pirate’s curse did and it was great. I still think the game’s a fun time, it’s got some good things going for it but Johnny’s right, it could’ve done so much more
Yeah I do feel like this is the best way to put it. I definitely enjoyed the game and loved the underwater aesthetic the whole game had, but it did feel a little... slapped together in places. I agree with everything Johnny said but it still felt like a solid experience for me.
Mad Mage agreed, I think they could take some queues from 1/2 genie’s level designs. Everything looked different but also had different elements and mechanics
Agreed
With this, and it's stop-go progression. The game becomes such a boring slog
@@dylanscheffer915 I wonder if part of the issue is that this game was a lab rat for Apple Arcade and was bottlenecked because of that
John's probably aware, but I'll just be "that guy" and point out that hurr durr Gurren Lagann isn't actually by studio TRIGGER it's by the Gainax employees who later formed studio TRIGGER
now that i've pointed it out no one has to
eh, Gurren Lagann is considered an honorary Trigger anime anyway
@Tom The Fish Bones did the movie, right?
Nerd!
seems like that he did it as an equation, at one side Gurren Lagann and at the other Kill La Kill sum up to make what’s in the middle (Promare)
I like to think of Gurren Lagann as proto-Trigger, in that sense; same thing with Panty n Stocking.
The only review that matters.
edit: your review basically confirmed my fears with the game. I'll probably give it a miss unless they update it with more difficulty settings.
Bruh just pirate and buy if you like it.
@@MrFanboy24 pirating indie games is pretty scummy
I pirated it, liked it, and bought it. A happier ending than just giving it a miss.
Shantae 06
Guess what? Update time. Look for a trailer
Johnny: releases new video
Me: Studying for exams and sees the new video
"Think I'll study later"
Johnny: "Please don't neglect your studies"
Me: "Y'all hear sumn?"
Those cutscenes, I can see why people like Shantae
Even ignoring that, she's a likeable character.
@@kingofnothing1871 No U
My reason for wanting her in Smash.
Yea the gameplay is amazing have you tried pirate's curse
Yeah, they knew exactly what they were doing when making those cutscenes.
Ya know, I'm interested in the Limited Run Games release so this helps.
Same, I can actually go off more than a trailer to see if this game is worth it
Sameee I preordered but it wont come for like 2 to 3 months
I got it digital on PS4 for trophies and purchased the special LE Switch version.
You have until Sunday to get it from Limited Run
Limited Run Games?
Ever since "Pirate's Curse" Wayfoward seem to be taking two steps foward and one step back since then. Hopefully this will be a bit more complete and improved upon with DLC.
I think the problem is that you can't easily just plaster the mechanics from Pirate's Curse into a new game because she only had the abilities due to the story of the game. So they want to keep Shantae's defining feature of dancing, but can't quite figure out how to make it work in a similar style to the pirate items.
I haven’t played Pirates Curse myself but it’s a shame they used the formula for that game so quickly because it’s very obvious that they aren’t sure how to evolve the series gameplay beyond that.
There is no DLC planned
@@PepsiGolem I'd say the problem is that WayForward probably never believed Shantae would get this massive. We're talking about a game series that originally only saw 25,000 copies sold globally on its first release. Now, it hit a milestone of over 3 million units. Which, yes, is a massive landmark for any Indie series. Pirate's Curse isn't held to a golden standard just because of the power-ups ― pacing, exploration, worthwhile challenge, fun bosses, snappy moment-to-moment action ― that all played a role in making that game so memorable. Just my humble opinion.
@@millabasset1710 i am sure costumes are planed at some point as cosmetic DLC's are always a thing in games like these
I feel like whenever Wayforward looks at criticism they end up over correcting in the opposite direction.
0:27 OMG Johnny shaved his beard.. I haven't seen his bread shaved since his original Sonic Mania review.
NOT THE BEARD
THE SOURCE OF HIS POWER IS GONE
I miss it already, he was like a warm coffee drinking bear with it.
Mmm shaved bread
*ahhhhhhhh*
*drools loudly*
So that's what it was, I noticed a difference but couldn't put my finger on what it was.
THE SACRED *BEARD!*
All this talk about monster cards and not one "Dorah Monstah Caadoh" line. You sadden me Johnny.
Good review.
I know why he didn't do it, it was because in this game the cards have so little physical effect that it is honestly EXTREMELY easy to forget you have certain cards equipped until you feel an irksome feeling as to why you feel so slow sometimes when traveling
IF YOU LOSE THE DUEL, YOU LOSE YOUR SOUL!!
10:00 I love that idea. Fusion dances you can actively control sounds fantastic!
Oh I’d KILL to play that form she takes for the Quake Dance
3:37 "Johnny looking at Mario Sunshine."
Christian Lopez all for a f***ing postcard
@@shujinkoMK I mean it was a really nice postcard.
Johnny: I have a whole list of problems with the Shantae series.
Listener: Oh, so you're not a Shantae fan?
Johnny: I never said that.
*Edit: to be clear, I’m not criticizing Johnny. I’m the same way with shows and games I like.
You can still like a video game series while admitting that got its problems and flaws
I feel like Johnny's the most qualified UA-camr on the platform when it comes to reviewing Shantae games
@Tom The Fish Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't he only like Pirate's Curse?
@@motorwayt-s628 Yeah, i mean this dude's a fan of the Sonic Series, it's obvious he can tolerate a few, or a lot (depending on what game), of flaws and still be a fan of something most of the time!
Duskool same for me as a star fox fan, I really enjoy those games but most if not all of them have flaws
When the game release date was announced my twitter feed exploaded in hype & I was there too. I doubled dipped on getting the PC & Switch version via limated games...ok and the Shantae plush. This game I see it as for poeple who never tried a metroidvania but wanna give it a shot.
Funny how this came out around the same week of WF looking interested into remading the original
And how we are most likely getting more Shantae via anime & other ganeras like Comics
[please let there be Shantae Comics]
Its a fun time to be a Shantae fan
oh there are comics alright just not the kind you are expecting
johnny elkins Considering his profile pic I think those are the exact comics he’s looking for
Okay but off topic, how is area loading on the switch compared to pc?
AV dE it’s a little on the long side but it doesn’t really chug or lag
@@AVdE10000 I will let you know when I get it
UA-cam: New Johnny Vs. video
Me: *DROP EVERYTHING WATCH IT NOW*
And everyone else.
*Same*
Me playing Seven Sirens
Johnny uploads Seven Sirens review.
*I'll sacrifice playing Seven Sirens to watch someone play Seven Sirens*
Yes
Well your not called " GAMING MOTION " for nothing am I right?
Johnny: *Says game is bellow Pirates Curse and Half Genie Hero*
Me: Okay I can see that.
Johnny: *Says game is bellow Riskys revenge*
Me: Now hold up.
It would depend on if you prefer a slightly challenging game vs one with better graphical fidelity. Overall it seems Pirate's Curse is still the best platforming experience.
Sherry Florio Like for me it’s pirates curse
Then probably tie with half genie hero and seven sirens.
And then honestly tied at bottom for Shantae 1 and Risky’s revenge.
Shnatae can be really frustrating to play but RR is still easily the most boring game in the series for me.
Pirates curse was my first shantae game so I cant speak for 1 and 2 but pirates curse is by far the best one compared to half genie and seven sirens
Where’s fate at hands sir ?
Yeah. My list from best to worst is
1. Half Genie Hero
2. Pirate's Curse
3. Shantae GBC
4. Seven Sirens
5. Risky's Revenge
it should be known that most of the problems wouldn't have existed if it weren't for the fact that it was made for Apple Arcade.
Any source on that one m8?
@@AnonymousGentooman It was not really released episode by episode on apple arcade. Just a demo, and then the full release. Also, most Shantae games have an episodic feel.
I played part 1 of apple arcade version and the game was already easier. you don't have to bend down to hit small enemies
development started before apple arcade existed
So Pirates Curse remains the exception not the rule, shame really.
I personally enjoy SS, more than HG, but I do understand a fair bit of the complaints.
I liked more HG than seven sirens. I was quick to finish the game in a day while with half genie it took more time. Though seven sirens has more quality and I like the new characters. If they had made the stages more pretty like in HG it would've been cool
I think HGH is the best Shantae game
@@janegrean5888 Pirate is fun but after the power ups is too easy while in half genie you gotta still go through obstacles.
@@dcscruz2970 I'm not a fan of the pirate gear and I didn't care for the story and the soundtrack wasn't as good as HGH
@@janegrean5888 The soundtrack in PC is the best in the series, honestly. HGH is fine, but PC has one of the best soundtracks of any game, period.
Went back to Pirate's Curse after completing this game. Yep, still the queen.
Great review!
I'm still waiting for that Spider-Man games marathon.
Even though this game is very easy, I will consider this my second favorite after Pirate's curse. I really like the presentation and the mobility is the closest they have come to pirate's curse. I definitely agree that there should have been a warp dance or a item to return you to the main town because those loads times are pretty atrocious for a game like this.
This game definitely needs a hard mode or maybe something like a master mode where the entire world is changed with harder dungeons and enemy placements.
Shame you didn't like this one that much, John, I personally adored it and I think it needs to simmer for a bit but it might be my favorite. I felt the game still had charm in spades in spite of the flaws you have shown me it has, and is a hell of a blast to play through. I played Magic Mode all the way through and yeah by the end you don't notice the difference much anymore. But I still love it to pieces.
It's my favorite too.
Also, I found myself spamming the electric and earthquake dances because they actually do damage enemies and bosses.
That Shantae dancing fit way too well with the intro lol
I feel like the collectibles are hidden too well at points. Sure a majority of Heart Squids are out in the open but a large majority of Nuggets are buried in the ground or occasionally the ceiling that you need to dig up with the turtle or quake dance, at least on the ground there is the indicator of some Tinkerbats digging indicating the there is something there but if it's in the ceiling your going to have to spam the seer dance to find it. Also I wish cards would drop more instead of the over abundance of food.
Johnny, you’re genuinely one of the coolest dudes on this platform.
Debatable.
@@ChillStreamsLive No it’s not.
_Yes._
Still wanting a Shatnae TV Series by now and let me tell ya I will NEVER get tried of listening to the new theme song of her and keep In mind I actually got a chance to meet her last year at Fan Expo, who also still voices Ladybug of Miraculous!
*Dances Through The Danger combined with Miraculous' Theme Song Intestines*
That song is such a total bop.
Christina Vee does get around, doesn't she?
@@Zakanuva She sure does!
A nice tidbit I found while looking through the games files, out of boredom, is that the Newt, Tortus and Squid are titled as "Monkey", "Elephant" and "Harpy".
Also the sprites with the battle armor are saved as "Anime_Armor"
This game really is the closest we'll get to a Shantae anime.
They're making a TV show tho
@Ryan Fanstone ok do you know any that is a actual show with a plot thats not just fucking? If not then we need one hell Senran Kagura has one and that is just straight up softcore Porn but boy the games are addicting to play. You can turn off cloths tear and jiggles physics in the games and just play them as a hack and slash fighting games for the most part varies game by game on what Genre the game is in as they have a Sports one and a really weird creepy one called Reflexions that if you seen someone playing you would tell them go to the side of the street to pick up a hooker and get laid as clearly they need it.
But anyways as i was saying we need one where the plot is just not Sex as that is a pretty boring show as you fap once and move on and never look back and hope you deleted your internet history otherwise people are going to question your art tastes
Wayforward is pursuing an animated series so a cartoon by Trigger is very possible.
Tho it all depends. I mean that intro just SCREAMS "cartoon pilot"
@Ryan Fanstone No, it really doesn't.
I want a cartoon than an anime
As far as I know. It's like this for the Consoles too, minus the constant stuttering. For me i was playing the Switch version and I cannot stand the load times. And weirdly it even had a few instances of random slowdown as well for me.
Basically the game doesn't seem that well optimized, probably something they can fix with a patch so it's no biggie.
I don't know. I'm on the Xbox One S and, besides the long-ish loading times, I've had a rather pleasant time. No show down, stuttering, or anything of that nature.
My load times (Switch) were kinda long, and I've had 1 or 2 cases of slowdown, but my console didnt whir up like Johnny's PC apparently did.
I'm playing on Switch and only ran into slow downs in 2 areas. Game never crashed for me too
Pirate's Curse was peak Shantae. Has regressed since then imo.
Maybe, but even at it worst a Shantae is still a solid 7.
It's the only one I haven't played, but watched and can understand entirely. Lots of lore bg, perfect end to the series with high tier threatening boss, boss matters to Shantae and the abilities work perfectly well while also having synergy and more streamlined than the dancing.
Personally disagree. I feel Half-Genie Hero is the best game and Seven Sirens is just as good as Pirate's Curse. I also feel this game has potential for future installments given the increased lore and worldbuilding. It answered many questions we had since the first game, after all.
@@goldenheart9503 HGH would work better with couple more levels and less backtracking, like Mega Man X. Still love the game, especially the OST.
That Trigger artsyle though
I remember when I watched Gurren Lagann and couldn't help thinking "This is just Getter Robo."
And then the ending was literally Getter Robo but worse
hey Jhon, can you do a Donkey kong country marathon with the original trilogy plus dk 64 and jungle beat????
He really should do a dkc marathon
Questions like these are usually answered with an "eventually" so don't loose hope yet.
No.
I'm on board! DKC Marathon!
It can include the originals, the Land versions, the GBA ports, and of course DK64
I’d love to see him do conker’s bad fur day
9:33
WHAT TH--I didn't even know that was how you were supposed to get that heart squid! I had to wait until I got the octopus transformation!
I can do ya another:
I didn’t know you could whip the spike platforms too rotate them, so I used Newt to cling to the sides.
2:55 I have to agree, but at least it's a lot closer to fully voiced than HGH.
Haven't played the game, but from what I've heard from reviews, it sounds like this was to get new players introduced to Shante and test out some new gameplay formulas to see what people like
I absolutely LOVED this game. So much fun to play and the music is so good! Great to hear your take on it. :)
And faster than the speed of light we all stop what were doing to check out Johnny's videos 😂
Can we al agree that Shantae has a nice pair of....shoes?
Johnny’s wish for the genie transformations is literally just mega man zx
yup. can't blame him for that tbh, that mechanic is grand
Need Johnny vs. Mega Man Zero and ZX yesterday.
It was rad when ZX did it and I’d love for Shantae to try that idea too
@@giygas_9577 I feel like he’d have both a ball and a frustrating time with ZX
The Animated cutscenes. Feels like a Shantae: The Animerican Series.
Im really hoping more modes come later on down the line, or at least other characters because the opening cutscene totally lead me to believe they were gonna play more of a role.
At the very least wayford have apparently said they want to make more Shantae games, possibly in other genres to help expand the gameverse so hopefully that means more lore soon. I feel like we always end on some important genie fact without much of an answer
Been playing the PS4 version just now, and there are still a lot of loading screens, but haven't seen any lag.
Enjoying it so far and the soundtrack is growing on me, but I can see why it left you a bit hollow, Johnny.
I feel like with the exception of pirates curse, the shantea series is the one Johnnys the most picky with
I'd say Sonic, actually. He loves the blue guy to death when he's done right but he's criticized more Sonic games than praised, I find.
That's not to say games like 06 and Secret Rings don't deserve said criticism.
ill admit I'm a fan of the series though he does bring up some legitimate issues like warping and the easy drops of food and money and the large locations, I still like the game but either you love a game or not their is still something to criticize from everyone, its usually down to different viewpoints
To be fair, with the exception of PC, all of them are kinda meh. They have a lot of problems people are willing to overlook because the character is cute and the games are super easy.
@@meikaishi oh definitely, im just pointing out that for every positive he gives with these games there always seems to be something else that counters it
People have opinions. I feel like people blow the hatred of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Gates to Infinity, Sonic Lost World, Shantae half-genie hero, Sonic Forces, Super Mario Sunshine, Smash Bros. Brawl and Paper Mario Color Splash WAY out of proportion, but I mean you like what you like and hate what you don't
Honestly as long as you'll explain yourself, I'll listen, but if you're just like "Wow you really dislike Sonic Mania" and refuse to do anything but spam memes to defend your point just get out of my face.
I totally felt the same emptiness after completing this one. Something like Monster Boy completely upstages Seven Sirens. But as always, there is the awesome art and unique energy to keep you engaged. Map completion sucked for me too and I was contempt with my 85% rate in the end. Maybe if they add some DLC I might go back. Kinda sad to see this franchise always being held back in some way from true greatness. Still a good experience overall. Great review Johnny and yeah, give us battle armor Shantae and Sky to play as!
4:50 That gave me a chuckle.
Me too. Holly's more of a memory vampire/ghost than a half genie.
I'm wondering when you'll finally cover the DS Castlevania games. You keep mentioning it quite a lot recently, and I sure love to hear your thoughts about it.
Don't forget the GBA ones! Well... Actually Circle of the Moon is better to be forgotten... Harmony of Dissonance too to be honest... Just don't forget Aria of Sorrow
@@atijohn8135 neither Circle nor Harmony deserve to be forgotten. Circle is satisfyingly challenging, while Harmony has a phenomenal horror-like atmosphere. They're not the best in the series but they can still give lessons to a lot of the bland, cookie-cutter metroidvanias coming out recently.
@@MrMrFreddy Circle of the Moon has a good amount of challenge - that's good, however I feel like the boss fights are extremely slow in comparsion to those from Aria, or even Harmony (despite Harmony being probably the easiest portable castlevania). Moveset in Circle is lacking, there's no backdash, no divekick, and of course there's the terrible decision to bind the ability to run to a 2x(direction) combination. Visually it's the worst one, the castle looks very samey, which was something SotN already solved masterfully. Most of the soundtrack is just remixes from previous games (and why they had to put the same music in 5 areas, it gets old very quickly). DSS cards are very unbalanced and they are based on RNG, but not like the souls in Aria. You simply cannot finish the game with at least 20 of them, while in Circle of the Moon I usually have 5-6 cards at the end of a playthrough, because the drop rates are so horribly low.
Harmony of Dissonance in 2002 maybe was a little bit scary and the music was helping to build that emotion, but nowadays the music is just annoying to listen. This is because most of the tracks in the game are a "dissonance", which is simply not pleasant to the human ear. Besides, what is a horror game if there's no threat? Since Harmony of Dissonance is probably the second easiest castlevania there is, some might even say it's easier than SotN. It doesn't help that the game doesn't have much character customization. There are plenty of spellbooks and subweapons, but without the challenge, you might as well ignore them or stick to only one of them. Potions are too plentiful, since there's no limit on them and they are cheap. Then there's the biggest advantage and at the same time disadvantage of Harmony - level design. In your first playthrough, Harmony is just a chore to go through. At the beginning of the game (castle A - entrance)) there's some sort of rock blocking your path. In the next part of the game (castle B - treasury) you come to the other side, and there's another rock blocking your path. It indicates that it may be something important, since they put two entrances to the same place, something Castlevania didn't do before. In the next part of the game (castle A - chapel) there's a similar rock in a corner of the map. That rock doesn't feel that important - you could think that it leads to just a life up or some book, especially since there's the other path blocked by it that seems far more important. You then get the ability to warp between the two castles, and with it you get the ability to break those rocks. What most players would probably do, is to get back to the two rocks blocking the passage. Turns out, there's absolutely nothing in there besides some items that are rather useless because of the game's difficulty. The entire trip, which takes around 20 minutes, is completely wasted. This is something that is just ridiculous to me. And that's something that happens more than once in the game - you go somewhere and suddenly you cannot progress, because you need the abiltiy that was in the area that was the other path in the forkroad. It's literally dependant on your own luck if you will have to waste 40 minutes, just because you picked the wrong path, which had no indication that it is the wrong path. *However* this aspect of the game is also something that makes it strangely gratifying to plot your way through the castle, now that you know the layout. But I think it's still better to have a level design present in all of the other games (aside from maybe the ultra linear first 3 quarters of Order of Ecclesia).
Two of those games are probably better than the object of this video. But those games are also quite old, and well, if I had to pick which portable CVs would make it into the video, I'd probably pick Aria of Sorrow.
@@atijohn8135 yeah I understand most of your points (I don't share all of them but I think they're fair) and I also think Aria to be the superior game in the GBA trilogy. Still, I really like them. Circle is weird but really engaging to me, too bad for the randomness of the DSS because it's a system I really like. Harmony I always feel the urge to defend it because in my personal opinion it's really unfairly treated.
I really love its OST and even the raw sound quality, I listen to a lot of dissonant music so that soundtrack really clicked with me and sounds really unsettling, I think the compositions are quite sophisticated. To me they corroborate a (sort of) horror atmosphere because the game is almost completely devoid of friendly characters (Maxim is mad, Lydie is missing until the very late game, Merchant is... well, the Merchant) and the castle is really enigmatic in nature, seeing as it appears halfway through Dracula's typical resurrection century. The combination of this setting and the unnerving music makes me feel like I am exploring a spectral, rotting carcass of the castle. Maybe I overthink it, but when it comes to raw atmosphere, Harmony is one of my all time favorite 'vanias, it makes me really enthusiast haha
Maybe this will be the year.
You have to imagine that the seven sirens would be more difficult with tablet controls.
Well this sure is a nice thing to watch after I JUST graduated, thanks for quality content as always Johnny
Congrats managing to graduate despite the COVID-19 shit.
At least they didn't hold us back because we weren't in school
Congrats!!
Congratulations!!! I'm sorry it wasn't a real graduation like you would have wanted :(
@@toamatoro570it’s not over lol.
Shantae: Phatom Lamp
Shantae: Risky Tendency
Shantae: Pirate Crusaders
Shantae: Half Genie Hero Unbreakable
Shantae: Siren Wind
Shantae goes to prison in Shantae 6 confirmed!
EMOLGAxSNEASEL64
Shantae: Sequin Ocean
Oh yeah I completely forgot this game just came out
Me too... In the time since last review where he said this is what he was reviewing this week, even.
@@sterlingmuse5808 Yeah and I didn't even know a mobile version existed either! It's really strange...
Same, I simply saw the Apple Arcade version and asked where the other version were...
And i completely forgot that this franchise existed
:-P
Shantae only had one dancing animation in Half-Genie Hero too. Surprised he didn't notice that, but I guess I'm one of the few who really cares about Shantae's dances. lol
I miss the dance variety too
There's a podcast I listen to, and the way they described this game is "filler arc" in that it has some big information dropped out of nowhere, does nothing with it, and the main character is for some reason a lot dumber.
I don't know how true that is since I haven't played the game, but from what I've seen others say that seems accurate
@Quinn McDonnell Sorry for the late reply, it's called Big Think Dimension
Quinn McDonnell yeah, they talk about games and other stuff like what spam meals they’ve been having, but it’s most game stuff
@@mushplush9665 What exact episode did they talk about this game?
2:44 I can confirm that it is better on Apple Arcade, at least on an iPhone X. That does support an MFi, PS4, or Xbox One/Series X/S controller.
Me playing san Andreas
*sees johnny upload*
This is my life now
I wasn't expecting a review of this game so soon!?😕😌
Thank you for your solidarity. I greatly respect you using your platform to speak for equality. One love ✊🏽 - the Black Ness cosplayer from MAGfest 2016
I like the way he apealed to both ALM and BLM.
This hasn’t aged well.
@@boop0122 Ain't that the truth...
Despite humoring this radical mob, they wound up just being another laundering scheme and racial attacks skyrocketed against Asians and Jews on top of general crime
Your concept for the fusion forms being alternate playable forms is practically the exact same thing as the Double Soul/Soul Unison concept from the Megaman Battle Network series. Where Megaman can practically fuse with other characters for combat, gaining that character's elemental perks/weaknesses and powered up buster attacks.
But yes, absolutely, that kinda feature would be awesome. And would give them some great promo material to hype the game with.
Hey, someone else made a Battle Network connection to that. Nice.
I love it man, didn’t ignore the issue but you were simple and to the point.
I literally just rewatched round two of 1/2 genie hero's and as soon as I finish this video is out XD
The Shantae series is becoming more like Sonic! There's so much potential, but they just can't make a game that seems like all it could be.
I still think most Shantae games are solid compared to Sonic catalog.
Lol at least shantae games always been consistently good compare to sonic lol not try hate here lol
Don't you EVER compare this series to sonic. Do you even know the full on mess of that series?
Sadly the new game is not worth buying
That's a poor comparison, since the recent Shantae games are fun to play but lack the full potential. The modern Sonic games are a failure in writing and design.
Not surprised Johnny had the same reaction to this one that I did. Great game, but still below Pirate's Curse and 1/2 Genie Hero
I'd say its equal to pirates curse and HGH is above both
@@gamerprince-tl5hg wow, another Shantae fan that doesn't rank Pirate's Curse at #1. Though for me it's a tie for #1 with HGH. I just can't pick which one I like better, there are things I prefer from each over the other
You just summarized what I felt with this game.
I just stopped wondering, did I met the seven sirens? did I missed one? I felt the story way too rushed but the highlight was Squid Baron and his man cave... no doubt!
I would argue Squid Baron is the highlight of the series. I laughed so hard when I finished that one squid siren fight,and he 's outside yelling at you for ripping off the final boss from his video game idea.
Thank god this is exactly what I needed to focus. Thank you man for what you do
The fact that Shantae doesn’t have a cartoon show by this point is pretty much crazy by this point.
I felt the same way. My biggest gripe is that Rusty did not need to be in the game at all and the Seven Sirens all felt like an afterthought.
those cutscenes make me wanna buy this game
Don’t know if anyone else has said this already, but...
I thought the implication was that the graphics that show up during the fusion dances were the half-genies’ mothers. They passed down their powers to their daughters, and so their images show up when you use those powers. Slight spoilers, but if you compare the ghost genie to the quake dance, you can definitely see the resemblance, despite the different outfit.
Please do a round 2 On Tereria and Shovel Knight they’ve both had their final expansions
Yeah the King Knight thing for Shovel Knight is god damn enourmous. It's bigger than the other 3 Shovel Knight games _combined_ and is way way more difficult, to me anyway. I keep on getting stuck on certain levels and I could still advance because of how the world map is laid out, you can skip levels and still progress, but I'm a completionist so I have to beat every level. Like I do in Mario 3, I play every single level.
Eventually I'll learn how to play King Knight but yeah I don't know why it's so much more difficult. It's like how the New Super Mario Bros series of games is WAY harder than the original NES and SNES mario games, even harder than the Lost Levels. Because I keep accidentally wall jumping and stuff. King Knight is the same, I keep accidentally doing moves without meaning to and falling down pits
Glad to see this pop up in the notifications! Your videos got me to try Half Genie Hero and Pirate’s Curse, so thanks a ton Johnny.
Thanks for the first minute and a half of this review. It's been quite a year so far, and you help keep me sane.
The dances can also be like the medallions form a link to the past where they affect the entire screen of enemies in different ways. Examplw: Fire is just damage while electric stuns them
Watching my brother play BoTW while also watching this. He’s in the lost woods now.
Where is he now
I finally finished the DLC a week ago, glad to see people are still playing it.
King Nothing Sorry, just wanted to share what kind of a day I’m having
Raphaël Hemery me too
Shundero Monamero he’s at the master sword
Johnny's the man. Everytime a new videos uploaded it helps my depression. Thank you
I think what you're suggesting for the fusion forms is comparable to the forms in Mega Man ZX and ZX Advent, different forms with different playstyles.
Completely unrelated, but I've been binge-watching these videos and I've noticed a large increase of Johnny breathing in during his voiceovers in this review xD
Once you notice it, you cant unhear it
So this game it's really good and I've had a good time with it.
Man, I completely feel you on the load times. Even on console, the load times take about 15 - 25 seconds (depending on the area loaded); and makes the system scream bloody murder. My guess, is that they didn't change the optimization for the game to work 100% properly with other OS or hardware; other than the Apple handhelds.
"its got half baked voice acting, some lines of dialogue are voiced and some aren't."
-oh man then you're gonna have the same complaint for danganronpa if you ever review one of the games in that franchise-
I can’t imagine Johnny reviewing a VN, somehow. It’s not really as much of a ‘game’.
The way Danganronpa does it isn't jarring though. It's consistent. The only real voice acting are featured in the trials and very plot important scenes. Everything else is just text. From what it sounds like, 7 Sirens text boxes flip flop from voiced to not voiced randomly.
He'll definitely say this too if he ever reviews any of the Hyperdimension Neptunia games.
(Provided he sticks with the English dub since All cut scenes have Japanese dub).
To be fair a lot of games do this especially visual novels or games that have lots of story
What I didn't know you could do that at 14:07! There's so many polished little secrets about this game! Personally I liked it a lot, and having all those cards made me feel powerful! I didn't mind the easier difficulty, in fact I probably needed a breezy game considering all that's going on.
Way forward: made the shantae games, and mighty switch force
Also Way forward: Made the SpongeBob movie game on GBA.
With the best portrayal of David Hasselhoff, no less.
Rather than marking collectibles on map, I prefer the player can manually mark the map with stickers for back tracking, more engaging. A list of collectibles of each area is good enough, like 3 heart squid per labyrinth but arealy marked.
So kind of like A link between worlds?
@@danielj8085 A lot of Metroidvanias have this feature.
@@yuurou7927 Gotta be honest: Haven't played that many Metroidvanias. XD
This. There doesn't need to be a checklist like previous games, but that feature for the map would be appreciated.
For first time playthroughs anyway.
*"It's Still Really F*cking Hard To Die."*
That's a blessing in my eyes! 🤷♀️
I love the shock and quake dances. Aside from being used to find stuff and clear obstacles, they're also screen nukes.
Shantae is still dancing her way through the danger. Why isn't she in Smash yet?
I could totally see one of the fusion dances used as a final smash for Shantae.
Hey Johnny! Out of curiosity, will you ever tackle the donkey Kong series?
Yes please
Wow I wanted to see this for so long. If he does I’ll be very happy
You basically touched on all of the issues I had with the game. While I loved it and was still fun to me, there were 2 things that disappointed me the most along with some other nitpicks like not being able to use the arrmor costume: the complete removal of the humanoid transformations, because the designs of the fusion dances were the best in the series and I wish they would've been a way to play as them like you said, especially the seer, quake and spark. And 2 I also wish the sirens had more development considering the way they're now most of them are just there to be bosses and nothing more, which is a shame and a waste of such awesome designs, especially my favorites Water lily and Octo. Empress is another of my favorites btw (yes despite knowing how she really looks like she's my number 1 favorite).
They also for some reason decided to hide something important regarding the sirens. There is a secret ending screen for speedrunning the game which (spoilers) shows Lobster siren playing volleyball with the other sirens and all of them being happy friends. So I guess the sirens turned away from evil but it's never explained in the game itself for whatever reason?
I'm probably the only one who actually likes the 'half baked voice acting.' Part of the charm if you ask me.
I think Pirate's Curse did it the best: very quick, short lines of dialogue to give Shantae's dialogue a bit more flair, but having all other text isolated. It's not intrusive and gives the protagonist a bit more charm.
*"Look At This. Got A Highly Energetic Intro Going On Here, Animated By Studio Trigger No Less."*
Ah!! A company well known for there animation in anime... I just love their art style! 👌😆👍
Man, I'm kind of disappointed with Shantae recently. They seem more interested in their aesthetics than the mechanics. The art is great, but I wish they'd focus on making the gameplay fun first and foremost.
Yup. Keep the artstyle if necessary but I really... really hope they bring back the Pirates Curse gameplay back. (And music imo)
@@Camad pirates curse gameplay happened and probably will not happen again due to story reasons. Im down for the return though if they can work around. I would never call this game unfun though, aside from load screens, ive been enjoying it just as much. Everyone talks about this one being easy but PC was never particularly hard to me either, the only one that was was the first, and me emulating that on a smartphone may have been a factor lol. And HGH funny enough
Actually the mechanics and controls are very good, But level design, enemies and bosses just don't push back the player enough. You can easily tank a lot of damage without consequence with how many healing items they give you. I think if there weren't loading screens it's a very quick game to finish.
Don't care didn't ask plus you're white
I'm probably the minority out there, but I just couldn't get into the Shantae series whatsoever.
When you fight Risky for the 5th time:
"HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO TEACH YOU THIS LESSON OLD LADY!?!?"
Jhonny, do one last sonic marathon. you still have sonic battle, sonic shuffle, sonic the fighters, sonic X Leapster, rereview of sonic black night.
And segasonic the hedgehog, and that sonic popcorn machine, and sonic for the ngage
I was pretty sure the characters that popped up on screen when she used the other half-genie's powers were implied to be the other half genie's mothers.
Oops. I knew someone had beat me to it.