Shantae and the Seven Sirens

In many ways, it feels like Shantae and the Seven Sirens is the culmination of everything WayForward has learned since that initial release a little less than two decades back. Shantae and the Seven Sirens pulls some of the best elements from the titles that came before it – such as the dungeons and fast transformations – while adding in several cool new ones too, like the collectable cards and lovable new characters. A short but sweet runtime, well-drawn visuals, a catchy soundtrack and a well-designed map make this one an easy recommendation to anybody looking for the next must-have Metroidv...

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is easily the best in the series and one of WayForward's most enjoyable video games to date.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is the latest installment in Wayforward Technologies long-running series that has been evolving from one platform to another since the original released for the Gameboy Colour back in 2002. While the colours have always been bright and the characters have always been charming, Wayforward continues to outdo themselves with Seven Sirens, which is the fifth in the franchise. While the series has remained a 2D platformer over the years, metroidvania elements have been expanded upon over the years in a formula that Wayforward continues to improve upon with Seven Sirens.

Overall, Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a fun and graphically stunning game with tons of replayability that greatly extends its seven-hour playtime. While it does suffer from a lack of difficulty, the excellent level design, interesting characters, mechanics that seamlessly blend with gameplay, solid voice acting, and gorgeous sprite art all work hard to make up for that detriment. If you’re a fan of the franchise, a lover of 2D platformers, or both, this is a great title to add to your collection.

Shantae is the heartwarming case of a franchise that, although debuting with a strong title, got criminally ignored due to the fact it was initially released for the Game Boy Color a year into the Game Boy Advance’s lifespan. That didn’t stop developer WayForward from believing in their belly-dancing mascot’s potential. After a handful of years developing extremely competent 2D platformers, ranging from a new Contra to the fantastic Duck Tales remake, Shantae made a comeback on the DS i...

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a welcome return of a now-classic platforming series.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is an entirely typical game in the Metroid-like genre that will be very familiar to anyone who plays them. Despite this, the game's gorgeous visuals, extremely responsive controls, strong level design, and witty writing make it a joy to play through.

Shantae has come a long way since her humble Game Boy Color origins so let's check out her fifth and latest fun-filled adventure.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens successfully dances back onto consoles with a gorgeous performance marred by being a bit too light on story for its own good.

Fans of the series may feel a sense of déjà vu when playing through the extremely short Shantae and the Seven Sirens. But it’s still a game worth your time, even if it doesn’t meet the high bar set by the rest of the series.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a compact, attractive, and agreeable adventure, but its muddled design lacks variety, innovation, and vital story engagement. As such, Seven Sirens feels like a sequel on auto-pilot, one that doesn’t seize the opportunities offered by its exciting world and lively new cast, ultimately resulting in an entry that’s good enough, but had the capacity to be truly magical.

Shantae And The Seven Sirens brings some very nice additions to the franchise like cutscenes, voice acting, and more. But it comes at a cost because they expanded a bit too much, and the game suffers as a result.