Shantae: Risky’s Revenge originally came out on the Nintendo DSi in 2010, and the “Director’s Cut” – shown here – is a remake for the PC that was first released on Steam in 2014. It was developed and published by WayForward Technologies.

Risky’s Revenge is the sequel to the 2002 Game Boy Color game, Shantae, and once again follows the charismatic half-genie as she explores a variety of different levels on a mission to stop her nemesis, the evil female pirate Risky Boots.

Like its predecessor, Risky’s Revenge is primarily a platform game, but with added RPG elements, and dancing. Yes, dancing. You hold down ‘D’ during the game to make Shantae dance, and yes: there is a reason for it. If she dances for long enough she turns into a small, cute, purple monkey that allows her to climb walls and get into small spaces that she wouldn’t normally be able to.

Like in the previous game, Shantae‘s primary weapon is her hair, which she can use as a whip to destroy monsters. Shantae can also run, jump, crawl, and do a backwards dash (although the backdash can also end in death if you do it by accident, which I found myself doing on occasion). Pressing ‘A’ brings up the inventory, which allows you to set an active item so that it can be used during the game. With these items Shantae can activate various offensive and defensive powers that will help her get through harder stages or boss battles, and also restore her health if it’s getting low. Useful items are found by breaking jars that are found throughout the levels.

A map can also be accessed from within the inventory and this shows you which parts of the game have yet to be completed. The map also shows warp points, bosses, save points, and other locations of interest. You can warp between pillars to save yourself having to re-trace your steps though parts of the game you’ve already been through.

Shantae: Risky’s Revenge also contains a number of challenges, like The Battle Tower, where you can race against the clock through levels swarming with monsters to win prizes. There are also unlockables, like ‘Magic Mode’ (which was actually adopted from an earlier iOS port of the game), which gives Shantae a new costume, lessens her magic consumption, but cuts her defence in half – for players who want an extra challenge.

The Director’s Cut also features high resolution cut scenes and information screens, while still keeping the amazing pixel artwork of the original game crisp and intact

Overall, this is a great remake, with excellent graphics, animation and sound, and responsive, absorbing gameplay. I highly recommend it.

Shantae: Risky’s Revenge has also been released for PlayStation 4, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, XBox One, Google Stadia, and PlayStation 5.

More: Shantae: Risky’s Revenge on Wikipedia
Steam: Shantae: Risky’s Revenge on Steam
GOG: Shantae: Risky’s Revenge on GOG.com