Shantae: Risky's Revenge Director's Cut Switch Review

Shantae: Risky's Revenge Director's Cut
Developed By: Wayforward
Published By: Wayforward
Date of Release: October 15, 2020
Price: $9.99 (Switch)

Ahhh, the quintessential retro-styled pixel-art metroidvania. The genre has seen such a resurgence as of late with entries flooding in from all corners of the world, which is quite a good thing for connoisseurs such as myself. Traversing a wide world map, backtracking to find hidden loot, unlocking upgrades that open new paths... these are hallmarks of the genre that I will personally never tire of. And Shantae: Risky's Revenge delivers them in spades! Originally released back in 2010 on the Nintendo DSi, it has after a decade arrived on the Nintendo Switch in Director's Cut form.



Despite it's somewhat lengthy crossover time, the lush and vibrant sprites still hold up perfectly. With an art style quite reminiscient of the 16-bit platformers of yesteryear, Risky's Revenge would be quite at home on any oldschool console, but also shines perfectly on the Switch. Add to that an amazing chiptune-style soundtrack from Jake Kaufman, it's really a treat for both the eyes and the ears. Wayforward has done away with all the original cutscene portrait sprites, and replaced them all with new HD art. On top of that there are new menus, and an enhanced warp system. Our bodacious booty-shaking belly-dancing babe of a hero has never been in such top shape!



So if all of the above isn't awesome enough, Wayforward has added an entirely new mode complete with a new costume for Shantae, unlockable once you complete the main game. Not that the game wasn't replayable already, it holds up quite well on futher playthroughs. Shantae: Risky's Revenge Director's Cut is well worth the purchase on the Switch, and anyone who is a fan of the genre or the series should buy it posthaste. Now we just need to wait for the re-release of the GBC original, and the entire series will be available on the Switch!