A pirate's midriff

When I review titles, I like to reference the teams behind the gameplay to acknowledge their hard work. With that in mind, I think Wayforward might be my favorite modern-day company. Yes, I know the founding companies of the past are still thriving, but new contenders are always around the horizon. If you follow along with my work, you probably recognize Wayforward from titles such as River City Girls. I looked at the old Steam library and remembered I had Shantae and The Pirate's Ghost.

I installed the title, and there was a previous save from last year. However, I started a new game to experience the story from the beginning. It begins with our half-genie hero Shantae at her home in Scuttle Town before it is under siege by the villainous Ammo Baron. The tutorial is very lax, not because the developers were lazy, but instead relying on the player's instincts to guide them, only interrupting the gameplay briefly to explain button functions. The beginning instantly gives an action/adventure vibe, like Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, another Wayforward title. However, Wonder Boy is a remake, whereas the Shantae series is their original IP.

Yes, there are several games featuring the half-genie hero. I had already known this, but the continuity surprised me. It turns out that The Pirate's Curse is the third installment of the series out of five to date. At the end of the last title, Shantae's powers are stolen by her main rival, Risky, the Pirate. But in this story, they work together to stop the revival of The Pirate King, an enemy so powerful that all the other genies had to destroy him last time. Risky informs Shantae of The Pirate King and orders her to retrieve a map to Saliva Island, their first destination.

You get more of that Wonder Boy feel at this point of the game because you have to talk with the NPCs and complete their quests for key items. After obtaining the map and setting sail, you are introduced to another classic game mechanic. When you traverse the islands, they have three areas. The island, a landmark area, and the evil den. Each has its unique map, giving The Pirates Curse a bit of Metroidvania flavor. And, of course, there are secret items to collect, such as dark magic and squid hearts.

As you play through, you will encounter some fun mini-games of sorts made by the dev team. And I have to give bonus points for integrating these with the main story, thus providing context to the situation rather than just some random feature. Now I should point out that while it was fun going through those levels, they can give you that frustration you experience from annoying stages. For example, there was one stage where I had to sneak around without being noticed by the guards. The solution was right before me once I observed the situation, calling gamers to rely on their instincts and perception. Once I figured out the trick, sneaking around no longer became an issue.

I can't say I have any issues with Shantae and The Pirate's Curse; that isn't a personal preference. The soundtrack isn't on my top ten list, granted I am listening to Scorching Dunes at the time of writing. However, the controls are solid and enjoyable once you get the hang of things. The stages are neat, the characters are fun, and the story has fantastic moments like the coffin and the petrify spell. I had only intended to play for a couple of hours last night and suddenly found myself at 70% completion. And I plan on playing after this article. Wayforward, you've done it again!