The first Shantae game was released in the final days of the Game Boy Color. It didn’t sell very well, and few copies were produced because it emerged late in the GBC’s lifespan. The next entry was the DSi game Shantae: Risky’s Revenge. That title refined the gameplay and did very well. A few years later, Shantae and the Pirates Curse was released on 3DS, which in my opinion is the pinnacle of the series. However, there was once upon a time a GBA Shantae game being developed. It was eventually cancelled, perhaps because of funding or time constraints. Wayforward, the developer of the Shantae games, announced a few years ago that Shantae Advance would resume development and be released for GBA as well as for modern platforms. That is the title that is reviewed here. Read on for a review of Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution. A cancelled game that has been given a second chance at life.

Presentation and Sound

When I booted up Shantae Advance for the first time, I was struck by the iconic theme tune and colorful art. All Shantae games have great art and music, but there was something special about booting up a new Shantae game on the Game Boy Advance, over twenty years since the system was officially discontinued. Fans will not be disappointed with this entry. It is classic Shantae, on a classic system. The menus are clean and simple, and all the characters look like you would imagine on the GBA. The game is slightly on the easy side, but the metroidvania gameplay is super satisfying. Shantae Advance is not only a sequel to the original Game Boy Color game. This entry is more similar to Shantae and the Pirates Curse than the original game, with quality of life features and smooth movements and control. It’s a fun adventure and may just be the best Metroidvania that you play all year.

Story

Like most Shantae games, the story of Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is upbeat and reminiscent of 90s Saturday morning cartoons. The dialogue is done really well and there are many laugh-out-loud moments. Shantae Advance keeps the trend of Shantae games having great writing going. Characters like Bolo, RottyTops, and Sky are all back and in good form. Uncle Mimic is busy with his creations but is dragged into the story because of the need to stop Risky and her mechanical continent shifter from tearing the world apart. When dialogue is spoken, a character portrait appears, and the art is great. The game looks very good for a GBA game. It is so amazing to play a game of this calibre in 2025 on GBA.

Sky uses her bird to transport Shantae to locations. Things are a bit mixed up because of Risky’s antics, so you’ll be traveling between locations a lot. There are numerous save points, more than in previous games and this comes in useful. Scuttle Town is the main hub and here you will find the shop, Mimics workshop, and many interesting characters who have useful information. The game is quite short. The main adventure takes between five and eight hours. Wayforward has done an awesome job, but the game is as short or shorter than Risky’s Revenge (the DS entry).

Gameplay and Graphics

The game is classic Shantae action, with transformations, dungeons, and a hub area (Scuttle Town). The Metroidvania gameplay of exploration, combat, and finding items that allow access to new areas is present, and is core to what makes the gameplay so addictive. This is a completely new game, however, in gameplay, graphics, and sound, it is no revolution from titles such as Shantae and the Pirates Curse, or Shantae: Risky’s Revenge. In Shantae Advance, the mechanic of revolving the world, changes the gameplay by changing where items, enemies, and obstacles are. This element is probably the most unique thing about Shantae: Advance. The revolving world is due to Risky’s geological movement machine. It is up to Shantae to stop her.

The iconic transformations are present in Shantae: Advance. There are some new ones, and each is upgradeable. The only game that didn’t include them was Shantae and the Pirates Curse. I think that the series relies on the transformations too much and it is time for new gameplay hooks that don’t involve transformations. However, the transformations do work well in Shantae advance, and finding secrets is thrilling. The GBA really flexes its graphical muscles with this new release. The game wouldn’t look out of place on the DS and it looks very similar to Shantae: Risky’s Revenge, even down to the character portraits.

Conclusion

Overall, Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is a Shantae title that lives up to its legacy. It is very similar to past games but that doesn’t detract from the novelty of playing a new game (and a good one) on GBA twenty years after the handheld was discontinued. Shantae Advance has addictive metroidvania-style gameplay, iconic colorful characters, great music and sound design, and uses a revolving overworld gameplay gimmick to differentiate it from games like Shantae: Raisky’s Revenge, and Shantae and the Pirates Curse. From the very start of the game until the end credits, the classic Shantae vibe is finally here on the Game Boy Advance. It may be a short game, but Shantae Advance is among the best games in the series. If you get a chance to play it, don’t pass it up.

9/10

BongoBongo123

BongoBongo123 is an avid Zelda fan who also likes the odd game of Smash. His interests in gaming are broad but he loves a good Metroidvania or action RPGs.