Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut
Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut
Game
Game2015
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Developer WayForward
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is a 2014 platform video game developed and published by WayForward Technologies for the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U. It is the third game in the Shantae series, following Shantae: Risky's Revenge, and the first to be developed for a home console. The game follows the adventures of the eponymous half-genie Shantae as she once again has to save Sequin Land from a new foe, the Pirate… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
285 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Oct 28, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
89
LovedLoved
154 positive · 19 negative
95% range 83–93%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 154 | 19 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 47 | 1 | 39 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| Lemmy * | 1 | 0 | 5 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
1,744 of 1,886 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
89% recommend · 156 yes, 19 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 175 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (2,889 of 3,109 positive).
Many players consider this the best game in the Shantae series, praising its gameplay and design. [1][2][3] Some reviewers note technical issues, especially with high refresh rate monitors causing speed problems. [4][5] A few players find the game frustrating due to lack of checkpoints and forced backtracking. [6][7]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
Sup. I owned the game on Switch and 3DS. Ran perfectly. Good game. Never finished it. Love that it's on Steam. Love that it has achievements I can show off to say I have (when I do) 100%ed it. What I hate with a passion is that this game was ported so full of crap and so lazy onto Steam. I have to lower my ACTUAL MONITOR REFRESH RATE TO 60 to even be able to play this game. That alone being issue enough it makes the …
- [1]
Finished all four of these this year and liked them all. If you're deciding which one to buy, here's some thoughts I had as I went through the franchise: Risky's Revenge: Might be a little too primitive to recommend to most people. A short but solid GBA-era metroidvania. It's not awful, but we have so many metroidvanias with modern QoL that this one only feels worth it for super-fans. Pirates curse: Tied for fave …
- [2]
This is definitely my favorite game in the entire series. Removing Shantae's core mechanic of the transformation dances and putting a larger focus on the movement mechanics for this title makes the game flow a lot better, and it's genuinely much more fun to play. The final boss was pretty fun to fight, and I actually had a lot of fun beating the entire game without upgrading health, and without letting any bosses …
- [11]
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse might honestly be one of the greatest 2D platformers I’ve ever played, and easily one of my favorites in the genre. The game feel is off the charts. The movement, exploration, characters, character designs, writing, and music are all fantastic. It has so much personality, and overall, it stands as one of the best games in its genre. Structurally, the game feels almost like a 2D …
- [3]
This is the best game in the series in my opinion. The game may be old now, but it's definitely worth picking up if you enjoy metroidvania titles. It improves on the combat and progression over Risky's Revenge, the previous game. The sequel to this game, 1/2 Genie Hero, is an okay game and I might even like it better than Risky's Revenge, but it's as much of a step backwards as it is a return to form. Seven Sirens, …
Summarised from 34 of the 271 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
89% of the 175 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. The complaint that keeps coming up: technical issues with high refresh rate monitors. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The game was commercially successful, being featured in the best-sellers for the Nintendo 3DS. In 2018, the Limited Run Games Collector's Edition for the game on Nintendo Switch sold out in a few minutes. Like its predecessors, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse was met with "generally favorable reviews", according to review aggregator Metacritic, with scores of 82/100 (3DS) and 85/100 (Wii U). Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4.5 out of 5, saying "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is another exemplary entry in a short but long-lived line of exploration-driven platformers. The gameplay is fun, varied and challenging, and will test the skills of even the most hardcore platforming fans." Destructoid…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 285 · most liked firstHappy anniversarrrry to the fan-favorite swashbuckling adventure, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, which launched exactly 10 years ago! Thank you for a decade of support!! To celebrate, enjoy the game for 50% off on PS4, PS5, and Switch!
neutral · AI labelView post →October 23rd was the anniversary of my favorite Shantae game, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, and I wanted to draw her in her pirate outfit, she looks beautiful!
positive · AI labelView post →Monthly Art Challenge: July Video game: Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Pirate's Curse was my first Shantae game, this game takes place after Risky's revenge so Shantae doesnt have her genie powers so I never got to try the transformations, instead Shantae gets different pirate equipment to use!
neutral · AI labelView post →I usually never get all of the achievements in games, but I decided to make a few exceptions recently. Doing this for Shantae and the Pirate's Curse was long overdue on my part. I love this game so much.
positive · AI labelView post →Shantae and the Pirate's Curse isn't "the only good game in the series", either.
neutral · AI labelView post →Depends on what you're looking for. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is a great metroidvania platformer, Shadowrun Hongkong if you want to experience a cyberpunk+fantasy RPG, Rebel Galaxy for a space game with some trading and naval-style combat (ships don't move in up/down directions), Van Helsing for a diablo-like experience I'm also seeing Hyperdimension Neptunia on the sale, though I have no clue if it's any good. I always get baffled by the amount of games in that series
neutral · AI labelView post →61. Shantae and The Pirate's Curse (2014 Video Game) This game is still just as good now as it was when I first played it! A very important part of my gender journey and an all around master class of the metroidvania genre too!
positive · AI labelView post →Half-Genie's pirate antics are still delightful and still chaotic, making it perfect for some lighthearted fun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Some chiptune arrangements I made awhile ago: Starting with, here's Rottytops song from Shantae And The Pirate's Curse (styled like the 1st Shantad game on GBC)!
neutral · AI labelView post →Back in 2021, I had this random idea "what if Shantae and the Pirate's Curse looked like her first GBC game?" it's a really cool experiment for how my skills were back then
neutral · AI labelView post →Animation done for @wayforward.bsky.social's game Shantae and the Pirate's Curse #Pixelart #animation
neutral · AI labelView post →I drew Coco in an outfit inspired by an outfit from the game, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
neutral · AI labelView post →Sup. I owned the game on Switch and 3DS. Ran perfectly. Good game. Never finished it. Love that it's on Steam. Love that it has achievements I can show off to say I have (when I do) 100%ed it. What I hate with a passion is that this game was ported so full of crap and so lazy onto Steam. I have to lower my ACTUAL MONITOR REFRESH RATE TO 60 to even be able to play this game. That alone being issue enough it makes the game playable. Not GOOD. Playable. Even with the horrid screen tearing. The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finished all four of these this year and liked them all. If you're deciding which one to buy, here's some thoughts I had as I went through the franchise: Risky's Revenge: Might be a little too primitive to recommend to most people. A short but solid GBA-era metroidvania. It's not awful, but we have so many metroidvanias with modern QoL that this one only feels worth it for super-fans. Pirates curse: Tied for fave for me. The cleaned up interface, gorgeous areas and improved combat and map…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Happy 12 year anniversary to Shantae and the Pirate's Curse!! This was my first Shantae game, and I thought it was awesome! Great characters, funny writing, satisfying gameplay, etc. :D
positive · AI labelView post →19. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse This game helped me come to terms with and discover my gender identity, it matters alot to me in that regard alone but even putting that aside it's a really fun side-scroller with wonderful sprite work, unique explorative levels, and witty dialogue to boot!
positive · AI labelView post →This is definitely my favorite game in the entire series. Removing Shantae's core mechanic of the transformation dances and putting a larger focus on the movement mechanics for this title makes the game flow a lot better, and it's genuinely much more fun to play. The final boss was pretty fun to fight, and I actually had a lot of fun beating the entire game without upgrading health, and without letting any bosses hit me. If you like platformers, this is a lot of fun. If you like metroidvanias,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →💚Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore💚 Pretty cute and fun game! Definitely has that classic CDI charm. A pretty good platformer if you just like games like Shantae and The Pirate's Curse, it's pretty close to it! Arzette is hella cute, and I hope to see more from this dev team!
neutral · AI labelView post →Squid baron is too hot
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is turning 10 years, if it weren't for this game this frame wouldn't exist.
neutral · AI labelView post →pretty fun game but a little hard to play with one hand
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I recently replayed Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, and after completing the Tan Line Temple, I had an epiphany and made both Ecli and Selia with the princess outfits. And to spice things up, I decided to imitate the game artstyle. #oc #art #shantae
neutral · AI labelView post →Fuck it, top 10 Wii U games: 1. Smash Bros. Wii U 🥊 2. Splatoon 🦑 3. Pikmin 3 🌼 4. Mario Kart 8 🚗 5. Nintendo Land 🎢 6. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse 🏴☠️ 7. Steamworld Dig ⛏️ 8. Xenoblade Chronicles X 🤖 9. Game & Wario 🧄 10. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze 🍌
positive · AI labelView post →If the next Shantae game is in the style of Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, I hope they have Shantae make more adorable attempts at pirate talk again, but with voice clips this time. I just love the moments in the series where Shantae's endearingly dorky. 💜
neutral · AI labelView post →If you have a 144Hz monitor, this game will run much faster than the dev team intended. There is no way to change this in the settings, so unless you know how to lock your monitor refresh rate at 60 (or have a different monitor at a lower rate), you are SOL. The fighting mechanics and enemies were very simplistic, too. Can't recommend.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Get to know me: Game Edition! 🍄 First game - Super Mario Galaxy 🐉 Last Game - Like a Dragon Gaiden 🚢 Favorite Game - Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors ❌ Worst Game - N/A 🎮 Game I've Played Most - Portal 1 🏴☠️ Most Surprising - Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
positive · AI labelView post →Okay so I got the game working mostly, let's see how it goes. We are playing Shantae and the Pirate's Curse today www.twitch.tv/wiccyvt | #Vtuber | #ENVtuber |
neutral · AI labelView post →Really fun gameplay, awesome music, altough it can get very frustrating at times. So far It's the best Shantae game and a Really fun experience. It's more than just the titties, I swear.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →30 minutes before we beat this game! Shantae and the Pirate's Curse finale! See you on the purple site! Maybe more gaming after? #vsky #TayStreams
neutral · AI labelView post →Today is the 10th anniversary of #Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. Hands down the best Shantae game in the entire series. IMO, it's hands down a perfect game from start to finish from its gameplay, story and especially characters. Thanks @wayforward and Matt Bozon for creating an amazing game! ^_^
positive · AI labelView post →www.twitch.tv/lizardguy3 Lizardguy plays Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. Her magic may be gone, but her game still has it. #vtuber #vsky #vtubersupport #gaming #twitch
neutral · AI labelView post →Probably one of the most fun Metroidvanias I ever played. It's mechanically tight and has some fun movement unlocks Artstyle and writing give it a lot of light-heartedness, making it cozy to play It nails one aspect Metroidvanias usually don't do that well: The length
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was expecting some improvement after Risky's Revenge, but somehow, Pirate's Curse is even worse. Well, at least now you don't have to navigate through your inventory to open your map, but that's about it. In less than an hour playing, the game already forced me to backtrack two times, threw too much inane dialogue, showed the poorest level design I've seen in a while and proved to be way too similar to Risky's Revenge and too linear to be called a metroidvania. M e d i o c r e
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shantae and the Pirate's Curse! This is was my first ever Shantae game, and I had an absolute blast the whole way through! I still haven't played any other Shantae games yet, but I definitely wanna check them out sometime soon! :D
positive · AI labelView post →If games like Bayonetta and Stellar Blade are for weird crazy uncles then Shantae and the Pirate's Curse are for weird crazy teenagers.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →14. Shantae (Shantae series) The first Shantae game I ever played was in January 2016. I remember seeing Shantae and the Pirate's Curse on the Wii U eShop, thought it looked like a cute platformer, and bought it! I enjoyed it enough to buy Risky's Revenge two months later!
positive · AI labelView post →69. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse: This game is nice (Sorry I couldn't resist). Might be my fave game of the Shantae series even if it lacks the genie's animal transformations. I still need to give 7 Sirens a go though.
positive · AI labelView post →::: spoiler Final Fantasy XIV Whenever I play online games I tend to lean towards support gameplay - usually medic. That was also my plan for this attempt at getting into FFXIV but I wasn't really feeling it and, since I don't expect to play in a group, decided to play a combat role instead. Specifically: Pugilist (punch girl). I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fun under current circumstances but at the same time, it's still FFXIV so I feel rather neutral about the whole experience. I'll keep…
neutral · AI labelView post →Fun metroidvania. I liked that it was different with using items you get as you progress instead of the dances. Nice change of pace. Great pixel art and character artwork as usual. Definitely improved art. 9.5/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Silent Hill 2 (2024) has been beaten by @n3rdsquared.bsky.social , now onto a more cartoony game of Shantae and the Pirate's Curse - 100% Pirate Mode (No OOB) followed by Tomba! Special Edition - Any% by www.twitch.tv/DesUwUlation Watch live at www.twitch.tv/Shauny7188
neutral · AI labelView post →⠀⢀⣀⠤⠿⢤⢖⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⡔⢩⠂⠀⠒⠗⠈⠀⠉⠢⠄⣀⠠⠤⠄⠒⢖⡒⢒⠂⠤⢄⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠇⠤⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠀⠀⠈⠀⠈⠈⡨⢀⠡⡪⠢⡀⠀ ⠈⠒⠀⠤⠤⣄⡆⡂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠢⠀⢕⠱⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢳⣐⡐⠐⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠀⠁⠇ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠑⢤⢁⠀⠆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⢰⠀⠀⠀⡀⢄⡜⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⡦⠄⡷⠢⠤⠤⠤⠤⢬⢈⡇⢠⣈⣰⠎⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣃⢸⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢪⢀⣺⡅⢈⠆⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠶⡿⠤⠚⠁⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⡤⢺⣥⠟⢡⠃⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Here I will leave this beautifull capybara, whoever pass by can pet it and give it a thumbs up (I need Steam points)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shantae and The Pirate's Curse. This weeb game showed up in my GOG library for free somehow, so I thought I'd install it so I can decide that I hate it, uninstall and move on. The problem is I love it because it's a great fucking game. Casual platforming, metroidvania elements, bangin' ass soundtrack, every character has giant tits for no reason. I recommend it!
positive · AI labelView post →This is the best game in the series in my opinion. The game may be old now, but it's definitely worth picking up if you enjoy metroidvania titles. It improves on the combat and progression over Risky's Revenge, the previous game. The sequel to this game, 1/2 Genie Hero, is an okay game and I might even like it better than Risky's Revenge, but it's as much of a step backwards as it is a return to form. Seven Sirens, the newest game (chronologically, though there is more recently a GBA prequel…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Random thing of the day: Shantae and the Pirate's Curse The third game in the Shantae series. After losing her magic, Shantae needs to use pirate items to help her in this adventure. A really fun game like always!
positive · AI labelView post →Automatically goes to same hz as your monitor and can't change it. Because of this the game speeds up by 2,5x on 144hz making the game impossible to play without changing hz on monitor. Ontop of that it just feels like a really outdated game mechanics wise
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I just started playing "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse"! It's my first experience with a Shantae game, and I'm really enjoying it so far! All of the characters are great, the pixel art is incredible, and the music is really good! Also, this game is hilarious!!! :D
positive · AI labelView post →My copy of Shantae and the Pirate's Curse arrived today! I think this is my first numbered Limited Run Games game, looks like it's number 4 of the production run?
neutral · AI labelView post →Started Shantae and the Pirate's Curse!! This is really fun, but I'm also very bad at this game lol
positive · AI labelView post →My favorite Metroid game is Metroid Fusion, which people say is bad for not being Metroid enough. My favorite Metroidvania is Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, which people say is barely a Metroidvania
neutral · AI labelView post →Best Shantae game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The fall-off from Shantae and the Pirate's Curse to Half-Genie Hero needs to be studied. The story is infinitely worse and the game is more tedious, repetitive, and rage-inducing. I also prefer the pirate moveset to the transformations.
negative · AI labelView post →risky boots is so hot bro
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse might honestly be one of the greatest 2D platformers I’ve ever played, and easily one of my favorites in the genre. The game feel is off the charts. The movement, exploration, characters, character designs, writing, and music are all fantastic. It has so much personality, and overall, it stands as one of the best games in its genre. Structurally, the game feels almost like a 2D Zelda-style adventure. Even when some of the plot points are comedically nonsensical,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →16. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (2014) liked this game a lot! the style and humor can be a little hit or miss but the game itself is very fun & well designed, the movement & abilities for backtracking are great & it's very charming overall what's better than teaming up with your evil girlfriend
positive · AI labelView post →🧵Shantae and the Pirate's Curse ~ Replay🧵 This was my first Shantae game, and to this day, it's probably still my favorite one. The pirate weapons are great, the writing is fun, I adore the art style, and the soundtrack is Jake Kaufman's greatest. Fully completing this game again was a blast!
positive · AI labelView post →Playing through my favorite Shantae game, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. Hope you enjoy the LP ~ youtu.be/V3-W_KokYeg #shantae #wayforward #letsplay
positive · AI labelView post →26) Shantae and the Pirate's Curse 8/10 This is the first Shantae game I've played, and I really liked it
positive · AI labelView post →Started playing Shantae and The Pirate's Curse. Haven't played a shantae game before, having a good time
positive · AI labelView post →Overall a pretty good game. As someone new to the franchise, this felt like a pretty good introduction. There were a few moments of confusion or frustration, but overall the game isn't too difficult. It frankly feels refreshing after burning out on the mastery Silksong constantly demands. Gameplay wise, the controls and upgrades are solid though not especially unique. I suspect they generate a fair amount of nostalgia for people with more familiarity with previous games. The game also has a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Truly a one hit wonder. This was a great metroidvania to play through. Fun and charming with a great soundtrack. The only game in the series worth playing honestly.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.
