Better late than never.
Though Shantae has become well-established today as a recognisable indie gaming icon, there was once a time when the purple-haired half-genie hero struggled to find an audience. The original Shantae released for the GBC in 2002 and suffered poor sales, which led to publishers being unwilling to pick up the tab for funding the sequel Wayforward had planned for the GBA called Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution. Though development had progressed quite a bit, this title was ultimately shelved and interestingly wasn’t revisited when the studio eventually got Shantae: Risky’s Revenge published for the DSi as the official second game in the series.
Some concepts and mechanics from Risky Revolution were repurposed for later entries, but it wasn’t until 2023 that WayForward revealed it had resumed development on their mascot’s lost sophomore outing. And after an initial exclusivity period earlier this year in which the game was only available on an actual GBA cart, WayForward has now brought this interesting piece of Shantae history to modern platforms. After having put it through its paces, I’m happy to report that Risky Revolution offers up an enjoyable glimpse into Shantae’s past that largely still holds up after all these years.
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