Shantae: All Games & DLC Ranked Worst To Best
3. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
If you want to know what Shantae is all about then Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is a great option. Every level in it essentially tells a short story that helps you understand Shantae and her rogue's gallery, with someone new from a previous game being the antagonist in almost every level.
And the levels that house these stories are mostly great.
Scuttle Town is a good enough starting location which is slightly underwhelming due to the fact that almost every Shantae game starts off there. Mermaid Falls is a fun albeit slightly disturbing location. Tassel Town is one of the more detailed levels in the game. Cape Crustacean is a fun chapter where you must platform during the middle of a magic carpet race. Finally, Hypno Baron's Castle is a cool final area.
The gameplay here is good as well, it makes the transformation dancing that the series is famous for almost instantaneous, it's still not perfect as there's still a small delay which stops the gameplay from feeling as smooth as it could.