Shantae: All Games & DLC Ranked Worst To Best

Whilst the likes of the original Shantae and Half-Genie Hero are great games they're nothing in comparison to Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. Pirate's Curse isn't just the best Shantae game, it's one of the best 2D platformers in general.

The first two entries had the problem of Shantae's animal dances. Because of this, you would often have to stop to do a little dance to progress, completely killing the pace. However, in Pirate's Curse, Shantae must move around with the new pirate gear which is just infinitely better.

Chaining together the pirate gear is just so much fun and you don't need to stop at all. For example, you get the likes of the Pirate Hat which lets you glide across long distances and the Cannon which allows you to shoot a projectile below you, pushing you into the air. You can chain these two moves together to stay in the air for a long time. It's a lot of fun and one of the many ways the pirate gear works together.

It's also got the best pixel-art of the entire series, the best levels, and the best soundtrack. The only reason you might not want to start here is because it makes every other entry slightly disappointing in comparison.