# Shantae
**Shantae** is a 2D platform game series developed by the American studio WayForward Technologies, starring a belly-dancing half-genie who whips enemies with her hair and transforms into animals by dancing. The series debuted on the [Game Boy Color](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-boy-color) in 2002, was published originally by Capcom, and has since grown into a multiplatform franchise of six mainline games with a devoted fanbase.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/07/interview_wayforward_on_shantaes_past_present_and_future) • [2](https://www.mclibre.org/descargar/docs/revistas/wireframe/wireframe-70-en-202301.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First release | *Shantae*, Game Boy Color, 2002, developed by WayForward and published by Capcom[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/07/interview_wayforward_on_shantaes_past_present_and_future) |
| Creators | Erin and Matt Bozon; Matt Bozon is WayForward's creative director and a co-founder of the studio[3](https://as.com/meristation/analisis/shantae-advance-risky-revolution-la-resureccion-de-una-secuela-cancelada-n/) • [1](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/07/interview_wayforward_on_shantaes_past_present_and_future) |
| Signature mechanics | Hair-whip attack and transformation dances that turn Shantae into animal forms with distinct abilities[4](https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/22335/1/FullText.pdf) • [5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shantae-half-genie-hero-review/1900-6416599/) |
| Setting | Sequin Land; Shantae is the self-appointed guardian of the fishing village Scuttle Town, menaced by the lady-pirate Risky Boots[6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/shantae/) |
| Mainline games | *Shantae* (2002), *Risky's Revenge* (2010), *Pirate's Curse* (2014), *Half-Genie Hero* (2016), *Seven Sirens* (2020), *Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution* (2025)[7](https://idus.us.es/bitstreams/91d1f284-4af1-4155-814f-c8f91e8308ed/download) • [8](https://wayforward.com/gameography/) |
| Best-reviewed entry | *Shantae: Half-Genie Hero*, 83 average across 17 critic reviews per CriticDB; *Pirate's Curse* scored 82 on 3DS[9](https://criticdb.com/franchises/shantae) • [10](https://www.metacritic.com/game/1300160147/) |
| Rights history | Capcom published the 2002 original, but WayForward retained the rights and later self-published the series[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/07/interview_wayforward_on_shantaes_past_present_and_future) |
## Gameplay
The series is built on a 2D metroidvania formula: Shantae explores interconnected locations and dungeons whose hidden corners stay out of reach until she acquires a specific power, then uses it to progress toward bosses and objectives. Optional collectibles reward completionist play.[11](https://as.com/meristation/2020/06/26/analisis/1593158943_340682.html)
Shantae's basic attack is her hair whip, a move compared to the whip mechanics of classic *Castlevania* games.[4](https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/22335/1/FullText.pdf) • [12](https://cogconnected.com/review/shantae-half-genie-hero-review-new-magic-old-ideas/) She can also use magic to throw fireballs, create lightning, and form shields.[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shantae-half-genie-hero-review/1900-6416599/)
The formula shifts between entries. *Shantae and the Pirate's Curse* removes the magic system entirely, because its plot involves Shantae having lost her genie powers, and replaces transformations with pirate gear.[13](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/switch/234661-shantae-and-the-pirates-curse/reviews/168754)
## History and development
Shantae was created by Erin and Matt Bozon, and the character was greenlit at WayForward as a Game Boy Color game.[3](https://as.com/meristation/analisis/shantae-advance-risky-revolution-la-resureccion-de-una-secuela-cancelada-n/) • [14](https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/56978/shantae-series-interview-with-matt-bozon) The original game reached shelves at the end of the Game Boy Color's life, a year after the [Game Boy Advance](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-boy-advance) had arrived, and flew under the radar as a result; gaming press of the time called it the [Game Boy](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-boy)'s swansong.[15](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-game-boy-color-games/) • [16](https://media.muckrack.com/portfolio/items/9321082/WIreframe_Shantae_article.pdf) Capcom published it in 2002, but WayForward retained the rights, and the game returned only once, in 2013 on the Nintendo 3DS [Virtual Console](https://www.edgepedia.org/virtual-console), before later re-releases.[1](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/07/interview_wayforward_on_shantaes_past_present_and_future) • [14](https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/56978/shantae-series-interview-with-matt-bozon)
**A canceled sequel, later finished.** A Game Boy Advance sequel, *Shantae: Risky Revolution*, was worked on in the early 2000s, but no publisher would commit, and the project stalled.[2](https://www.mclibre.org/descargar/docs/revistas/wireframe/wireframe-70-en-202301.pdf) The series survived through crowdfunding and self-publishing: *Shantae: Risky's Revenge* arrived in 2010 and *Shantae and the Pirate's Curse* in 2014, the latter reworking unused material and continuing the story *Risky's Revenge* had started.[3](https://as.com/meristation/analisis/shantae-advance-risky-revolution-la-resureccion-de-una-secuela-cancelada-n/) • [7](https://idus.us.es/bitstreams/91d1f284-4af1-4155-814f-c8f91e8308ed/download) • [16](https://media.muckrack.com/portfolio/items/9321082/WIreframe_Shantae_article.pdf) *Half-Genie Hero* was funded on [Kickstarter](https://www.edgepedia.org/kickstarter) and released in 2016, followed by *Shantae and the Seven Sirens* in 2020.[17](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/shantae_half-genie_hero) • [8](https://wayforward.com/gameography/)
More than twenty years after the cancellation, the original team re-formed and finished the GBA sequel. *Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution* was released on August 19, 2025, distributed by [Limited Run Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/limited-run-games), on Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, [Xbox One](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-one) and Series X|S, and PC.[3](https://as.com/meristation/analisis/shantae-advance-risky-revolution-la-resureccion-de-una-secuela-cancelada-n/) • [18](https://www.cubed3.com/features/interviews/shantae-advance-risky-revolution-interview-with-matt-bozon)
## The games
- ***Shantae*** (2002, Game Boy Color). A metroidvania praised for its polish and visuals on GBC hardware; its Switch re-release holds a Metacritic score of 74 from 12 critic reviews.[15](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-game-boy-color-games/) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/shantae/)
- ***Shantae: Risky's Revenge*** (2010) and its later Director's Cut.[7](https://idus.us.es/bitstreams/91d1f284-4af1-4155-814f-c8f91e8308ed/download) • [8](https://wayforward.com/gameography/)
- ***Shantae and the Pirate's Curse*** (2014, 3DS; later [Wii U](https://www.edgepedia.org/wii-u), Switch, and other platforms). Metacritic 82 on 3DS from 18 critic reviews; critics called it the first entry to fully realize WayForward's ambition for the series.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/game/1300160147/)
- ***Shantae: Half-Genie Hero*** (2016). A 2.5D entry with high-definition hand-drawn sprites, eight transformation dances, and a Kickstarted production; it carries the franchise's highest critic average, 83 per CriticDB.[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shantae-half-genie-hero-review/1900-6416599/) • [9](https://criticdb.com/franchises/shantae)
- ***Shantae and the Seven Sirens*** (2020). Set on a sunken island city with a festival of half-genies and the Seven Sirens as antagonists; it adds a card system and is regarded as the most relaxed entry in difficulty.[19](https://app.crb.gov/document/download/26324) • [11](https://as.com/meristation/2020/06/26/analisis/1593158943_340682.html)
- ***Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution*** (2025). Risky Boots uses a device that rotates the continent, moving towns to the coast for plunder; each level has two superposed zones connected by portals, and the player can rotate the back plane to solve puzzles. A full completion run takes about 12 hours.[3](https://as.com/meristation/analisis/shantae-advance-risky-revolution-la-resureccion-de-una-secuela-cancelada-n/)
## Reception and identity
Reviewers consistently praise the hand-drawn animation, humor, and cast of recurring characters, including Shantae's friends and her zombie friend Rottytops, while criticism has targeted uneven transformation design and, in *Half-Genie Hero*, repetitive level revisits.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/game/1300160147/) • [20](https://gameinformer.com/games/shantae_half-genie_hero/b/playstation_vita/archive/2017/06/08/shantae-half-genie-hero-game-informer-review-vita) • [3](https://as.com/meristation/analisis/shantae-advance-risky-revolution-la-resureccion-de-una-secuela-cancelada-n/)
The character's design shaped the franchise's commercial history. Matt Bozon acknowledged that the dancing half-genie's appeal was difficult to market at launch: she read as too sexy for children's audiences and too feminine for the male players of the era.[21](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/el-sexo-vende-en-los-videojuegos-un-mito-del-marketing-que-se-traduce-en-una-verdad-a-medias-f202602-n/) Later commentary credits the series with building a sensual but not objectifying heroine, with her resolution, courage, and kindness central to the games.[3](https://as.com/meristation/analisis/shantae-advance-risky-revolution-la-resureccion-de-una-secuela-cancelada-n/)
## References
1. [Interview: WayForward on Shantae's Past, Present and Future, Nintendo Life](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/07/interview_wayforward_on_shantaes_past_present_and_future)
2. [Wireframe issue 70, Shantae feature (2023)](https://www.mclibre.org/descargar/docs/revistas/wireframe/wireframe-70-en-202301.pdf)
3. [Análisis de Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, MeriStation (2025)](https://as.com/meristation/analisis/shantae-advance-risky-revolution-la-resureccion-de-una-secuela-cancelada-n/)
4. [Brunel University PhD thesis on hair-based attacks in video games](https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/22335/1/FullText.pdf)
5. [Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shantae-half-genie-hero-review/1900-6416599/)
6. [Shantae Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/shantae/)
7. [Undergraduate thesis on platform game history, Universidad de Sevilla](https://idus.us.es/bitstreams/91d1f284-4af1-4155-814f-c8f91e8308ed/download)
8. [Gameography, WayForward](https://wayforward.com/gameography/)
9. [Every Shantae Game Ranked by Critics, CriticDB](https://criticdb.com/franchises/shantae)
10. [Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/1300160147/)
11. [Shantae And The Seven Sirens, análisis, MeriStation (2020)](https://as.com/meristation/2020/06/26/analisis/1593158943_340682.html)
12. [Shantae: Half Genie Hero Review, COGconnected](https://cogconnected.com/review/shantae-half-genie-hero-review-new-magic-old-ideas/)
13. [Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Review, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/switch/234661-shantae-and-the-pirates-curse/reviews/168754)
14. [Shantae Series Interview with Matt Bozon, Nintendo World Report](https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/56978/shantae-series-interview-with-matt-bozon)
15. [The best Game Boy Color games of all-time, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-game-boy-color-games/)
16. [Wireframe Shantae article, Muck Rack portfolio copy](https://media.muckrack.com/portfolio/items/9321082/WIreframe_Shantae_article.pdf)
17. [Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Review (PS4), Push Square](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/shantae_half-genie_hero)
18. [Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution Interview with Matt Bozon, Cubed3](https://www.cubed3.com/features/interviews/shantae-advance-risky-revolution-interview-with-matt-bozon)
19. [2016 Fall Supplement, Crimson Multimedia (Seven Sirens description)](https://app.crb.gov/document/download/26324)
20. [Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Review, Game Informer](https://gameinformer.com/games/shantae_half-genie_hero/b/playstation_vita/archive/2017/06/08/shantae-half-genie-hero-game-informer-review-vita)
21. [El sexo vende en los videojuegos, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/el-sexo-vende-en-los-videojuegos-un-mito-del-marketing-que-se-traduce-en-una-verdad-a-medias-f202602-n/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Franchises and series › Indie and modern series › Indie platformer and action series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license