Shantae

Originally released in 2002 for the GameBoy...Color (and not the GameBoy Advance, for whatever reason), Shantae is the debut game of the iconic belly-dancing half-genie from Scuttle Town. Created by Matt and Erin Bozon and published by WayForward, this is the game that started it all. A Metroidvania-style adventure, Shantae has players explore labyrinths across Sequin Land while battling enemies and unlocking new abilities. When the nefarious pirate Risky Boots attacks Scuttle Town and steals Mimic’s steam engine, Shantae springs into action to stop Risky from collecting the elemental stones needed to power and fortify it. Using her belly dancing to transform into various animals, she sets out on a journey to stop Risky and save Sequin Land.

Despite being a classic, the game has some design quirks that can make it feel like a chore at times - likely a result of the GameBoy Color’s hardware limitations. That said, it’s still fascinating to experience Shantae’s origins. For this playthrough, I complete the main story by clearing every labyrinth, collecting all the warp squids, gathering all 12 fireflies across Sequin Land to unlock the bonus dance, and obtaining every heart container and animal power-up. By playing the Advanced version of the game, I also unlock the ability to purchase the Tinkerbat transformation. The only thing I skip is buying the fighter equipment from Water Town. Grinding for gems is already tedious enough, and I end up replaying Scuttle Town’s dancing mini-game more times than I care to admit just to stock up on potions. Besides, the fighter gear is purely cosmetic—it only changes Shantae’s attack, and her hair works just fine as it is.