Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution fits in just fine on the classic Game Boy Advance

Shantae has had a rich history in games over the past two decades. It's a series that has spanned five games across multiple console generations. Interestingly, it was supposed to be six games. After the original Shantae released on the Game Boy Color in 2002, developer WayForward had begun work on a sequel. That sequel never materialized for a variety of reasons and, by the time the studio returned to Shantae, WayForward started fresh with Shantae: Risky's Revenge. However, series creators Erin and Matt Bozon still had enough left of the never-released sequel that WayForward was able to resume work on it just recently. Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is set to release later this year on modern platforms, but during our time at this year's Game Developers Conference, Shacknews had an opportunity to look at this long-lost sequel the way it was meant to be experienced and that was on Game Boy Advance.

For those who have followed the story of the Half-Genie Hero, Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution will represent somewhat of an origin story. Characters that appeared in the third game as if they were already established in series lore get a more proper introduction this time around. That includes beloved series antagonist Risky Boots, who has grown bored of pillaging coastal towns and has developed the Tremor Engine to bring the mainland villages closer to her.

Beyond the story component, Shantae Advance does contain some features that were new to the series. In addition to exploring the foreground for some platforming and puzzling, players could go through gates to venture back-and-forth between the foreground and background. Enemies could also take advantage of this idea with some newer foes bouncing between the foreground and background layers, meaning players need to take a few extra seconds to time their strikes.

While the foreground and background layers are mostly static, it should be noted that Risky does have that earthquake machine that's wreaking havoc. Eventually, players will gain control of that machine themselves, which will allow them to shift parts of the world at will and allow access to some new locations.

While Shantae Advance was designed for older hardware, that doesn't mean there isn't room for some quality-of-life improvements. This is especially true given that they've acknowledged that the original Shantae is remembered as a notoriously difficult game. To present some examples of more simplicity at work, the Bozons showed off one of the game's labyrinths and demonstrated some platforming puzzles involving fly traps. Matt noted that the fly trap mechanic may have been designed to be more difficult in the GBA era, but with more of a focus on quality-of-life, these sequences were designed to be less complex. In fact, some of the puzzle designs are more reminiscent of modern Shantae titles.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Shantae game without her ability to transform into different animals. Shantae will have several different transformations available to her over the course of the story, each with different abilities. The monkey, for example, can climb walls and also see behind them for anything hidden behind them.

Shantae Advance already stands out as a historical curiosity. After all, who's making Game Boy Advance games in 2024? The answer to that is Limited Run Games, which is continuing its mission of game preservation. What's especially remarkable about this game is how well it plays even on the GBA hardware. Even with just two face buttons and two shoulder buttons, Shantae Advance plays beautifully and looks both like a product of its time and like a game that still holds up in today's modern landscape.

Those looking to get into Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution can pick it up on modern platforms in 2025. However, those who would like to actually own it for their Game Boy Advance can place their pre-order now on Limited Run Games. Act fast, though, because pre-orders end on April 7.

This preview is based on an early PC version played during a private meeting with the developers. The final product is subject to change.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?