As always, the story is funny and makes many references to conventions of the genre. The outfits are skimpy, but the dialogues are all the more clothed with puns. Recurring characters and enemies, yet always new ideas that make Shantae's new adventure varied. The game is suitable for speedruns or for more leisurely rounds.
The story of the game is told in a pleasant and light-hearted way, building up tension, but it doesn't take a dark turn. There are other games that go in dark directions, so it's nice that these topics are indeed looming to create tension, but the story so far is going for a good ending. That's also the negative point for people who want a dark story, because there is no such thing in this story.
A game in the spirit of Castlevania, it's just as fun as it used to be and tries to modernize old gameplay. 2.5D is implemented well, it controls as a 2D platformer, but a 3D effect is created in the backgrounds and in one area of the game, it feels like you're climbing a tower in 3D. It has a decent difficulty, but like “Symphony of the Night” you can become overpowered towards the end of the game by using certain equipment in a targeted way. This way, grinding can also be made bearable and collecting crafting materials is made easier. If you want to craft all the things and collect every item, you'll have to be willing to grind and collect, but it's kept within limits; we're not talking about an MMO here. I really enjoyed the game, it has replay value and offers several game modes and also other characters or costumes that change abilities, giving you variety, either in the same run or in later ones, if you will.
