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Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution has a 74/100 Metascore from eight Nintendo Switch critic reviews, but most of that sample is mixed rather than positive: five reviews are mixed, three are positive, and none are negative. Critics tend to like its charm, humor, puzzles, bosses, and unusual world-shifting mechanic; navigation and pacing are recurring concerns.
What is the Metacritic score for Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution?
Metacritic lists a 74/100 Metascore based on eight critic reviews for the Nintendo Switch version. Its displayed breakdown is 38% positive (three reviews), 63% mixed (five), and 0% negative (zero); the percentages are rounded. This is a Switch-specific aggregate, not a score established for every platform. Metacritic’s critic-review page was accessed October 8, 2026.
The distribution matters as much as the number: the sample leans mixed, even though none of the eight reviews is classified as negative. The reviews describe a distinctive, often enjoyable return to the series, but differ on whether its ideas and retro feel make a satisfying whole.
What do critics like about the game?
Charm, humor, and presentation
Reviewers regularly point to the colorful presentation, lively cast, and humor as strengths. Hey Poor Player’s 90/100 review, published August 18, 2025, praises the game’s fun, characters, humor, puzzles, and boss battles. Impulsegamer gave it 80/100 on August 28, calling it a bright, charming action platformer and noting that it can work for newcomers to the series. Metacritic reproduces the cited critic reviews.
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#1 Best Overall
- Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is on a playable gold cartridge for Gameboy Advance
- Deluxe Foil Box with Foil Slipcover
- Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution Original Soundtrack
- Magnetic Acrylic Frame to Display Cartridge
- Collectible Coin
Bosses, puzzles, and a shifting world
The central hook is a world that can be shifted between connected layers. Nintendo Life’s 70/100 review praised the world-cycling concept, visuals, dense overworld, and narrative, while also identifying a navigation problem discussed below. Reviewers also called out the puzzles and boss encounters as highlights. Nintendo Life’s review described the game as “an interesting ‘new’ entry in the beloved indie franchise, a curious fusion of old and new design philosophies.”
What are the main criticisms?
Exploration can be hard to follow
Several reviews cite the lack of a map as a drawback in a game built around exploring a dense, layered world. Nintendo Life said the missing map holds the experience back; Pure Nintendo’s 70/100 review also criticized the lack of a map or hint system. If you enjoy working out routes without much guidance, this may be less of an issue; if you rely on navigation tools to track branching areas, it is a meaningful caveat.
Rank #2
- Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution on a region-free cartridge for Playstation 4.
- Deluxe Edition Costumes are on the game disc
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Platformer
- # of Players: 1 - 4 Players
- Shantae's adventure comes full circle in this long-lost sequel!
Pacing and older-feeling design
Some critics found the adventure short or uneven. Siliconera’s 70/100 review described a fine series-timeline addition but pointed to shortness and pacing issues. Digitally Downloaded gave it 70/100, valuing it as a rescued series curiosity while judging newer entries better. GamingTrend’s 60/100 review found the adventure inconsistent and forgettable, though it acknowledged strong moments in the puzzles and transformations.
These are not unanimous verdicts: the same mechanics that reviewers find inventive can also make the game feel uneven or less polished than later entries. The review sample supports treating it as a distinctive series entry with clear appeal, rather than assuming every critic considers it a high point.
Rank #3
- Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution on a region-free cartridge for Xbox Series X.
- Deluxe Edition Costumes are on the game disc
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Platformer
- # of Players: 1 - 4 Players
- Shantae's adventure comes full circle in this long-lost sequel!
What kind of game is it, and where does it fit in the series?
Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is a 2D side-scrolling action-adventure released August 19, 2025. Its premise centers on Risky Boots shifting the land, moving towns and changing how Shantae traverses layered levels. Metacritic describes it as a recovered sequel project that fills the timeline gap between Shantae (2002) and Shantae: Risky’s Revenge (2010). Steam’s store page lists WayForward as publisher and WayForward and Limited Run Games as developers.
That history is part of the game’s appeal for series fans: it is not simply another new installment, but a once-unreleased project completed and brought to modern platforms. Critics who value that context may find the game interesting even when they consider later series entries more polished.
Rank #4
- Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is on a playable cartridge for Gameboy Advance.
- Shantae's adventure comes full circle in this long-lost sequel!
- Filling in the gaps between the original Shantae (2002) and Shantae: Risky's Revenge (2010), Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution sees Shantae protecting Sequin Land from a twisted new plot orchestrated by her nemesis, the pirate Risky Boots.
What modes and playtime should players expect?
MeriStation’s review, by Laura Luna and updated September 13, 2025, describes Story and Classic modes on modern systems, plus a Battle mode for two to four players. Luna estimates approximately 12 hours to reach 100% completion; that is one reviewer’s estimate, not a guaranteed playtime for every player. She also notes frustrations with control mapping and the absence of maps. Read MeriStation’s review.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which platforms is it available on?
The ESRB lists the game for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series; Steam documents a PC release. The 74 Metascore cited above applies only to Nintendo Switch critic reviews. The available review aggregate does not establish equivalent critic scores across the other platforms. ESRB’s rating record lists the console platforms, and Steam documents the PC version.
Best Value
- The VGP Exclusive Variant features different box art and a Transparent Red Cartridge!
- Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is on a playable cartridge for Gameboy Advance.
- Shantae's adventure comes full circle in this long-lost sequel!
- Filling in the gaps between the original Shantae (2002) and Shantae: Risky's Revenge (2010), Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution sees Shantae protecting Sequin Land from a twisted new plot orchestrated by her nemesis, the pirate Risky Boots.
Is Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution suitable for younger players?
The ESRB rates the game T for Teen for Fantasy Violence and Suggestive Themes. Its rating summary describes platforming, jewel collecting, puzzles, enemies defeated with hair-whip attacks and transformation powers, revealing depictions of some female characters, and suggestive dialogue. The ESRB’s stated rating is: “Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution! is rated T for Teen by the ESRB with Fantasy Violence and Suggestive Themes.” See the ESRB rating summary.
Quick Recap
Who is most likely to enjoy it?
- Consider it if you are a Shantae fan interested in the series’ history, or you enjoy colorful action-platformers with puzzles, bosses, transformations, and an unusual world-navigation idea.
- Weigh the caveats if you want clear map support, tightly paced exploration, or the polish of the series’ newer entries.
- For newcomers, at least one reviewer found it approachable, but the Switch critic sample does not establish a universal consensus on how well it works as a starting point.
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