Shantae: Risky's Revenge is a platform

Platform game

A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...

 video game developed by WayForward Technologies

WayForward Technologies

WayForward Technologies is a game development company based in Valencia, California. Founded in 1990 by technology entrepreneur Voldi Way, WayForward started by developing games for consoles such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis, as well as TV games and PC educational...

 for DSiWare digital distribution service. It was released in North America on October 4, 2010 and later in all PAL regions barring Australia and New Zealand on February 11, 2011. It is the sequel to the Game Boy Color

Game Boy Color

The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...

 video game Shantae

Shantae

Shantae is a platform video game developed by WayForward Technologies and published by Capcom for the Game Boy Color.-Plot:From the official website:...

.

Plot

Things had been quiet in Scuttle Town since Shantae's clash with the pirate Risky Boots. During the annual Relics Hunters Expo, she and her friends see fellow Relic Hunter Uncle Mimic unveil his latest find: an ordinary-looking lamp encased in stone. Just as they begin to wonder what it is, the notorious Risky Boots crashes the expo and steals the lamp. Despite the quick battle, Shantae is knocked out, allowing the vengeful pirate to get away. Blaming the half-genie for the town being in disarray and failing to do her job properly, the Mayor of Scuttle Town fires her as the town's guardian.

Despite no longer being a Guardian Genie, Shantae still decides to take responsibility to stop Risky Boots' newest plot. Is there more to this mysterious lamp than one expects? And what does the evil pirate intend to do with it?

Development

A Shantae sequel was planned for the Game Boy Advance

Game Boy Advance

The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...

. Screenshots released by WayForward resembled a port with updated graphics. As with the original game, Shantae Advance was developed by Matt Bozon on his own time.

Bozon discussed further IP releases with IGN on May 7, 2007.
Spencer of Siliconera further speculated on the future of the franchise during coverage of GDC 2008.
The WiiWare

WiiWare

WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...

 version, described as being "an ongoing experiment in 2D on the Wii

Wii

The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...

", as well as work on a Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS

The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

 version and the scrapped Game Boy Advance

Game Boy Advance

The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...

 sequel was revealed in a May 2008 WayForward newsletter.

On September 15, 2009,Shantae: Risky's Revenge was revealed as a downloadable DSiWare title on Nintendo of America's 2009 Holiday lineup, with a tentative 2009 Q4 release date. Details on the 3-part episodic sequels were revealed in the November 2009 issue of Nintendo Power. It was later scheduled for a Q1 2010 release. In late September Wayforward sent an email to all members of the Shantae Fan Club, officially stating that the game would be available in North America on October 4, 2010 and in a official press release, it was stated that Shantae: Risky's Revenge would ditch its original episodic content plan and release the full game altogether for the price of 1200 Nintendo Points.

Reception

Shantae Risky's Revenge has achieved critical acclaim, with many reviewers saying that this is the best DSiWare available, achieving a 92 on Metacritc and a 93 on Gamerankings. Critics praised the game for its beautiful visuals, excellent soundtrack, and an old school style that felt familiar to Castlevania and Metroid, but with fresh new ideas. One common complaint was aimed at the poor map system. IGN called it a labour of love, a sequel that doesn't disappoint. IGN later gave IGN Shantae: Risky' Revenge the Best Visuals Award and Best DS Game for 2010.