>>718297985
Opinion from someone who actually plays these fucking things for the games and the smut a distant second (I'm a platforming nerd): they are all fun to some degree. It rather irritates me when it's apparent someone's only knowledge of the series is how hard it makes them nut.
Shantae 1 has visual charm and deserves credit for what it packed into a GBC cartridge, however it's very clunky and tough to go back to. There is no map, the difficulty is hard as nails, the camera is awful and it is tedious constantly backtracking across the entire overworld.
Risky's Revenge is really short (it was a DSi Ware release) but a much better experience and a better jumping on point for newcomers.
Pirate's Curse is absolute kino, the best one they ever made. Fantastic Metroidvania with a killer soundtrack and good length.
Half Genie Hero gets a lot of flak for deviating from the interconnectedness, but the core gameplay is still there and still a lot of fun. In a way I commend them for trying something new, and the visuals are gorgeous and there is enough content with all the DLCs to choke a cat.
Seven Sirens is also good, it's just Half Genie Hero again (same engine and sprites) except in an overworld again like people wanted. Studio Trigger did the cutscenes and they are awesome. Definitely worth a look.
Remains to be seen how Shantae Advance is since I haven't played it yet. I expect it to be somewhere between Risky's Revenge and Pirate's Curse.
