With Shantae, what you see is exactly what you get: a colorful and light-hearted platformer that doesn't take its story too seriously.
This one feels like a throwback to the good ol' days of Aladdin or The Lion King (which I used to play on MegaDrive)... minus the punishing difficulty. I'm assuming for some people this could actually be somewhat of a turn-off: Shantae is quite easy to finish, and never really offers that much of a professional challenge. So if you like to think of yourself as a hardcore gamer who only finds pleasure in pain, I'm afraid this is not for you, as you'll be easy bored. For normal people, however, it's a very pleasant and stress-free ride that doesn't overstay its welcome.