The text below was published on the PlayStation Blog.
Hello everyone. I’m Matt Bozon, director of the Shantae series. Today, I’d like to share some exciting news about Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution and provide more details about the project!
If you’re familiar with the Shantae game series, you might have heard that the original Shantae had an unfinished sequel that never saw the light of day. Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is that long-lost sequel. Original development wrapped in 2004, leaving the game only half finished—but the story didn’t end there.
A Long-Lost Labor of Love
Twenty years later, the original Shantae Advance team reunited through WayForward and Limited Run Games. We reopened our archives, dug into old files, and committed to completing the project on its original codebase using period-accurate tools. It was a labor of love, preservation, and resourcefulness. Now, the project is finally complete after over two decades and will be “Ret-2-Go” for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
So is Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution an old game or new? Is it the second series entry? Or sixth? Great questions. First and foremost, this is a never-before-released, brand-new Shantae game completed in 2025. But canonically, it’s the series’ second installment. The story takes place right after Shantae 1’s events but before Risky’s Revenge. The overall gameplay style builds on lessons from all prior Shantae games. Combat and platforming are fast and agile, writing and humor are sharp, and quality-of-life features align with the modern series.
Feature-wise, the game offers three standalone experiences: First is the modern version—developed for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5—which includes high-res portrait art, UI, and cinematics. Second is Classic Mode, preserving all 2004-era pixel art at original resolution as a bonus side-content playthrough. Third is Battle Mode, a local multiplayer party game for 2-4 players where you outmaneuver rivals on a rotating arena while collecting power-ups.
Shantae’s New Outfits
But wait—there’s more. All this is in the Standard Edition, but we’re also offering a Deluxe Edition with three exclusive outfits crafted especially for fans. See Shantae like never before in her Relic Hunter, Hi-Voltage, and Sizzle Armor Fantasy Costumes. These outfits don’t just change Shantae’s overworld sprites—they also alter her high-res dialogue portraits and magical attack properties. With Deluxe Edition, all three costumes are available from the start. Behold:
The Relic Hunter Costume takes inspiration from Uncle Mimic’s old friends, the Relic Hunters, who feature prominently in-game. For this outfit, we imagined what if Shantae cosplayed as Uncle Mimic? She’d definitely make some personal tweaks. What do you think? Equipping this adventure-ready costume grants a permanent boost to Shantae’s Spike Ball magic.
The Hi-Voltage Costume supercharges Shantae’s Storm Puff electricity magic. The techwear-inspired design—complete with holographic ponytail and “1994” pant-leg text (her creation year)—pushes absurdity to the max. We thought it’d be fun to give her retro-futuristic techwear in bright colors.
Last—and least in this case—is the Sizzle Armor Fantasy. This impressive “bikini armor” greatly buffs Shantae’s Fireball magic. The design channels ’80s anime battle swimsuit armor with fluorescent red accents, Dragonslayer-esque plating, and glimmering gemstones. Shantae’s ponytail even transforms into a flaming whip.
So there you have it—full details on Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution’s Deluxe Edition content. Both Standard and Deluxe Editions launch August 19—less than a month away. After 20 years waiting to get this game into your hands, I can’t believe it’s finally happening. Hope you’re all as excited to play as we are. Thank you for supporting this series.
