Shantae and the Pirate's Curse similar games & best alternatives

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse - Trailer
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse - shantae-and-the-pirate-s-curse_1.avif
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse - shantae-and-the-pirate-s-curse_2.avif
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse - shantae-and-the-pirate-s-curse_3.avif
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Shantae and the Pirate's Curse

PlayStation 4, Nintendo 3DS, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Wii U, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch • 2015

Should you play it?

Embark on an all-new adventure with Shantae, the hair-whipping belly dancing genie. After losing her magic, Shantae teams up with the nefarious pirate Risky Boots in order to save Sequin Land from a curse.

What works

  • Engaging platforming and exploration
  • Memorable characters and humor
  • Excellent pixel art and animations
  • Catchy and well-composed soundtrack
  • High replay value with achievements and new game+

Things to keep in mind

  • Final level difficulty spike frustrating for some
  • Some backtracking required
  • Map navigation can be clunky
  • Lack of multiplayer or social features
  • Minor port issues on pc (control remapping, speed on high refresh rate)

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Catmaze

  • Gryphon Knight Epic

  • Dust: An Elysian Tail

  • BIOMORPH

  • Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure

  • Songs for a Hero - Definitive Edition

Less expressive

Games that feels like Shantae and the Pirate's Curse but with less self-expression and customization

  • Pharaoh Rebirth+

  • Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore

  • Islets

  • Chasm

  • MindSeize

  • Evoland Legendary Edition

Less violent

Games that feels like Shantae and the Pirate's Curse but with less combat and destruction

  • Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

  • Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition

  • Mago

  • SteamWorld Dig 2

  • Spyro™ Reignited Trilogy

  • Treasure Adventure World

Choose your own criteria ->

From the same developer

From the same developer, ranked by motivational fit.

  • Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut

  • Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

  • Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition

  • Shantae and the Seven Sirens

  • The Mummy Demastered

Similarity map

How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Violence, Survival, Fellowship, Intimacy. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Leadership, Survival.

Last update: 03/08/2026