Here's some pros and cons of the game, followed by an overall assessment.

Pros: Fun gameplay. Vibrant looking world. Great animation, some of the best I've seen, especially for a pixel art game. Well done pixel art, not the lazy "oh I don't have the money and time to make a game look good" pixel art. Great soundtrack, done by Jake "Virt" Kaufman. Cool character designs. Good gameplay progression, everything feels paced pretty well. The dialogue is really funny and charming, the writing is very self aware and played for laughs.

Cons: It's kinda short, you can get through it in about 6 hours. The pixel art looks low rez on a computer monitor. The dialogue box and menus really clash with the pixel art style.

Overall it's a great game, a solid 8/10 in my opinion. If you're looking for a good metroidvania, this is your game. If you're unfamiliar with the Shantae games, here's the basic gameplay: Shantae uses her hair to attack, and you can purchase spells for her to use, like a spinning ball around her, a fireball, and a stormcloud, all these spells can be upgraded a few times, and Shantae's basic abilities can be upgraded, like her hair doing more damage and being faster, or magic regain. Shantae unlocks different forms that allow her to access new areas, which I won't spoil, that she accesses through belly dancing. The PC director's cut is mostly the same as the DSi/IOS versions, with a few changes like a new gameplay mode that focuses on magic, but makes Shantae physically weaker(think a Game+ mode) and the warp system allows for free travel, instead of two warp points being assigned to eachother, and a better map system.

Here's some pros and cons of the game, followed by an overall assessment. Pros: Fun gameplay. Vibrant looking world. Great animation, some of the best I've seen, especially for a pixel art game. Well done pixel art, not the lazy "oh I don't have the money and time to make a game look good" pixel art. Great soundtrack, done by Jake "Virt" Kaufman. Cool character designs. Good gameplay progression, everything feels paced pretty well. The dialogue is really funny and charming, the writing is very self aware and played for laughs. Cons: It's kinda short, you can get through it in about 6 hours. The pixel art looks low rez on a computer monitor. The dialogue box and menus really clash with the pixel art style. Overall it's a great game, a solid 8/10 in my opinion. If you're looking for a good metroidvania, this is your game. If you're unfamiliar with the Shantae games, here's the basic gameplay: Shantae uses her hair to attack, and you can purchase spells for her to use, like a spinning ball around her, a fireball, and a stormcloud, all these spells can be upgraded a few times, and Shantae's basic abilities can be upgraded, like her hair doing more damage and being faster, or magic regain. Shantae unlocks different forms that allow her to access new areas, which I won't spoil, that she accesses through belly dancing. The PC director's cut is mostly the same as the DSi/IOS versions, with a few changes like a new gameplay mode that focuses on magic, but makes Shantae physically weaker(think a Game+ mode) and the warp system allows for free travel, instead of two warp points being assigned to eachother, and a better map system.