Bat Sonar is useless

[Ranmaru Rei]

I don't understand meaning of Bat Sonar. It needed in one room only. And the easiest way to clear this room is Harpy form, actually.
IMHO, they could turn Hypno Baron's Castle into a dungeon and add a section that requires Bat Sonar.
Anyway I like this game, but I can't close my eyes on this flaw.

[Ranmaru Rei]

Actually, I use Spider in several places: room with Data Chip, chest in the top of Tassel Tower, one of chests in 2nd part of Carpet Race stage and way to Red Crystal room. Sometimes Spider gives a safer way to go in some places (Hadcore Mode teaches a lot of stuff).
But Bat Sonar… You can get Bat Sonar only if you have Harpy form already as I know.

[Zixinus]

Bat sonar is useful for only one room. And that is to get an attack for a form. When Shantae has the most powerful attacks in her default form, so there is no point to switching forms for combat. I think that part of the game is just padding or the sections for it never got developed.

[Ranmaru Rei]

Originally posted by Zixinus:

Bat sonar is useful for only one room.

Actually, going through this room in Bat form is harder than in Harpy form. And when you obtain Bat Sonar ability, you have Harpy form already. So, that makes Sonar useless. It is a joke or bad design decision, IMHO.
If we get Bat Sonar earlier or that room have another design in which Harpy wasn't so effective, that wasn't issue.
All other stuff have some point. Maybe a little bit, but have.

[BlueAura]

Wow, surprised people hated the mouse transformation that much. It blew my mind when I went back into mermaid falls to realize that the artistic stone columns WAS ACTUALLY TRAVERSABLE! I found it to be really cool and was one of the best surprises in the game.

Totally agree with the bat sonar being useless, although I'd argue to say that the majority of the transformation upgrades were pretty useless. The spider venom, harpy talon, and crab claw, do INCREDIBLY low damage and the fact that the elephant can't instakill enemies is terrible because you end up hurting yourself instead of killing enemies in the majority of circumstances. There should have been a shop upgrade or something that actually made them comparable to Shantae's hair. If they did it would have given the game incredibly fun utility (similar to using the variety of items in pirates curse in addition to the magic).

[Ranmaru Rei]

Harpy Talon actually is very useful in Heroic Mode. I destroyed by it Giga-Mermaid, Twitch and Vinegar, and Ammo Baron.
I see, the game is made well, but level design is odd. I don't want to complain about lack of dungeons. It doesn't bother me. Level design is odd, because it is not requires all you got. Some things requires only one or two times. A lot of thing we are got too late. All forms (I mean their basic without abilities) are used well:
Monkey is extremely useful. I need nothing to say.
Crab is early access to underwater. There is some situations, when using Crab is better than Mermaid. And it is good. For example, puzzle with watterfalls in gallery key room in Ammo Baron's airship. Crab is extremely helpful in Hardcore mode because of shell.
Elephant is good. In Heroic Mood it is suprasingly useful in Tassel Tower level, because it is pretty helpful with sandstorms. Suprasingly? Because in Normal Mode, when you on this level first time, you have not Elephant form, but after you beat this and unlock Elephant, you don't meet sandstorms so often.
Bat form is extremely useful in Normal Mode. In Heroic mode, not so much because you have superior Harpy form. But anyway some places requires Bat form. And it is good.
Mouse form is used in the game well, IMHO.
Mermaid form is extremely useful in underwater sections. And we have section in Risky's Hideout.
Spider form, IMHO, is situational. It is required only in 1 room. It helps to get earlier the chest in the top of Tassel Tower. And it can be pretty helpful in some places in Hardcore mode, but not so much helpful. It's good, but it is not so much required.
Harpy is required much in Risky's Hideout. And in Heroic Mode it is extremely useful.
Abilities:
Monkey Butt is required in some places. And it can be pretty helpful.
Elephant Stomp, I feel, it is not designed for combat. It can be used in some situations. But rather it is level opener.
Crab Claw… Same situation as Elephant Stomp.
Bat Sonar… it can be helpful, but game have no situations to use that ability at all. Really, it have no.
Mouse Bite. Clearly for achievment. It can help with worms in labyrinths, but even though I don't feel it is useful.
Spider Venom, I used it only for achievment. It is good free projectile, but it is too late for it.
Harpy Talon is useful in Heroic Mode, but I can't say similar for Normal game.

[BlueAura]

I for one found the mermaid section with moving platforms to be enjoyable enough that I didn't find the mouse transformation to be a nuisance to use at all. My only gripe is that I wished it was used in more levels lol

[Gina]

I brute-forced the dark room without even knowing of the bat sonar. Lol.

[Magikabula]

I couldn't finish that room even with the bat sonar. I had to look up the walk through to find out that there weren't any spikes on the floor at the bottom. Felt really stupid, but the field of vision was pretty low, and I assumed that the spikes were just out of my vision range.

I was disappointed most with the spider venom. I was expecting maybe a spider web swing or a cocoon ability, or both. I had the classic Spiderman jingle all loaded up and everything!

Spider Shantae, spider Shantae,
does whatever a spider Can-tae!

Can't complain too much though, she was still cuter than a button. And that bow!

[Ranmaru Rei]

Spider Venom is the same ability as in the first game.
Room is pretty easy: Turn to Harpy, fly as high as possible and move to the right wall. That's all.