Pure genie-us! Indi games are weird. There’s no denying this fact when you have titles that allow you to take control of a knight that wields a shovel in order to defeat evil forces and a genderless character that falls into a land of monsters and is left with a choice to become either a pacifist or a homicidal maniac. Games like these represent how indi games have no limit to their creativity, and “Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse” – the third and latest entry in the Shantae series – is no exception. This side-scrolling action platformer begins on Shantae’s homeland of Scuttle Town while she’s attempting to grow accustomed to not having her genie powers that her arch-nemesis, Risky Boots, took away at the end of the previous game. Because of this, Shantae has only her hair to remind her of the powers she once had. However, things aren’t all bad as Shantae has been deemed the protector of Scuttle Town! This title holds prominence. When “Pirate’s Curse” begins, it opens with an attack on your town from a villain called Ammo Baron. Ready to fulfill her role as town protector, Shantae runs to defend Scuttle Town from this cheesy second-rate evildoer! This turns out to be the worst course of action as Shantae soon discovers that Ammo Baron rightfully owns the town. The previous mayor sold it to him for a couple of quick sweets. By attacking the mayor, Shantae is stripped of her title as town protector and will have her hair cut at a moment’s notice. “Can things get any worse for Shantae?” you may ask. Well reader, yes, yes it can! Shantae must team up with Risky Boots in order to stop a greater evil by the name of the Pirate Master from coming back to life. The only way our protagonist stands a chance of fulfilling such a dangerous task is by traveling to six different islands and destroying bosses in every island’s dungeon, as they are host to the power of the Pirate Master. Playing through such a quest is far from a chore. This is because “Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse” perfectly mixes gameplay aspects from “Mega-Man,” “The Legend of Zelda,” and most obviously “Metroid” and “Castlevania” as “Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse” is part metroidvania. The inspiration from “Mega-Man” and “The Legend of Zelda” is primarily seen in the use of dungeons. Players must obtain an item in every dungeon and then use said item to defeat that dungeon’s boss. As in “Mega-Man,” players have the ability to use old items in combination with new items to defeat a boss in any play-style you see fit. Finally, the metroidvania part of the game is that every island has expansive land that can be explored from left-to-right. Since each island is so large, it is only fitting that players can find collectables. The two collectables in “Pirate’s Curse” – heart squids and dark magic – have important uses to the player. Heart squids can be used to obtain new hearts. Doing so will entail retrieving four of these adorable creatures and then melting them all in order to gain an extra heart. Dark magic can be obtained by defeating cacklebats, minions of Risky that were originally tinker bats and have since been mutated by dark magic. Defeating these creatures is extremely satisfying and much less annoying than encountering a Zubat countless times. Defeating cackle bats will release their dark magic which can then be collected by sucking it up with a magic lamp. Like heart squids, cacklebats have a pivotal role in the game, specifically at the end. This is because “Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse” has two endings. One ending is “good” and the other is “bad.” Failing to collect all the released dark magic from cacklebats will result in the bad ending. Although these collectables sound ridiculous, they add charm to the game. “Pirate’s Curse” is rife with colorful characters, varied enemies, and a plethora of settings that keep the gaming experience fresh. While the enemies and settings make the gameplay so great, the characters are perhaps the best part of “Shantae.” This is because characters range from a lovable zombie that doesn’t want to eat your brains, to a squid realizing his role in life is to be a filler boss. The characters add colorful charm to the game and help make it a success. “Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse” is one of the most beautiful games I have laid my eyes upon. Its pixelated prowess shows that good graphics don’t always have to mean applying infinite polish to a CGI-filled world. The soundtrack is perfect, and the music is at its best when it mixes different genres together while maintaining an Arabian theme. “Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse” is simply a perfect game. It has a fantastic narrative that mixes drama and humor into an unforgettable story. Not only that, but the game pushes the boundaries by meshing together aspects from a multitude of popular games. This is done so masterfully that it feels like they originated here. With all these impressive features, plus equally fantastic graphics and soundtrack, “Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse” is better than perfect; it is pure genie-us!