Choose Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Choose Shantae and the Pirate's Curse if you want a RPG experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 94.7% positive across 1,050 reviews.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse vs Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition both land in Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (2015) is 3 years older than Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition (2018). Shantae and the Pirate's Curse scores higher on Steam reviews (94.7% positive) than Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition (90.4% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition
Choose Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition if it's the newer release (2018) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition launched in 2018.
Both Shantae and the Pirate's Curse and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Shantae and the Pirate's Curse |  Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 94.7% positive (1,050 reviews) | 90.4% positive (405 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | WayForward | WayForward |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (2015) is 3 years older than Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition (2018).
- Shantae and the Pirate's Curse scores higher on Steam reviews (94.7% positive) than Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition (90.4% positive).
- Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition (19.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is Deck Verified, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition is Deck Playable.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse vs Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition — FAQ
- Which is better, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse or Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition?
- On Steam reviews Shantae and the Pirate's Curse scores higher (94.7% positive) than Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition (90.4% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Shantae and the Pirate's Curse or Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition first?
- If you want chronology, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (2015) came out before Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition (2018). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Shantae and the Pirate's Curse and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.