ActionAdventureIndieRPG
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Give it 5 hours
Gets good by 5h then rated almost like by veterans
Fully opens up by 10h rated like by long-time players
Reach the ending 31% of players who started
Started playing 72% of owners
Steam reviews 93% positive of 3,115
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 4 reviews are negative (28%); after 10h it's 1 in 30 (3%).
- Fully opens up by hour 10.
- 31% of players who start reach the ending.
- The biggest drop-off is between “Ret-2-go!” (Defeated the Ammo Baron) and “Green Thumb” (Defeated the Cyclops Plant): from 100% to 66% of starters.
- 72% of owners got the first achievement.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 3,131 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 296 reviews: 12.7h for positive, 6.7h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (72.1% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- Ret-2-go! Defeated the Ammo Baron. 100%
- Green Thumb Defeated the Cyclops Plant. Most players quit here 66% −34
- Arachnophobia Defeated the Empress Spider. 58% −9
- Ten-tickles Defeated the Squid Baron. 50% −8
- Graet Jobb Defeated Dagron. 44% −6
- Hunk of Junk Defeated the Steel Maggot. 40% −4
- Vanished into the eternal abyss… Defeated the Pirate Master. 36% −3
- Guardian Genie Defeat the Pirate Master's true form. 31% −5
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (44)
story milestone ending side
- Ret-2-go! Defeated the Ammo Baron. 100%
- Smells like victory! Release the Ham Stink. 70%
- Special Weaponry Defeat 250 enemies using Shantae's Monster Whipper! 67%
- Green Thumb Defeated the Cyclops Plant. 66%
- Eww! Eew! Eew! Obtain Squid Oil. 62%
- Arachnophobia Defeated the Empress Spider. 58%
- Pest Control Destroy 10 Spider Eggs before they hatch. 55%
- Avoided a Curse… Obtain all three Mummy Sketches. 53%
- The fun part! Obtain the Golden Pickaxe. 52%
- Risky's Business Use a Pirate Flare to return to Risky's ship. 52%
- Ten-tickles Defeated the Squid Baron. 50%
- Ready for anything! Defeat 50 enemies using Pirate Weapons. 47%
- It belongs in a museum! Obtain the Fossil. 47%
- Gotta Get 'Em All Collect 50% of the Heart Squids. 46%
- Mutant Buffalo Obtain Manly Musk. 45%
- Destroying the Dark Magic Collect 50% of the Dark Magic. 45%
- Graet Jobb Defeated Dagron. 44%
- I GAINED THE ADVANTAGE! Collect the Enchanted Blade. 42%
- Comfort and Convenience Obtain the Spirit from Abner. 41%
- It ain't not gonna miss. Help Ammo Baron fire the Palace Disruptor Cannon. 40%
- Hunk of Junk Defeated the Steel Maggot. 40%
- Vanished into the eternal abyss… Defeated the Pirate Master. 36%
- Tasty Treats Sample the entire menu! 35%
- Prepared for Battle Collect all of the Dark Magic. 32%
- Guardian Genie Defeat the Pirate Master's true form. 31%
- MELT! THEM!! DOWN!!! Collect all Heart Squids. 24%
- On the map! Collect all Labyrinth maps. 24%
- Nostalgia Trip Discover the secret Labyrinth. 15%
- Skilled Survivor Complete the hidden training room. 14%
- From my hair to his derriere! Defeated the Ammo Baron without taking any damage. 11%
- Fool me once… Play keep away with the Ammo Baron. 9.3%
- Broken Bones Destroy 20 bones with the Bubble Shield. 8.2%
- Zombie Survival Guide Get Rottytops to Abner Tree without making any mistakes in a single attempt. 6.5%
- What an eyesore... Defeated the Cyclops Plant using only Pike Balls. 6.4%
- Nothing but a shade… Defeated the Pirate Master without taking damage. 6.2%
- Master Gardener Defeated the Cyclops Plant without taking damage. 5.8%
- Scrap Metal Defeated the Steel Maggot without taking damage. 5.3%
- Squashed Spider Defeated the Empress Spider without taking damage. 5.1%
- Calamari Connoisseur Defeated the Squid Baron without taking damage. 4.9%
- Prefectionist Defeated Dagron without taking damage. 4.7%
- Squid Savior Complete the game without any Health upgrades and all Heart Squids collected. 4.4%
- Half-Genie Hero Defeated the Pirate Master's true form without taking any damage. 3.9%
- Speed Runner Saved Scuttle Town as fast as possible! 3.3%
- Purple Haired Warrior Maiden Defeat the Pirate Master's true form and save Scuttle Town in record time! 3.2%
Steam page Updated: 2026-10-19.