he had come to understand anyway that the game "would probably not sell", as during WayForward's search for a publisher, many market analysts were skeptical at the idea of having a female lead character, and Bozon ultimately acknowledged that they probably "genuinely knew their markets". He still did not give up, as he felt that Shantae had to exist, "even if it was just to reach out and see if there was an audience reaching back." Critical receptionShantae was generally well received by contemporaneous critics. IGN called it a "wonderful platform adventure", with "tons of variety in its level and character design", adding that it "looks fantastic as a Game Boy Color game". GameSpot claimed it to be a "fine example" of a portable platformer, "firmly rooted in the traditional conventions of the [platform game] genre", and added that "one area that this game truly shines in is the animation", although they complained about the music being "simple" and "repetitive", with "bland" sound effects. However, Andy McNamara for Game Informer was less positive, saying "the game just isn't compelling enough to keep you playing." Retrospective reviews were positive as well, with Kaes Delgrego and Corbie Dillard of Nintendo Life and Kyle MacGregor of Destructoid claiming the game to be a "cult classic". Delgrego added that it was a "love-letter to the side-scrolling epic adventures of the NES". He added that the graphics and sound are "outstanding", although acknowledged some issues with the tiny screen of the Game Boy and overall lack of guidance in-game. Delgrego concluded by saying the game "does proper justice to the golden era of gaming". A new 2013 review for the re-release of the game on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console by Mike Mason claimed that the "2D platformer is sprinkled with enough genie-magic to keep it fresh and interesting for a modern audience."Shantae was nominated in several lists of the best Game Boy games. Game Informers Ben Reeves called Shantae the 15th best Game Boy game and felt that it was overlooked. Complex named it the 7th best GBC game in 2013, calling it a "solid platformer". GamesRadar ranked it as the 8th best Game Boy game, saying that "Shantae's filled with typical 2D platformer stuff [...] but it’s all done remarkably well and with a visual flair the GBC rarely saw". In 2018, the game was ranked as the 9th best GB/GBC game by