History NightmareFuel / Shantae

* Risky Boots is terrifying in her own right - she's not the main antagonist for nothing. In addition to hijacking the army and equipment of the above Pirate Master [[spoiler:(and wearing his face!)]], she's quite good at disguising herself, and she's a fearsome fighter whenever the player has to face off against her. Not only that, but she's a hell of a [[TheChessmaster chessmaster,]] and actually [[spoiler:wins in Risky's Revenge, sapping Shantae of her powers for an entire game.]] And when that backfires on her in Pirate's Curse, she '''still''' manipulates the situation to her advantage! A scary lady, indeed!

* Techno Baron's plan is pretty horrifying. [[spoiler: He's been kidnapping mermaids and sticking them in tiny containers in order to sell them as monster chow. Then when there's not enough mermaids to meet demand, he starts kidnapping young maidens and sticking fish on them to make them into fake mermaids with the intention of selling them as well. While it's played somewhat comedic (with notes to emphasize embarrassment over pain, and emphasis put on the fact that all the mermaids and humans are rescued), it's still shocking, especially to see the factory in action.]]

* After ''Pirates Curse'' suggested that Risky may not be ''all'' bad, ''Half Genie Hero'' completely dashes those hopes by giving her her darkest and most destructive EvilPlan yet. [[spoiler:Rather than simply wanting to take over the world or rob everyone of their valuables, Risky wants to ''turn the Genie Realm into a DeathWorld full of evil and decay that will then seep into the real world'', purely ForTheEvulz (or possibly so she could control them all with her machine).]]

* After ''Pirates Curse'' suggested that Risky may not be ''all'' bad, ''Half Genie Hero'' completely dashes those hopes by giving her her darkest and most destructive EvilPlan yet. [[spoiler:Rather than simply wanting to take over the world or rob everyone of their valuables, Risky wants to ''turn the Genie Realm into a DeathWorld full of evil and decay that will then seep into the real world'', purely ForTheEvulz.]]
* Techno Baron's plan is pretty horrifying. [[spoiler: He's been kidnapping mermaids and sticking them in tiny containers in order to sell them as monster chow. Then when there's not enough mermaids to meet demand, he starts kidnapping young maidens and sticking fish on them to make them into fake mermaids with the intention of selling them as well. While it's played somewhat comedic (with notes to emphasize embarrassment over pain), it's still shocking, especially to see the factory in action.]]

* Techno Baron's plan is pretty horrifying. [[spoiler: He's been kidnapping mermaids and sticking them in tiny containers in order to sell them as monster chow. Then when there's not enough mermaids to meet demand, he starts kidnapping young maidens and sticking fish on them to make them into fake mermaids and selling them as well. While it's played somewhat comedic (with notes to emphasize embarrassment over pain), it's still shocking, especially to see the factory in action.]]

* Techno Baron's plan is pretty horrifying. [[spoiler: He's been kidnapping mermaids and sticking them in tiny containers in order to sell them as monster chow. Then when there's not enough mermaids to meet demand, he starts kidnapping young maidens and sticking fish on them to make them into fake mermaids and selling them as well. While it's played somewhat comedic (with notes to emphasize embarrassment over pain), it's still shocking, especially to see the factory in action.]]
** If you talk to Techno Baron before heading to [[spoiler:Risky's Hideout]] you learn that [[spoiler:he's is being forced to tear down his factory and build a mermaid preserve in its place as his punishment. This seems to imply that his scheme has cost so many mermaids their lives that they now need a special habitat just so they can avoid extinction. All just so he can make a quick buck.]]

** If you talk to Techno Baron before heading to [[spoiler:Risky's Hideout]] you learn that [[spoiler:he's is being forced to tear down his factory and build a mermaid sanctuary in its place as his punishment. This seems to imply that his scheme has cost so many mermaids their lives that they now need a special habitat just so they can avoid extinction. All just so he can make a quick buck.]]

** If you talk to Techno Baron before heading to [[spoiler:Risky's Hideout]] you learn that he's is being forced to tear down his factory and build [[spoiler:a mermaid sanctuary]] in its place as his punishment. [[spoiler:He has killed so many mermaids that they now need a special habitat in order to avoid extinction.]] And he is not the least bit sorry for it.
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* In ''Half-Genie Hero'' There's Holly Lingerbean.

* After ''Pirates Curse'' suggested that Risky may not be ''all'' bad, ''Half Genie Hero'' completely dashes those hopes by giving her her most destructive and horrible EvilPlan yet. [[spoiler:Rather than simply wanting to take over the world or rob everyone of their valuables, Risky wants to ''turn the Genie Realm into a DeathWorld full of evil and decay that will then seep into the real world'', purely ForTheEvulz.]]

* In ''Pirate's Curse'' You find out that the skull-bra and bone-like thong on Risky Boots's body is ''literally'' [[spoiler:the skull of the Pirate Master. She took the skull of her former captain, and has been WEARING IT.]]

* In ''Pirates Curse'' You find out that the skull-bra and bone-like thong on Risky Boots body is ''literally'' the skull of the Pirate Master. She took the skull of her former captain, and has been WEARING IT.

** Pirate Master IN GENERAL is terrifying. TheDreaded? Check. [[spoiler: Actually killed at least two genies?]] Check. [[spoiler: It's debatable whether Shantae's nature as a half-genie would allow her to put him down for good.]]

** Pirate Master IN GENERAL is terrifying. TheDreaded? Check. [[spoiler: Actually killed at least two genies?]] Check. [[It's debatable whether Shantae's nature as a half-genie would allow her to put him down for good.]]

* The fist game has a day/night cycle. At night, enemies are ''a lot'' more dangerous and have dark palette swaps to reflect this, and the music changes to a frantic tune.

* The fist game has a day/night cycle. At night, enemies are ''a lot'' more dangerous and have dark palette swaps to reflect this.

* The fist game has a day/night cycle. At night, enemies are ''a lot'' more dangerous.

* At night, enemies are ''a lot'' more dangerous.

* Just to the east of Oasis Town is... well, in-game it's described as a [[CallASmeerpARabbit "swamp"]], but the area looks more like something inspired by some nightmare one of the developers had as a kid. It's practically a small-scale EldritchLocation, with its amorphous black-purple blob creatures and pod-covered trees/columns/somethings topped off with what appear to be [[BigCreepyCrawlies giant (five times Shantae's size giant) bugs of some sort]]. Considering the entire rest of the game up to that point had been fairly standard field/forest/desert environments, this one especially sticks out. The same lighthearted background music continues to play throughout the area, but that arguably just makes things worse.