Awesome Music / Shantae

For a series all about a magical belly-dancing genie, it's only fitting for it to have some excellent music that would make you want to dance too. All games except Seven Sirens were supported by the (former) WayForward mainstay composer Jake Kaufman, who'd later work on games like Shovel Knight.

Shantae

• Burning Town, which is basically the main theme for the series, really gives you the feeling of starting on a grand adventure.

• Risky Boots' leitmotif is instantly recognizable and perfectly captures her ruthlessness in all of its versions, but one thing that the original version has over the newer mixes is its epic synth bass.
• Short as it is, Dance Room seems to be a creator favorite, since it's been remixed for every sequel so far as the main theme for Scuttle Town. We have to admit, it IS catchy.
• Night Travel 2 will almost have you happy to travel out at night. Almost.
• The boss battle theme is so awesome it returned for the second and third games.
• The Zombie Caravan Rides at Midnight is very quirky and upbeat, contrasting with the slower-paced themes of the other towns.

Shantae: Risky's Revenge

• Through the Trees combines this with one of the lushest, most visually stunning levels in the game.
• Sand In My Potion, possibly one of the best desert songs ever. That piano...!
• Hall Of Magic, one of the most relaxing songs in the game.

Shantae and The Pirate's Curse

• The boss theme is back again and better than ever.
• If you liked Night Travel 2, you'll love its updated remix A Troublesome Trek.
• The overworld theme, Trip through Sequin Land, is a very awesome tune that serves to set the mood for this new adventure.
• We Love Burning Town will just make you want to dance.
• Sky's Theme is a really romantic and/or relaxing take on the original game's Water Town theme.
• The theme of the second world, Rave in the Grave, is gloriously catchy.
• Rottytops was given a reggae-sounding theme in this game, and it fits her nature well.
• Another catchy track from Spiderweb Island, The Nightmare Woods (Run Run Rottytops!)
• Rounding things out, the Cackle Tower has Back to the Roots, a somber yet inspiring remix of the Dribble Fountain and Cackle Mound's theme.
• The Village of Lost Souls gives you the grand song Darkest Night to make up for the increased difficulty.
• Arctic Justice makes a wonderful theme for the penultimate world.
• Scorching Dunes, Sunburn/Tanline Island's theme, fits the desert mood very well, and has a kickass part near the 40-second mark.
• Streamworks. It will get stuck in your head.
• The Tenacious Tentacled Terror. So catchy, they reused it for Half Genie Hero.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

• The song heard in the trailer for Half Genie Hero, "Dance Through the Danger" sung by Christina Vee, is awesome and available for free download. Christina Vee is also the voice for Shantae. In other words, the protagonist of this game series is singing this song! And... IT! IS! AWESOME! In-game, it serves as the background music for the opening stretch of the first level. Little V Mills made an epic metal cover. Christina Vee herself complimented it. Later in 2020 she and guitarist RichaadEB made their own metal cover.
• Sky's Song, another relaxing take on what is already a relaxing theme, complete with a saxophone. Also plays in the Healing Springs.
• Mermaid Falls. Absolutely infectious, and sounds like something you'd hear on a beefed-up Sega Genesis. The follow-up level's theme, Counterfeit Mermaids, evokes strong similarities to Sonic 3's "Hydrocity" zone, which is high praise indeed.
• The new version of "Burning Town", appropriately titled Neo Burning Town, is definitely up there in the remix department, and it fits in perfectly with the stage's setting.
• Rottytops' Song, which is a slower R&B-sounding remix of her Pirate's Curse theme, is no less amazing than the latter.
• Tassle Town's theme. An awesome, relaxing mix of trumpets, strings, and incredible bass guitar, yet it still brings across the mystique, empty feeling of a long abandoned town.
• Cape Crustacean's theme. Even though the first third of the level is an autoscroller this will surely get your blood pumping.
• The new boss theme. Much more aggressive so as to give an idea of how much the baddies mean business this time around.
• Hypno Baron's Castle. Part catchy techno, part haunted house music, all awesome.
• Tinkerbat Factory is a delightfully tense song for the final level.
• Dynamo continues the proud Shantae tradition of kickass final boss themes.
• Lava Wave, which plays after the final boss, gives an air of "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" as the whole hideout goes up in smoke.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens

• The game's intro theme sounds like it could have come from an anime. And, much like Dance Through The Danger, Christina Vee sings it as Shantae herself!
• To start off your adventure, there's the theme for Arena Town. It sounds like your typical Shantae tune, being a mostly 8-Bit tune mixed with actual instruments giving it a tropical feel, but it goes for a jazzy tempo making the song sound so cheerful and alive.
• The theme of The Boiler is an R&B-sounding tune that gives off the feeling of exploring the island's darkest depths.
• The Boss theme, while not the same classic boss theme as the rest of the series, is still adrenaline-inducing and fitting when taking on the malicious sirens, and almost sounds as if it came straight out of Mario & Luigi. It starts off threatening, but gradually becomes more and more positive as if the music is calling out to Shantae to do her very best.
• The theme for the game's third dungeon, Sea Vent Labyrinth, is a fast-paced rock piece that will engross you as you move Shantae throughout the island's asthenospherical area to free Zapple from her imprisonment.
• Armor Town's theme pays great tribute to Kaufman's compositions by incorporating notes from Burning Town and mixing them alongside Arabian instruments to create a hardworking, tough and yet familiar atmosphere for the town focused on defense.
• Into the Mine is a very positive-sounding tune, almost like an instrumental of a love song.
• The theme of Sunken Shipyard is reminiscent of "Darkest Night", only with a more nautical feeling befitting the area's origins.
• It might be very chiptune-heavy, but The Final Battle is an epic final boss theme for an epic final battle.