Earlier this year Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse was announced for the 3DS, and now even more Shantae is on the way, with Shantae: Half-Genie Hero coming to the Wii U (as well as PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Steam.)


Or it will be, if and when it reaches its Kickstarter funding. With over $60,000 of its $400,000 goal funded already on day one, it seems like a pretty sure bet, but let's not leave this to luck, ok? Not many details on what makes this stand out from the other Shantae titles are available yet, but for now this is what we know, straight from the Kickstarter page:

Now Shantae's headed for the living room, but her core gameplay elements will remain intact:

-Whipping! Destroy monsters, topple bosses, and solve puzzles with your hair
-Belly Dancing! Dance to transform into a variety of creature forms
-Platforming! Run and jump through deviously designed levels
-Exploring! Navigate a world of interconnected levels and Labyrinths
-Customizing! Earn new abilities, unlock stat-boosting artifacts, magic & costumes
-Storytelling! Flirtatious characters and wonderfully off-beat humor

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero continues the tradition of action/adventure in the spirit of Metroid, Castlevania, and the Legend of Zelda. Our goal is to introduce Shantae to a whole new audience with a fresh art style and a brand spanking new storyline. As always, we're putting pitch perfect controls in the front seat.

Are you excited? What do you hope to see from Shantae's first console appearance?

SOURCE: Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Kickstarter

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VITA & VITA TV have been announced as platforms, for those who care. No stretch goals, just... platforms if the overall goal is made.

I'm actually a bit worried by the insane amount of platforms this game is being made for. Can WayForward handle this?!

Posted by

Zero

on: 09/12/13, 08:32

So, apparently this game is also being developed by the studio behind Mighty No. 9 (who also apparently did Mega Man 9 and 10) as well as Way Forward.

Posted by

Jargon

on: 09/18/13, 01:55

Yeah mean Inti Creates, who ALSO did the awesome Mega Man Zero and ZX games? I can get behind that.

I didn't know WayForward was big enough to farm out their properties like this...

Posted by

Zero

on: 09/18/13, 02:20

I un-backed this today, I wasn't really digging their updates, game's not grabbing me. Maybe it just seems weak compared to Mighty.

Posted by

deathly_hallows

on: 09/18/13, 02:27

I was trying to decide if I should... your lack of enthusiasm makes me think about this differently... though I too wasn't impressed by the 'tiers' and ideas. Seems limited in scope... I dunno. What's the history on this game?

Posted by

DrFinkelstein

on: 09/18/13, 02:31

Have you guys not played the DSiWare version? It's easily the best WayForward game.

Posted by

Zero

on: 09/18/13, 02:52

@Zero

Nope, never. The most I know about her is that her hair and boobs jiggle in that .gif banner.

Posted by

DrFinkelstein

on: 09/18/13, 02:53

@DrFinkelstein Put some faith in your friends at Negative World!

Now, I'm not guaranteeing that this sequel will live up to the DSiWare game. But I am saying that there is a reason to care about the sequel to the DSiWare game. It's really one of the best Metroidvania games out there.

Posted by

Zero

on: 09/18/13, 02:57

@Zero Yeah, they were also the team behind the super perfect Mega Man 9 (and very good 10). They were also the team behind some really lousy licensed games. I played a demo of some Naruto game they made for 3DS, it was just crap (sure it was a Naruto game, but it was really bad). Plus it sort of sounds like their contribution was mostly art.

Still, I'm considering backing this now that they're attached, despite my apprehensions with WayForward and Shantae...

Posted by

nate38

on: 09/18/13, 02:57

@Zero

How long is the first game? How much is it?

Posted by

DrFinkelstein

on: 09/18/13, 04:00

@DrFinkelstein 6-8 hours? $12ish?

Posted by

Zero

on: 09/18/13, 04:05

I just thought Risky's Revenge was decent, but not overtly special.

I still think WayForward's best game is Contra 4. But I've been enjoying DuckTales more than expected too, good game!

It looks like the Inti Creates tie-in is just one background artist though. I think it's a little weird (or even deceptive?) that they're playing that up to be a huge deal. I almost feel like they're trying to piggyback off MN9's KS success (heck, @nate38 just considered backing them from that!)...am I being too cynical?

Posted by

TriforceBun

on: 09/18/13, 04:06

Edited:

09/18/13, 04:08

GameDadGrant said:

X-pert74 said:

I don't have a DSi or 3DS

WHY THE HELL NOT.

Reggie's view on this.

Posted by

HammerLord

on: 09/18/13, 04:29

TriforceBun said:

It looks like the Inti Creates tie-in is just one background artist though. I think it's a little weird (or even deceptive?) that they're playing that up to be a huge deal. I almost feel like they're trying to piggyback off MN9's KS success (heck, @nate38 just considered backing them from that!)...am I being too cynical?

No you're probably spot on. That's almost definitely their angle with this update, which comes hours after a backer update for Mighty No. 9 mentions the collaboration in a concise paragraph, where this Shantae update plays up the connection a whole lot more. And they also mention collaborating on the imminent 3DS game, which hasn't been mentioned before now I'm pretty sure?

And "considering" was probably too strong a word, haha: I'm in love with the Mega Man games Inti Creates was a part of, but I was just entertaining the thought of backing Shantae for a split second before deciding against it. Besides, I just backed Hyper Light Drifter hours earlier, and I've got to save some money for Ace Attorney 5 next month!

As for WayForward's library, A Boy And His Blob is their standout for me. I found Risky's Revenge pretty average and didn't much care for Mighty Switch Force or Contra 4 or the demos I played of BloodRayne Betrayal and Adventure Time 3DS.

Posted by

nate38

on: 09/18/13, 05:22

Edited:

09/18/13, 05:24

@nate38

Whoa, AA5 is next month? Awesome! I'm not thrilled about it being digital, but I can't say no to a new Phoenix Wright game.

I too enjoyed Blob.

Posted by

TriforceBun

on: 09/18/13, 06:12

@TriforceBun October 24th. I'd prefer a physical copy as well but this is one Capcom test I aim to pass.

Posted by

nate38

on: 09/18/13, 06:25

Yacht Club doing their part to help lol

40k left to their initial goal with just under two weeks remaining. Gotta believe it'll make it in the final stretch, if not beforehand.

Posted by

nate38

on: 09/21/13, 02:15

Edited:

09/21/13, 02:16

@nate38
Haha, that's amazing.

Posted by

deathly_hallows

on: 09/21/13, 02:26

Risky's Revenge free for a limited time...on iOS.

Posted by

nate38

on: 09/22/13, 21:48

DrFinkelstein said:

@Zero

Nope, never. The most I know about her is that her hair and boobs jiggle in that .gif banner.

You should probably play a Shantae game.

Posted by

GameDadGrant

on: 09/23/13, 06:39