WayForward, the company behind recent titles such as Ducktales: Remastered and Adventure Time: Hey Ice King!, has launched a Kickstarter for a new entry in their original franchise, Shantae.
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is an HD adventure that will be coming to the Wii U, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Steam, if successfully funded.
Unfamiliar with Shantae? I would try to explain, but perhaps it’s best if I just let WayForward do it for me:
“Who is Shantae? Why, she’s the star of our game! She’s a human/genie hybrid (a Half-Genie) who hair-whips monsters with her ponytail, and belly dances to transform into magical creatures. She explores Sequin Land, solves labyrinths, trashes epic bosses, and foils the busty buccaneer Risky Boots, always managing to save the day!”
Sounds exciting, right? Similar to Metroid and Castlevania, Shantae is an action/adventure platformer with a focus on exploration and puzzle solving. In Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, the titular heroine must deal with a new and mysterious threat in both the dream world and reality.
WayForward released the original Shantae way back in 2002 on the Game Boy Color. However, the game struggled to gain traction with audiences due to the fact that by 2002, the Game Boy Advance was already available. Due to scarce availability, Shantae would go onto become one of the rarest and most sought out titles released for the Game Boy Color and would eventually be re-released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console earlier in 2013.
After an 8 year wait, Shantae: Risky’s Revenge would be released in 2010. Released for the Nintendo DS and iOS, Shantae: Risky’s Revenge would go on to be one of the most critically acclaimed handheld titles to be released that year. A third entry in the series, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse, is set to be released later this year for the 3DS.
WayForward is also promising numerous additions if the Kickstarter can exceed its $400,000 goal. These stretch goals include additions such as new costumes, new chapters and the ability to play as Risky Boots, Shantae’s nemesis. By pledging at least $12, gamers will receive a copy of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero at some point in 2014.
We will certainly have more information on Shantae: Half-Genie Hero if it does manage to get successfully Kickstarted. For now though, tell us, are you interested in contributing to the campaign?
