We recently got our hands on Shantae: Half-Genie Hero and felt it is shaping up really nicely, and could turn out to be something rather special indeed. The Kickstarter-funded project was originally targeted for an October 2014 release, but it's been held back so the talented artists and developers at WayForward can make the game as good as it can possibly be.
Nintendo of America's indie man mountain Damon Baker recently caught up with WayForward's Austin Ivansmith at PAX to find out the latest gossip on Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, in a video which you can see below.
Shantae Half-Genie Hero invites players to join Shantae as she defends Sequin Land from a host of villains, explores different worlds, conquers bosses and belly dances to transform into new forms - in case you are not fully up to speed with what makes this Shantae different from other games in the series. It will be the first Shantae game to be have been built from the ground up as a home console title, rather than handheld first. It will feature hand drawn animation, dynamic backgrounds and run at 60FPS in 1080p, of course. The game also features lots of playable characters and more transformations for Shantae than you could shake a stick at.
In the interview Austin reveals the game is now scheduled for a Holiday 2015 release, but he did add that this might slip and that WayForward would keep working on the game until it's done.
Thankfully Austin didn't reveal his midriff for the little dance he performs at the end of the interview! Let us know how you feel Half-Genie Hero is shaping up with a comment below.
Comments 29
I'd almost forgotten about this game. Still looking forward to it. Hoping for a physical release, like Shovel Knight got.
I really liked the Pirate's Curse and i'm certainly looking forward to this game. Even though they step away from the sprites this time, I can appreciate the new style.
I honestly can't see it getting released this year, but if it does, then that's excellent!
The game is going to be awesome when it gets released! I just hope they consider a physical release option, like what happened with Might No. 9.
I'll get the Vita version but definitely looking forward to this after Pirate's Curse got me into the series, probably permanently.
Give us Shantae amiibo!
Heh, no need to rush for this year. Oh and that dance he did at the end nearly killed me.
Don't rush, take all the time you need Wayforward.
Besides, November/December is ALWAYS a busy gaming period for releases...
I'm a bit worried that it's all gone quiet on a Wii U version of Risky's Revenge as it came out on other platforms a while ago,
I'm not really into indie games but I'm loving Shantae & The Pirate Curse (Wii U version). It's much better than I expected, honestly. It's not one of those cheap games that the developer make look retro just to appeal nostalgic players, that's what most indie developers do when they make retro games, you know. However, Shantae & The Pirate Curse shines, it's an awesome platformer.
@Peach64 Is the PS4/XOne version a direct port from the DSiWare game?
Hmm, I say it will get pushed back. Sometime in 2016.
@VanillaLake No, it's a port from the slightly enhanced Steam version.
Should I wait for this game or buy Pirate's Curse?
I'll get this day 1 as I loved the past games.
@Kosmo Thank you, how much do you recommend it? I'm enjoying Pirate's Curse (Wii U version).
How come they've changed Shantae's skin colour? (just wondering, I don't really follow Shantae too much.)
@Yorumi You are right. Actually, Half Genie is being co-developed with Inti Creates. The kickstarter campaign closed at nearly $950K, that's not little money for a 2D platformer!
I backed it and am glad to see it's still pushing forward. I didn't think when it reached it's goal in September 2013 that it would reach the initial October 2014 deadline, but didn't expect it to go this long either. Still I'm sure the final game will be even better than we had originally thought that it would be.
Yeah, it could slip, just like Star Fox.
Is there an explanation for her skin color change? I just figured she lost her powers or got cursed...
@Ryu_Niiyama That's old artwork taken from the initial Kickstarter video I believe, they changed her skin colour back to her darker shade since then, thankfully.
Someone needs to ask Wayforward about a Shantae amiibo! I'd buy 20.
Every game I've backed has yet to release...
This, Mighty No. 9, Hyper Light Drifter, BloodStained, Yooka-Laylee (last two haven't passed initial release dates). Doesn't Shovel Knoght also have quite a few things left to go as extra content?
In today's news, nothing has changed, but we have learned that things have the possibility of changing.
Can't wait to play this on my PS4!
@VanillaLake It's a must-have if you like Shantae and don't have the original. Sure, it's a little rough around the edges and on the short side, but it's a solid game. If you have the patience, wait for a sale.
@Zach777 For Shovel Knight all the additional stuff I think is the two more free update character campaigns similar to Plague of Shadows if I'm correct
@Kosmo Good advice. Actually, it's cheaper on PS4 than on 3DS. I'll wait a bit because I have lots of games to play. Thanks.
Pirate's Curse was really enjoyable so I'll definitely be checking this out when it's finally released. Would be nice if it makes it out before the holidays, but then it may get somewhat lost amid the Christmas rush. Either way I'm sure WayForward will ensure it is polished before launch.
@Dee0342 Yep I can't wait either being an initial backer of this awesome game! I also got a demo of the game to try it out and the hand drawn art style looks beautiful and the animations are really well done!
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...