''Shantae'' is a
platform
Platform may refer to:
Technology
* Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run
* Platform game, a genre of video games
* Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models
* Weapons platform, a system or ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
WayForward
WayForward Technologies, Inc. is an American independent video game developer and publisher based in Valencia, California. Founded in March 1990 by technology entrepreneur Voldi Way, WayForward started by developing games for consoles such as ...
and published by
Capcom
is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
for the
Game Boy Color
The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...
in 2002. It is the first title in the ''
Shantae
''Shantae'' is a series of platform games developed by WayForward. The Shantae (character), eponymous heroine of the series, a half-genie, was created by Erin Bozon, while the games were created from this character by her husband Matt Bozon. The ...
'' series. The game follows the adventures of the eponymous half-genie
Shantae
''Shantae'' is a series of platform games developed by WayForward. The Shantae (character), eponymous heroine of the series, a half-genie, was created by Erin Bozon, while the games were created from this character by her husband Matt Bozon. The ...
, who must travel across Sequin Land, the setting of the series, to foil the domination plans of the evil lady pirate Risky Boots. During her quest, she learns various dances and acquires items which make her progressively stronger as well as unlocking new abilities and locations, leading her to ultimately face off against Risky in her hideout.
The game became obscure due to its release coming a year after that of the
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
. However, it received favorable reviews and has garnered recognition since its release, being included on multiple lists of best games on the platform, and being called a "
cult classic
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
" by some reviewers. It was re-released via the
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
Virtual Console
A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...
in 2013, marking the first time the game was made available in Europe.
A port for
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
was released on April 22, 2021,
with a later port for
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
and
PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, it was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North Ame ...
also planned for release.
Gameplay
''Shantae'' is a
platform
Platform may refer to:
Technology
* Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run
* Platform game, a genre of video games
* Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models
* Weapons platform, a system or ...
-
adventure game
An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus on story allows it to draw ...
, in which players play as the eponymous
Shantae
''Shantae'' is a series of platform games developed by WayForward. The Shantae (character), eponymous heroine of the series, a half-genie, was created by Erin Bozon, while the games were created from this character by her husband Matt Bozon. The ...
, a half-genie who must travel across various areas in order to stop the evil lady pirate Risky Boots. Shantae's default attack involves using her hair like a whip. Shantae can also use gems obtained from defeated enemies to purchase items, such as life-restoring potions and damaging items with various uses, as well as learn upgraded combat moves.
The game features five towns, with various areas filled with enemies and obstacles in between them. In order to progress through the game, Shantae must seek out various characters who will open up dungeons, with each dungeon containing a guardian genie that will teach Shantae a new dance. By using these dances, Shantae can transform herself into different animals, including a monkey that can climb on walls, an elephant that can smash objects such as boulders and tree stumps, a spider that can climb across webbing in the background, and a harpy that can fly in mid-air. Shantae must use these abilities to reach new areas or find hidden items.
The game features a day and night cycle, with enemies becoming stronger during the night. During nighttime, players can collect hidden fireflies, with a reward available for collecting them all. Other collectible creatures include Warp Squids, which are squid-shaped items hidden within dungeons, and which can be given to larger mother squids in each town in exchange for the ability to instantly warp there. Finally, heart vessels can be obtained to increase Shantae's maximum health. The game also features various
minigame
A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...
s, such as dancing or gambling, in order to earn additional gems.
Synopsis
Setting and characters
The game takes place in a fictional setting called Sequin Land, described as a magical place, formerly protected by Guardian Genies who won the land years of peace. With time, genies fell in love with humans and had children with them, half-genies with limited magical powers. For obscure reasons, genies ultimately vanished, with their children taking their place as protectors of the land. The main character, Shantae, is one such half-genie, appointed as the Guardian Genie of the small fishing village of Scuttle Town, where she resides in the abandoned lighthouse.
The game features a small cast of recurring characters, including the main character, described as "innocent and somewhat naïve,
..with a childlike view of right and wrong", although she's also determined and skilled at fighting. Other characters include the antagonist, Risky Boots, self appointed "Queen of the Seven Seas", who reigns over a silent pirate crew of creatures called "Tinkerbats" who are bound to her will; Uncle Mimic, an aged member of a congregation of adventurers called the Relic Hunters who acts as a surrogate parent figure to Shantae; Bolo, Shantae's sparring partner who happens to be somewhat air-headed and submissive to women; Sky, Shantae's lifelong friend who raises and trains war birds, and is always shown with her pet war bird Wrench; and the zombie Rottytops, who is described as friendly, but mischievous and untrustworthy.
Plot
A gang of pirates, the Tinkerbats, led by Risky Boots, attacks Scuttle Town and steals a prototype steam engine from Mimic, the town's resident treasure hunter. Mimic tells Shantae, the guardian of Scuttle Town, that if Risky retrieves four magical "elemental stones", she could power up the steam engine and create an unstoppable weapon out of it. Shantae travels across Sequin Land, determined to retrieve the steam engine and the elemental stones and stop Risky.
With help from her friends Bolo and Sky and her acquaintance Rottytops, she gains access to three dungeons where she retrieves three of the stones. At the fourth dungeon, Shantae finds the fourth stone, but is ambushed at the exit by Risky, who leaves with the stones. Shantae subsequently discovers the location of Risky's hideout with a magical flying telescope called the Spy Scope, and teleports there. Shantae reaches and destroys Risky's weapon, the Tinker Tank. Risky tries to kill Shantae but is defeated; and as Risky's hideout collapses, Shantae escapes. After, she is magically abducted to a place called the Genie Realm where the genies offer her a chance to remain with them as a reward for her courage, but at the price of never seeing her friends again. She refuses and is sent back to Scuttle Town where she announces to Mimic that she had to destroy the steam engine, but is relieved to hear from him that it was probably for the better.
Development
Game development
The game was considered for development by
WayForward
WayForward Technologies, Inc. is an American independent video game developer and publisher based in Valencia, California. Founded in March 1990 by technology entrepreneur Voldi Way, WayForward started by developing games for consoles such as ...
as far back as 1997. An archived version of the company's official website showcases a very different approach to the game, which was at the time considered for development on PC or
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
, in full 3D with traditionally animated characters moving in a 3D background.
Shantae was presented as a troubled genie born without magic powers, who had to save the world from the Jins, powerful beings once sealed who escaped at the beginning of the game and planned to drain all magic from the world. Back then, her magic was capable, as envisioned by Erin Bozon, the original creator of the character,
of summoning animals, but transformation was already planned, as Shantae could turn into a
harpy
In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, a harpy (plural harpies, , ; lat, harpȳia) is a half-human and half-bird personification of storm winds. They feature in Homeric poems.
Descriptions
They were generally depicted as birds with the hea ...
. Her dances could also launch attacks and she had different outfits with different characteristics.
In the idea of Matt Bozon, who created the game's universe based on Erin's character, at the beginning, the game was planned for the
SNES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...
or PC. He and Erin pitched the game with help from veteran programmer Jimmy Huey, who worked with WayForward at the time. After the completion of ''
Xtreme Sports'', Voldi Way, the founder and owner of WayForward, greenlit a
Game Boy Color
The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...
version of the game. As Huey had already built a graphics engine for ''Xtreme Sports'', this engine was adapted to suit ''Shantaes needs. This allowed the game to showcase rare effects on GBC games, like parallax scrolling and transparency effects. In the first four months of development, the team created most of the animation, and Huey programmed an art-capturing tool that allowed to take full-colored animation frames, turn them into three-color chunks and reassemble the whole on the GBC's screen.
Publishing
The game needed a 32 megabit battery backed-up
cartridge
Cartridge may refer to:
Objects
* Cartridge (firearms), a type of modern ammunition
* ROM cartridge, a removable component in an electronic device
* Cartridge (respirator), a type of filter used in respirators
Other uses
* Cartridge (surname), a ...
to work properly, and was expensive to produce. This factor deterred some publishers,
alongside the fact that launching a new intellectual property was considered dicey. WayForward tried to find a publisher for years, before
Capcom
is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
eventually picked the game for release. Capcom, however, held back the release for months, during which the
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
was released. It is rumored that the game had only one run of 20–25,000 copies.
WayForward saw that the console's screen had a tendency to darken the colors, so they took back the game and made further developments on it, incorporating a feature to brighten the screen if played on a Game Boy Advance, alongside some bonus features.
Music
In 2000, the sound was developed using the Musyx audio format, but WayForward chose to switch during development. The soundtrack featured about 20 songs at the time,
and was composed by
Jake Kaufman
Jake Kaufman (born 1981; also known as virt or virtjk) is an American video game music composer. After starting out creating arrangements and remixes of video game soundtracks, he began his commercial composing career in 2000 with the score t ...
. Kaufman ultimately used the Paragon 5 GameBoy Tracker to create the music. Paragon 5's CEO,
Paul Bragiel
Paul Bragiel (born 15 September 1977 in Chicago, Illinois) is an internet entrepreneur and currently a managing partner of Bragiel Brothers.
Early life
Bragiel, the oldest child of Mary and Walter Bragiel, was raised in Mt. Prospect and South B ...
, served as music producer, and Stephane Hockenhull performed music replay.
The soundtrack to the game was released in January 2019 by
Fangamer in a red
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
format,
with a limited edition purple variant published by
Limited Run Games
Limited Run Games, Inc. is an American video game distributor based in Apex, North Carolina. The company specializes in the release of digital games on physical media, with the games being sold on their website. The company, founded by Douglas ...
.
Reception
Sales and analysis
Precise sales figures for the game have not been made public, but according to Bozon, it sold poorly; he said that he had heard that 20–25,000 copies of the game were produced, which did sell out, but that a second print run did not get made.
Matt Bozon has refused to blame Capcom, the publisher of the game, for responsibility in the game's failure. This was despite Capcom holding it for 8 months after completion, with the game finally releasing when the
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
was already in its first year of existence. He says he went in "very naive", believing that if the game was good, it would sell anyway. Bozon believed that from a creative standpoint, he never really settled on a target audience, with the character being "iconoclastic", "too sexy to be a kid's brand, and too girly for a male gamer brand".
Also, before the game was even released, Bozon claims that he had come to understand anyway that the game "would probably not sell", as during WayForward's search for a publisher, many market analysts were skeptical at the idea of having a female lead character, and Bozon ultimately acknowledged that they probably "genuinely knew their markets". He still did not give up, as he felt that Shantae had to exist, "even if it was just to reach out and see if there was an audience reaching back."
Critical reception
''Shantae'' was generally well received by contemporaneous critics.
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
called it a "wonderful platform adventure", with "tons of variety in its level and character design", adding that it "looks fantastic as a Game Boy Color game".
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
claimed it to be a "fine example" of a portable platformer, "firmly rooted in the traditional conventions of the
latform gamegenre", and added that "one area that this game truly shines in is the animation", although they complained about the music being "simple" and "repetitive", with "bland" sound effects.
However, Andy McNamara for ''
Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' was less positive, saying "the game just isn't compelling enough to keep you playing."
Retrospective reviews were positive as well, with Kaes Delgrego and Corbie Dillard of ''
Nintendo Life
Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...
'' and Kyle MacGregor of ''
Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
History
' ...
'' claiming the game to be a "cult classic".
Delgrego added that it was a "love-letter to the side-scrolling epic adventures of the
NES
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...
". He added that the graphics and sound are "outstanding", although acknowledged some issues with the tiny screen of the Game Boy and overall lack of guidance in-game. Delgrego concluded by saying the game "does proper justice to the golden era of gaming".
A new 2013 review for the re-release of the game on the
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
Virtual Console
A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...
by Mike Mason claimed that the "2D platformer is sprinkled with enough genie-magic to keep it fresh and interesting for a modern audience."
''Shantae'' was nominated in several lists of the best Game Boy games. ''
Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
''s Ben Reeves called ''Shantae'' the 15th best Game Boy game and felt that it was overlooked.
''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' named it the 7th best GBC game in 2013, calling it a "solid platformer".
GamesRadar
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
ranked it as the 8th best Game Boy game, saying that "''Shantaes filled with typical 2D platformer stuff
..but it’s all done remarkably well and with a visual flair the GBC rarely saw".
In 2018, the game was ranked as the 9th best GB/GBC game by French website
Jeuxvideo.com, calling it an "excellent action-platforming game with superb art direction".
Because of the success of its sequels and its very positive critical reviews, as well as the short initial run of cartridges, ''Shantae'' has become one of the most sought-after and rare Game Boy Color games.
Sequels
Several plans for a ''Shantae'' sequel were made, including ''Shantae: Risky Revolution'' for the
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
, or ''Shantae: Risky Waters'' for the
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
. On September 15, 2009, a sequel titled ''
Shantae: Risky's Revenge'' was announced, and revealed as a downloadable
DSiWare
This is a list of games and applications, collectively known as DSiWare, for the Nintendo DSi handheld game console, available for download via the DSi Shop and unplayable on earlier DS models. An update released for the Nintendo 3DS in June 2011 ...
title on Nintendo of America's 2009 Holiday lineup, with a tentative 2009 Q4 release date. Details on the 3-part episodic sequels were revealed in the November 2009 issue of ''
Nintendo Power
''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninten ...
''. However, plans for the episodic release were cancelled, and the game was instead released as a stand-alone sequel for a title to be available on DSiWare on October 4, 2010. The game was later ported to
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
,
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
and
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
.
A third game, ''
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse'', was released on the
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
eShop
The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was ena ...
on October 23, 2014.
Later the game was also released on
Wii U
The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.
The W ...
,
Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4,
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
and
Amazon Fire TV
Amazon Fire TV (stylized as amazon fireTV) is a line of digital media players and microconsoles developed by Amazon. The devices are small network appliances that deliver digital audio and video content streamed via the Internet to a connected ...
.
A fourth title, ''
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero'', was released for Microsoft Windows,
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
,
PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...
,
Wii U
The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.
The W ...
, Xbox One and
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
; it is the first HD game in the series.
The game was successfully
crowdfunded
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
via
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
and
PayPal
PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support online money transfers, and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper ...
, receiving nearly $950,000, more than doubling its initial goal. A fifth game, ''
Shantae and the Seven Sirens'', was released for
Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade is a video game subscription service offered by Apple Inc. It is available through a dedicated tab of the App Store on devices running iOS 13, tvOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. The service launched on September 19 ...
in 2019, and for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
in 2020.
Re-releases
''Shantae'' was digitally re-released by WayForward via the
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
Virtual Console
A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...
on July 18, 2013.
The game is available via eShop in North America and for the first time in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
In July 2020,
Limited Run Games
Limited Run Games, Inc. is an American video game distributor based in Apex, North Carolina. The company specializes in the release of digital games on physical media, with the games being sold on their website. The company, founded by Douglas ...
announced they would be producing a brief run of new ''Shantae'' cartridges for Game Boy Color, with pre-orders scheduled to begin the following September. WayForward also announced that they would be releasing a port of the game for
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
, both digitally and as a limited physical release from Limited Run, using the Carbon Engine, which is Limited Run's new emulation software engine for modern hardware. The port, released on April 22, 2021, allows players to toggle the Game Boy Advance enhancements on and off; it also includes
save state
A saved game (also called a game save, savegame, savefile, save point, or simply save) is a piece of digitally stored information about the progress of a player in a video game.
From the earliest games in the 1970s onward, game platform hardw ...
functionality, alternate display options, and an in-game art gallery.
Homebrew developer Dimitris Giannakis, who runs the popular YouTube channel Modern Vintage Gamer, was hired to develop the
emulator
In computing, an emulator is Computer hardware, hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the ''host'') to behave like another computer system (called the ''guest''). An emulator typically enables the host system to run so ...
used in this release.
A port for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 was also announced in 2022 for release in the future.
References
External links
*
{{Shantae series
2002 video games
Cancelled Game Boy Advance games
Capcom games
Game Boy Color games
Metroidvania games
Nintendo Switch games
Platform games
Shantae
Video games about shapeshifting
Video games scored by Jake Kaufman
Video games developed in the United States
Video games featuring female protagonists
Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS
Single-player video games