WayForward confirms stage select screen, light RPG elements, and more for Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse
WayForward has given more insight into Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse’s gameplay.
We previously learned that Shantae has teamed up with Risky Boots after losing her powers in Risky’s Revenge. Players will be collecting Risky’s pirate gear, and they do so, will find Shantae turning into a more pirate-like character.
According to WayForward’s James Montagna:
“Last time, Shantae, at the end of [Risky’s Revenge], found herself completely without her powers—and we’re kicking the game off from there. She has to hesitantly team up with her arch nemesis, Risky Boots, the lady pirate, to take on a greater evil known as the pirate’s curse—but instead of transforming into an animal like she did in previous titles, she is actually collecting Risky’s pirate gear and is slowly becoming more pirate like. In the process, she might even be losing her identity a little bit.”
Not only will Shantae look more like a pirate as she picks up pirate gear, but she’ll also gain new abilities.
“For instance, you’ll be able to find a pistol that will let you shoot a projectile to hit switches; or you’ll find a scimitar that will allow you to perform a dash move, allowing you to cut across a bunch of enemies really quickly. A lot of the pirate gear will make you move faster, so the gameplay starts at a moderate speed, but as you collect more gear, the gameplay becomes faster and faster. If you watch the trailer, you can see that Shantae performs a dash and then immediately goes into a cannonball jump, and then she glides on a pirate hat before performing yet another scimitar dash. You’ll find that the more pirate gear you collect the more crazy the gameplay becomes.”
The previous two Shantae games adapted a Metroid design in the way the map was handled. In Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse, you’ll be able to choose stages on a select screen and then travel to a more self-contained area.
“This time around, since you’re teamed up with Risky, we have a stage select screen. You’ll be using Risky’s boat to sail to different islands, and each island is its own individual, self-contained Metroid-style map area. We’re really trying to change it up this time around, so we’re doing a lot of different things. You’ll notice that number counters pop up whenever you attack something, and we’ve included some light RPG elements in there as well. Adventure is still a pivotal part of these areas, though!”
