Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 13 Comments

Update 2 (6/13): 20% pre-order discount is now live for Shantae on Amazon.

Update (6/10): Pre-orders now live on Amazon. 20% Prime discount isn’t live yet, but we’ll let you know when it is.

Original (6/4): It’s been a huge week for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero news. XSEED announced that they’re working with WayForward on a retail version, and now we have a final release date.

GameStop has started accepting pre-orders here. The listing says that Shantae: Half-Genie Hero will be out on September 27, which WayForward confirmed on Twitter.

There’s also a tentative boxart:

The physical version of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero will go for $29.99. It’s the “Risky Beats” retail release featuring a copy of the game and a musical selections CD containing over 20 songs from the soundtrack.

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 15 Comments

XSEED is starting to get involved with publishing indie titles. Today, the company announced that it will be handling Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (physical and digital) as well as Exile’s End (digital) for Wii U in North America. Both will be playable at E3 later this month.

Here’s the overview of Shantae, which includes the Risky Beats retail release:

In the magical world of Sequin Land lives Shantae, a spirited young half-genie. She has dedicated her life to defending her home of Scuttle Town from evil in all forms, and has been called upon again as pirates attack! Using her trademark Hair-Whip Attack and special ability to transform herself into various kinds of creatures by way of magical belly-dancing, she must fight her way through steamy jungles, ancient ruins, and stormy deserts to topple the villainous Barons behind each criminal caper, preparing for the ultimate showdown against her arch-nemesis: the bodacious buccaneer Risky Boots!

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 14 Comments

Update (5/16): Bumped to the top. Winner of the rival genie has been announced:

Original (5/6): WayForward shared a new Shantae: Half-Genie Hero’s Kickstarter update just a short while ago. It shows off new promo art (see above), covers a rival genie vote, and confirms a physical version of the game.

Here’s the lowdown on the new rival genie vote for backers:

It’s time for another vote! Remember that “Fire and Forget” Stretch Goal you all funded into existence? In that storyline, Shantae gets REPLACED as Scuttle Town’s Guardian Genie. To make matter’s worse, her replacement is snotty, stuck up, and none too easy to get along with. So – what’s this new genie going to look like? You can see all three of Matt’s rough sketches above, along with the cleaned up in-game sprite designs below. Which one strikes your fancy? Vote by clicking the link right here, and make your selections by May 13th, 11:59pm PDT. Let’s get voting!

It’s time for another vote! Remember that “Fire and Forget” Stretch Goal you all funded into existence? In that storyline, Shantae gets REPLACED as Scuttle Town’s Guardian Genie. To make matter’s worse, her replacement is snotty, stuck up, and none too easy to get along with. So – what’s this new genie going to look like? You can see all three of Matt’s rough sketches above, along with the cleaned up in-game sprite designs below. Which one strikes your fancy? Vote by clicking the link right here, and make your selections by May 13th, 11:59pm PDT. Let’s get voting!

WayForward also reveals that it’s working on a retail deal for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. The studio explains what’s happening regarding this in the Kickstarter post:

We’ve received a ton of requests for physical versions of Shantae. Thing is, WayForward is a game developer and a digital publisher – but not an authorized retail publisher. In order to make physical copies of our games for stores, or distribute games in certain countries, console manufacturers require us to work with an authorized publishing partner. You’ve seen us do this before; Square Enix published LIT for WiiWare in Japan, Capcom distributed the original Shantae cartridge in the US, and more recently Intergrow released the boxed version of Pirate’s Curse in Japan for Nintendo 3DS.

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 19 Comments

It’s been a long wait for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, but the game should be wrapping up over the next few months. WayForward provided a Kickstarter update today, and noted that the goal is to submit it to Nintendo during the summer.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero should be finished with development in roughly two months. After that, a month of testing will be needed, followed by three weeks for translations and ratings. If all goes well, Half-Genie Hero will be submitted in July, and should be releasing soon after.

WayForward’s full progress update reads:

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U, Wii U eShop | 11 Comments

Although the Kickstarter for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero met its goal and the campaign went well, some content included in stretch goals (such as more chapters) wasn’t funded. Might we see this in the form of DLC? Developer WayForward isn’t ruling out the possibility.

In an interview with The Mary Sue, the studio’s Matt Bozon stated:

“If we sold a lot of copies, and there was a lot of clamor for more DLC, that’s a possibility. The game lends itself to a lot of expansion if that’s what fans want! There will already be a ton of content with all of the stretch goal that were reached… costumes, extra characters, and Risky Boots Mode! There’s a ton of game there, but there’s always room for more!”

And of course, the interview wouldn’t be complete without a question about Smash Bros. and the chances of Shantae appearing. Here’s what Bozon had to say on that front:

“I’m really excited about Shantae being a possibility for Smash! How cool would that be? Amazing, right? I think stylistically she’d be a good fit, being something that exists somewhere between Mega Man and Peach. I’d hope she could recover in Harpy form, or maybe pull off some incredible dance and transformation for her Final Smash! I would love to see this happen, and if not now, then some time in the future!”

Source

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 8 Comments

Swapnote’s Nikki lives! Well, sort of.

WayForward recently issued a new Shantae: Half-Genie Hero update to its Kickstarter backers, showing off the fan-made enemy called “Ikki”. The character, with its design and name, is a clear homage to the 3DS application’s guide.

Nintendo rolled out Swapnote in 2011 as a way for 3DS owners to message their friends. However, it was shut down about two years later. Nintendo said in its announcement that Swapnote had been used by some to “exchange offensive material,” and felt that ending the SpotPass feature would be the best way to remedy the situation.

Via

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U eShop | 5 Comments

WayForward updated the Shantae: Half-Genie Hero backer demo with a new level today. Footage from it is posted below.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

Nintendo has published its latest indie interview coming from PAX Prime 2015. In this one, the company’s Damon Baker talks with WayForward about Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. Check it out below.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Screenshots, Wii U eShop | 4 Comments

WayForward has come out with a number of screenshots from Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. We’ve rounded them up below.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U eShop | 3 Comments

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