Shantae (GBC title comes to eShop)

[Grazza]

Anyone started Shantae yet? Some early thoughts on it:

 

* Graphics. I've noticed Shantae takes up more of the screen than in Risky's Revenge. The character of Shantae also seems to have been fully-formed from the beginning - they always had a clear vision of her. Scuttle Town is viewed from behind Shantae and when you select a building to enter she runs into the screen. On the gameplay screens, I'm having a little bit of trouble knowing which platforms I can jump on (quite big levels too - you never know how high you can go).

 

* It's hard. Much, much harder than Risky's Revenge, and feels more like a platformer of its time. Even the introductory stage feels like a real "level". I'm not saying this is particularly good or bad, but I'm finding it harder to get into than the DSi game.

 

* Music is funky. At night, it even turns techno and you can hear the roots of Jake Kaufman's Mighty Switch Force themes.

[Dcubed]

Anyone started Shantae yet? Some early thoughts on it:

 

* Graphics. I've noticed Shantae takes up more of the screen than in Risky's Revenge. The character of Shantae also seems to have been fully-formed from the beginning - they always had a clear vision of her. Scuttle Town is viewed from behind Shantae and when you select a building to enter she runs into the screen. On the gameplay screens, I'm having a little bit of trouble knowing which platforms I can jump on (quite big levels too - you never know how high you can go).

 

* It's hard. Much, much harder than Risky's Revenge, and feels more like a platformer of its time. Even the introductory stage feels like a real "level". I'm not saying this is particularly good or bad, but I'm finding it harder to get into than the DSi game.

 

* Music is funky. At night, it even turns techno and you can hear the roots of Jake Kaufman's Mighty Switch Force themes.

 

I've already downloaded it and I can't wait to play it, but I'm playing through Earthbound first. Thinking about it, Wayforward really got a bum deal with the choice of release date here.

 

I hope that Shantae doesn't get crushed by the sheer excitement of Earthbound's VC release...

[S.C.G]

I've already downloaded it and I can't wait to play it, but I'm playing through Earthbound first. Thinking about it, Wayforward really got a bum deal with the choice of release date here.

 

I hope that Shantae doesn't get crushed by the sheer excitement of Earthbound's VC release...

 

For what it's worth, I purchased both without hesitation, but then I was always going to.

 

Fun times ahead! : peace:

[Aneres11]

I downloaded SHantae last night.

 

Enjoying it so far.

It's a little difficult to see where to go next in some parts though - as in you think you're jumping onto a rooftop but then you go tumbling down to the level below!

 

I think that's probably just because of how old the game is, and mabe not having the graphical capabilities to make the platforms to walk on visible etc.

 

Agree about the music - I love it. Was playing this last night in my room and my sister came in to ask me something and even started doing a little dance herself along to the music haha.

I also like how when you pause the game Shantae does starts bopping along herself! : peace:

 

Really looking forward to spending more time with it and then finally downloading the DSi game which I've been longing to play for ages!

 

This really does feel like a proper old school platformer - which is totally welcomed by me. I can imagine how much of a rare gem it must have been back in its day - almost like how Super Princess Peach was for the DS!

[Grazza]

Enjoying it so far.

It's a little difficult to see where to go next in some parts though - as in you think you're jumping onto a rooftop but then you go tumbling down to the level below!

 

I think that's probably just because of how old the game is, and mabe not having the graphical capabilities to make the platforms to walk on visible etc.

 

I keep doing that too. On another note, I've just seen an interview with Matt Bozon:

 

MB: Risky’s Revenge is a natural evolution in the series, with magic meters replacing items and save rooms replacing 1Ups. But the base gameplay is very similar. The most jarring difference is the difficulty and scope of the original game. It is much larger than RR, with day and night swaps, 50 areas, 4 towns, 3 mini games and 4 main dungeons as opposed to 2 in Risky’s. My speed runs of Risky’s Revenge come in at roughly 2 hours, whereas Shantae still takes me around 6 hours. The Create Checkpoint options of Virtual Console actually help to modernize the game a bit, so oldschool setbacks don’t sting quite so badly. But it’s still a stiff challenge when compared to the kinder, gentler WayForward games that would follow – you know, like Contra 4 and Bloodrayne: Betrayal.

 

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/07/interview_wayforward_on_shantaes_past_present_and_future

 

[Grazza]

OK, I'll admit it, I've deleted my save file and started again. I underestimated Shantae and it kicked my butt!

 

I'm going through it again, but preparing better this time. For example, did you know there's a heart piece you can get quite early on? I'm also going to earn as much money as possible before I leave Scuttle Town properly. Get as many items as I think necessary.

[-Dem0-]

Tips from WayForward.

 

[Grazza]

Nintendolife's review: http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/shantae_gbc

 

How's everyone doing? I've completed the first two dungeons so far.

[S.C.G]

I actually only got around to putting some proper play-time into this today, mostly due to Earthbound which I've progressed well in but am nowhere near finishing; but being that I'm reviewing both titles I figured that I should at least dedicate a few hours to Shantae as it's only fair.

 

My... what an absolutely charming title! I have always known that this game was something special for quite a while but I didn't realise just how much so until today.

 

Why haven't I played this yet? *searches on eBay* oh yeah... that's why, because the original now sells for almost as much as Earthbound.

 

It's not hard to understand why though, as it's a rare example of brilliance seldom seen in a lot of games today bar of course WayForward's own recent efforts, so I'm very glad that this has finally been released as now Shantae will really get her chance to shine with all of her games available in once place hopefully within the year!

[Grazza]

The thing I like most about it is how they set the graphics in the proportions they wanted. Maybe they couldn't pack in as much detail as they'd like because it was on the Game Boy Color, but they kept the sprites the right shape and size. As a result it really has a lot of charm and you can see what they were going for.

[S.C.G]

Annnnnnd here's the official N-E review for Shantae!

 

 

Click away! : peace:

[Grazza]

Wow, you enjoyed that, @S\.C\.G! Great review, you described it really well.

 

I've bought all the abilities now, earning money from the dance mini-game (but you can also use Restore Points to cheat at the gecko racing!) It's a tough game, and I'm still at the 3rd dungeon. Not really stuck, it just demands your full attention.

[Grazza]

...And completed (finally!)

 

It's hard to review the first entry in a game series when (in my opinion), the developer fixed every single issue with it in the sequel. I love Risky's Revenge - to me it's a clear 10/10. In all honesty, though, I found this one a tough game to play. The thing that struck me most is how difficult the overworld is to move about in. If it was just big, then it could be balanced-out by having easy enemies and a map. If it was just that the enemies were hard, it could be balanced-out by being small. The trouble is, it's big, it's hard and there's no map!

 

The funny thing is, I found the dungeons much easier and enjoyable. When I was in the dungeons, I was thinking "Ah, this is why I love the Shantae series", and then I'd go into the overworld again and spend a few days getting anywhere (an exaggeration, perhaps, but the journeys are tough)! The bosses, too, are surprisingly easy and usually just require the animal transformation you got in that particular dungeon. To add to the sense of uneven difficulty, the first dungeon actually has the most difficult jumps, even when you go back to it at the end.

 

Unlike the 2nd game, Shantae's physical attack (in human form) never actually gets stronger (although she can buy special moves). Later on in the game, you're better off using the attacks you gain when in animal form, or just completely avoiding enemies. Items like the Storm Puff and Pike Ball are present, but need to be re-bought every time they run out (in Risky's Revenge they used a magic meter, so you could use them more freely). As such, I never knew when to use mine and just conserved them.

 

All in all, I wonder what it'd be like to play, as intended, on the Game Boy cartridge. Thankfully, Restore Points help a great deal in this VC edition, and so it is quite possible to complete, even if (like me) you need to take it step-by-step. It's nice to have played this one, and there is actually one thing I think it does better than Risky's Revenge - the in-game sprite of Shantae herself is better-proportioned. Can't wait for Shantae and the Pirate's Curse now - bring it on!

[Ike]

Agreed, the overworld was the worst part of the game. It's too big, it's not clear where to go (even a NPC tells you where to go and it's still confusing, I think they even tell you the wrong way), annoying enemy placements to name a few.

 

I think I got up the last the dungeon, but I wanted to collect the Fireflys first but navigation the map is too annoying.

[Grazza]

Agreed, the overworld was the worst part of the game. It's too big, it's not clear where to go (even a NPC tells you where to go and it's still confusing, I think they even tell you the wrong way), annoying enemy placements to name a few.

 

I forgot to mention that. They actually keep saying "go east" when you're meant to be going left!!

 

I think I got up the last the dungeon, but I wanted to collect the Fireflys first but navigation the map is too annoying.

 

In the end I just said to myself "Forget the fireflies, forget the squids." I'm glad I did as I'm done with it now. Even if I'd learnt the Firefly (heart-replenishing) dance, it apparently costs money to use anyway, and I didn't want to earn any more at that stage. You definitely don't need that dance.

 

As I say, even though I don't love this game, it's nice to know WayForward realised all the issues themselves and (in my opinion) fixed them all. Really looking forward to the 3rd one.

[Dcubed]

Yeah, I pretty much agree with everything you said @Grazza

 

I do feel the need to add that I do appreciate how ambitious the original GBC game was though. It's a lot more expansive and adventurous than its DSi sequel, with a bigger overworld, bigger dungeons, more interesting minigames and side quests and more intricate puzzles. I do hope that Pirate's Curse brings some of that back.

 

But yeah, I think it deserves to be remembered as a flawed but fun classic. It does have some very significant and unforgivable problems (most notably the ridiculously small field of view that results in countless leaps of faith and deaths - with levels that clearly weren't properly designed around it - and the numerous silly typos and lack of clues that result in tons of Guide Dammit! moments; especially towards the end of the game, that last dungeon was total BS to find!), but ultimately it's a fun ride that's well worth experiencing.

 

The sequel did indeed fix pretty much all of my issues with the original GBC game in retrospect. I just hope that Pirate's Curse now takes that and builds more on top of that great foundation that Risky's Revenge built!

[Grazza]

I do feel the need to add that I do appreciate how ambitious the original GBC game was though. It's a lot more expansive and adventurous than its DSi sequel, with a bigger overworld, bigger dungeons, more interesting minigames and side quests and more intricate puzzles. I do hope that Pirate's Curse brings some of that back.

 

Oh yeah, I love WayForward for bringing back one of my favourite genres - not just a platformer, but specifically one in the Wonder Boy/Monster World style.

 

By amazing coincidence, I've just learned of another planned game in the same genre - Flying Hamster II. Actually, this one looks even more like Wonder Boy: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/612975670/flying-hamster-ii

 

Now what we really need is for Sega to get in on the action and actually bring Wonder Boy back! This style of game sat out the polygon era, but thanks to download-only games, it finally seems to be coming back!