Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (Wii U)

[TravelHobo]

I actually quite like the new style. I always thought Wayforward and their attempts at sexiness were a bit odd - not off-putting, just a bit... gratuitous? - even if the games are great, so a cuter, cuddlier Shantae with less focus on that is quite nice to see.

 

Still need to play Pirate's Curse, though.

[Dcubed]

I'm not a fan of the not so subtle "fan service" that Wayforward tend to include in their works...

 

I like the way their boobs protrude when 3D is turned on. : peace:

 

... but that always gave me a good laugh every time I saw it in Pirate's Curse

 

The S3D effect in general is very well done in that game! Especially on the character portraits! Very very impressive! : peace:

[Grazza]

I'm a big fan of what gets called "fan service" nowadays. I just genuinely don't see any negative side. It's pretty sad that games can have extreme violence and hardly anyone notices, but a flash of boob or hip puts people off.

 

Belly dancing should always be sensual and sultry. If you take that away, you lose something. To me, the first three games just had a wonderfully uninhibited feeling rather than anything explicitly sexual. They're certainly not vulgar.

 

The image FK posted is beautiful:

[spoiler=]

 

 

If they were more covered up, you wouldn't be able to appreciate their body shapes as much. Take a look at Risky Boots, for instance (2nd from left) - yes, she has fantastic boobs, legs and hourglass hips, but I also like her latissimus dorsi just as much! It's pure aesthetic enjoyment.

[Fused King]

 

If they were more covered up, you wouldn't be able to appreciate their body shapes as much. Take a look at Risky Boots, for instance (2nd from left) - yes, she has fantastic boobs, legs and hourglass hips, but I also like her latissimus dorsi just as much! It's pure aesthetic enjoyment.

 

This guy knows what it's all about :awesome:

[Grazza]

Whoa! Didn't know this was out today! Downloading it now...

[Hero-of-Time]

Whoa! Didn't know this was out today! Downloading it now...

 

It's out now!? I thought we weren't getting it until next week?

 

Guess that's my gaming sorted for tomorrow.

Edited December 20, 2016 by Hero-of-Time

[Grazza]

It's out now!? I thought we weren't getting it until next week?

 

Guess that's my gaming sorted for tomorrow.

 

You'll be hooked!

 

I really enjoyed playing it last night. It's the usual prescription of not-too-easy, not-too-difficult platforming. The controls are so good, anyone who's played the 2nd and 3rd games will take to it instantly. In fact, I'd played it for hours before I even thought about the controls.

 

The graphics are better than I was expecting, especially in terms of animation, and the jump to HD allows some really huge bosses. Character art is good, with the faces in particular just right. WayForward has created a cast that is more familiar to me than those from the big animation studios, and they really look themselves - certainly facially.

 

Onto the gameplay... Now, there's no doubt WayForward has tried to appeal to a new audience here, in two ways, I think. The first is that Half-Genie Hero is undoubtedly more linear than its predecessors. Stages are accessed from a level select (not too unlike Pirate's Curse), and this game has gone one step further than the 3rd game by actually dividing up the areas into distinct chunks. There's also no more tracking down a save point - the green-robed man offers to save your game between each section. I'm trying to avoid the term "dumbed down", because it's not like the game is overly easy, but it's fair to say they have prioritised ease-of access.

 

The second big difference is the sheer variety of action. It's clear WayForward is trying to attract the audience not yet enamoured with the exploration-heavy 1st and 2nd games, and is swaying more towards the Rayman Legends/Donkey Kong Country Returns kind of grandeur. So far I've jumped from hook to hook in a factory, slid down a ramp and been blown back by desert winds. Whether these sections add more than they take is debateable.

 

Nonetheless, the levels are actually as sprawling and complex as ever, so if you want to go back and find all the secrets, you can (although it does remove the bosses). From what I've played, Half-Genie Hero is a good balancing act.

 

Animal transformations are back, and the dancing has been streamlined to almost nothing, which frankly is a simplification I can agree with (it's a shame not to have all the dancing animations though). Regarding the animal choices, WayForward has included all the best ones from the 1st and 2nd games, making this entry the most comprehensive in that regard.

 

So far, so good.

 

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[Dcubed]

So it's still non-linear then? Would you say it's more linear than Pirate's Curse or less so?

 

This'll be my Xmas game when the day hits. Looking forward to diving in!

[Grazza]

So it's still non-linear then? Would you say it's more linear than Pirate's Curse or less so?

 

I'd say it's completely linear, but with backtracking. I believe you are familiar with the previous games, but for comparison:

 

* Shantae (GBC) and Risky's Revenge are true Metroidvanias.

* Pirate's Curse had a level select, which broke the continuous overworld, but you still had to find the dungeon within each land.

* Half-Genie Hero is as linear as Sonic the Hedgehog, apart from the fact you can replay each level to find hidden secrets. There are no "dungeons" as such, just one stage after another (eg. 1-1, 1-2, 1-3).

[Dcubed]

Oh wow! That's a pretty big change!

 

I'm not too upset about it though, considering that we've already had three non-linear Shantae games. A shakeup is fine by me as long as it's good.

[Hero-of-Time]

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@Grazza said, the game is VERY linear. There were times when I was trying to find some items, walked off to the next screen and then couldn't get back to the previous area. I had to quit the level to go back to the area needed to be. The game seems like it's constantly pushing you forward.

The game is also stupidly easy. I mean REALLY easy. I don't think I used more than a couple of healing items even when fighting bosses. In fact, when fighting a boss, I eventually just started to rush them due to how little damage them were doing and how many hearts I had. I could just stand there and take the beating, all the while I kept wailing on them.

I don't think the writing or references were as funny as they have been in the other entries. There are a few cheeky things sprinkled here and there but not as frequent as in previous games.

There is a very high level of polish gone into the game and it really shows, in both presentaion and gameplay. The animations are simply amazing, especially when you hold down on the d-pad. Shantae ducks down and goes into a pouncing position, and wiggles her butt as if she is a cat. I'm sure @RedShell would appreciate this.

The main theme is very catchy and I have had it stuck in my head since I started playing yesterday.

	Audio

The rest of the music is also top notch and I had my headphones bopping away to various tunes that played during the different stages.

Despite the niggles I mentioned at the start, the game is fantastic to play, look at and listen to. It was an absolute joy to play through and is contender for my GOTM.

[Grazza]

I was trying to finish it before you, H-o-T, but got stuck on the puzzles after the Crustacean Races!

 

The game is also stupidly easy. I mean REALLY easy. I don't think I used more than a couple of healing items even when fighting bosses. In fact, when fighting a boss, I eventually just started to rush them due to how little damage them were doing and how many hearts I had. I could just stand there and take the beating, all the while I kept wailing on them.

 

It's funny, WayForward has a signature style where damage is displayed in small figures. For example, if you strike a fire-resistant enemy with fire, a "1" might flash up on screen, but hit it with Shantae's hair and you might get an "8". As such, the boss battles can feel like chipping away at a huge health bar, unlike 2D Metroid, where the bosses flash when you fire your missiles. Did you ever play their Thor game on the DS? It took that to the extreme. I could never work out the bosses' weaknesses, so I just saw "1, 1, 1, 1, 1..." flash up on screen all the time!

 

I don't think the writing or references were as funny as they have been in the other entries. There are a few cheeky things sprinkled here and there but not as frequent as in previous games.

 

Agree, I think they're holding back after the backlash to Pirate's Curse, which is a shame.

[Ike]

Nooo!

 

 

Phew!

 

 

Forgot the Snake Merchant had some extra transformations.

 

Great game, had a lot of fun with it, but I think Pirate's Curse is the better game. Ironically, since they returned in this game, the transformations actually hold the game back and slows it down compared to Pirate's Curse where you can seamlessly switch between items and chaining them together. Some of the transformations didn't feel like they got used much or a bit redundant (did we really need the grand and mermaid transformations?).

 

I agree this game was easier, there's not as much pixel perfect platforming required, Pirates Curse's last level was really difficult but this one was pretty much a breeze. Although it's nice that it doesn't become frustrating.

 

Graphics and music were fantastic (although not 100% sure on Shantae's sprite), glad I backed this.

[Grazza]

Forgot the Snake Merchant had some extra transformations.

 

Do you need to buy the two you can "Trade"?

 

Great game, had a lot of fun with it, but I think Pirate's Curse is the better game. Ironically, since they returned in this game, the transformations actually hold the game back and slows it down compared to Pirate's Curse where you can seamlessly switch between items and chaining them together. Some of the transformations didn't feel like they got used much or a bit redundant (did we really need the grand and mermaid transformations?).

 

What's the grand? As for the mermaid, I absolutely loved it.

 

So, let's see... This game has:

* Monkey, Elephant, Spider and Harpy from Shantae

* Mermaid from Risky's Revenge

* Crab, Bat and Mouse, which are new to this game

 

My three favourites are Monkey, Elephant and Mermaid (the three in RR).

 

 

I agree this game was easier, there's not as much pixel perfect platforming required, Pirates Curse's last level was really difficult but this one was pretty much a breeze. Although it's nice that it doesn't become frustrating.

 

I honestly think it was medium difficulty throughout. The last couple of levels had some fairly difficult jumps, although no, certainly not to the extent of Pirate's Curse. And Shantae on the GBC is just plain hard to move around.

 

If there's one thing in particular they made easier this time I'd say it's the normal enemies. In all three previous games, really, it was easier to avoid them. They've rebalanced that with Half-Genie Hero, which I'm definitely a fan of.

 

Anyway, I finished it myself this evening. It was a very enjoyable game - definitely my 3rd favourite in the series, which doesn't sound like very high praise, but I think 2-4 are all very good. Final boss was probably my favourite in the whole series.

 

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[Ike]

Do you need to buy the two you can "Trade"?

 

Yeah, but you only trade for them (btw,you can make easy money with one of them).

 

What's the grand? As for the mermaid, I absolutely loved it.

 

... Crab... No idea how that happened. :p I liked the mermaid transformation but why do we need 2 water based transformations? It's not a big deal, anyway.

[Aneres11]

Downloaded this last night, didn't get chance to actually play it so hoping to get some time over the festive period!

Looks amazing.

[MindFreak]

Just downloaded it this morning, really eager to play but alas, I have so much to do before tonight that I cannot get to play it. Tomorrow it is, then!

[Ike]

Did an any% speed run today, don't normally do speed runs but the game is short and it was still fresh in my mind so why not?

 

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[Dcubed]

Just got it, beat stage 2 and I'm enjoying it so far.

 

Pretty much agree with all that's been said so far. The game is fun but ridiculously easy and not much needed in the way of precise platforming. Both bosses so far were also a bit of a joke, even compared to the previous games.

 

The level designs are linear, but also a bit meandering. It's kinda weird, it's like they're trying to mix DKCR style level design with the series trademark metroidvania level design as the pacing is really quite strange (one moment it's fast paced and straightforward, then you're in an open area and have to plod about, then you're in a fast autoscrolling slide down a giant converyer belt with barrels being thrown at you!). Not sure how I feel about that overall yet, but I am enjoying it nonetheless. It's certainly unique feeling at least!

 

I'm not convinced about the game structure so far though. I don't think that the linear World Clear structure meshes well with backtracking at all; quite frankly, it's kind of annoying having to go back through the stages to look for stuff and feels like padding (which, from what I hear about the game's length and total amount of content, makes a lot of sense).

 

That being said, Shantae is as fun to control as ever and I actually really like the crab power. It's a novel way of handling under water swimming (though I can already tell that there's gonna be another one with more manoeuvrability...). Visuals look great and the music is pretty great (even though they're mostly remixes of past music so far); the music looping and transitions aren't very good though and lack polish (at least on Wii U), some annoying music clipping when moving between areas is a real shame and gives the impression that it wasn't quite ready for release yet. No other issues thus far thankfully though (though the "coming soon" icon for one of the unlockable characters gives the impression that they should've left the game in the oven a bit longer... not a good look when starting out).

Edited December 26, 2016 by Dcubed

[Ike]

Visuals look great and the music is pretty great (even though they're mostly remixes of past music so far); the music looping and transitions aren't very good though and lack polish (at least on Wii U), some annoying music clipping when moving between areas is a real shame and gives the impression that it wasn't quite ready for release yet.

 

The music on the splash screen when you open the software seems really loud as well. Hope the music is something they are going to fix in an upcoming update.

 

Decided to do a 100% speed run since I can can just use the same save as my previous speed run.

 

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[MindFreak]

I have mixed feelings as well, there something not quite right with the game. Beat the fifth level just now and it's just... very plain all over. Unfortunately as I adored Pirate's Curse.

[Grazza]

The level designs are linear, but also a bit meandering. It's kinda weird, it's like they're trying to mix DKCR style level design with the series trademark metroidvania level design as the pacing is really quite strange (one moment it's fast paced and straightforward, then you're in an open area and have to plod about, then you're in a fast autoscrolling slide down a giant converyer belt with barrels being thrown at you!). Not sure how I feel about that overall yet, but I am enjoying it nonetheless. It's certainly unique feeling at least!

 

I'm not convinced about the game structure so far though. I don't think that the linear World Clear structure meshes well with backtracking at all; quite frankly, it's kind of annoying having to go back through the stages to look for stuff and feels like padding (which, from what I hear about the game's length and total amount of content, makes a lot of sense).

 

I strongly agree with all these points. At first I thought the game was completely linear. Later on, however, there is plenty of mandatory backtracking - it feels as much as in the other games, if not more - which is a bizarre thing to combine with the simple level structure.

 

I'm not sure how those who enjoy the simpler style will take to the backtracking, exploration and puzzles - probably not well. Personally, I actually found it a bit more confusing than the previous games; considering it's not a true Metroidvania, I hadn't really "learnt" the environments as much. Thus, I often didn't have a clue where to search (the hint system is vague).

 

I have mixed feelings as well, there something not quite right with the game. Beat the fifth level just now and it's just... very plain all over. Unfortunately as I adored Pirate's Curse.

 

Quite frankly, this game doesn't have the courage of its convictions. Risky's Revenge... they knew who they were aiming for. Pirate's Curse... they knew who they were aiming for. By comparison, this one feels like it was designed by a focus group. Tonally, it's very weak.

[Grazza]

Finally worked out how to get 100% completion (I was missing the tiara):

 

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I like this pose. Risky has been my favourite character since RR, but she's pretty darn evil in this game! Still looking forward to her DLC though.

 

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[Dcubed]

Just finished it completely, good and bad endings done.

 

I have to say that I did really enjoy the ride, but was a tad disappointed. Quite frankly, it feels like Wayforward had bigger ambitions with this game that went unrealised (which, if you look at the missed kickstarted stretch goals, makes perfect sense). It feels like they originally planned the game out under the assumption that they would reach all of their stretch goals and after falling short, they had to improvise by introducing a ton of forced backtracking through the levels they were actually able to make, in order to pad out the length of the game.

 

The actually levels themselves are pretty good as far as they go as linear romps, but the level design simply doesn't accommodate all the backtracking all that well. It quickly becomes frustrating having to go through the same few linear stages over and over again for that one item you couldn't get the first time through. Going back once or twice with things switched up is fine, doing it 4-5 times where it's all the same is annoying.

 

And then there's other little signs of the game not quite being finished...

like with the endings, which are almost identical, save for a few extra lines of dialogue; it's really obvious that they originally planned for an additional form for the final boss that they simply didn't have the budget to make - likewise, the end escape sequence also feels like it has been truncated from what they originally wanted it to be

Same with the annoying audio clipping. The game is very polished visually (looks amazing and runs butter smooth), but the audio mixing needs work and the audio clipping is really unfortunate.

 

What's here is actually really good, but it's a shame that they felt they needed to pad it out so much. The bosses also get much better as you carry on, with the last three in particular being huge improvements over the previous ones.

 

It's a shame that they couldn't gather more money from their Kickstarter campaign, because it feels like the game just needed more time to bake and more time to complete the game they really wanted to make. It feels like it should be a full price retail release, but Wayforward just need a bigger budget and more time. As it stands, it feels like half the Shantae game they wanted to make. Still well worth your time and money, but I can't help but look at it and think of how much more it could've been...

Edited January 1, 2017 by Dcubed

[Grazza]

I have to say that I did really enjoy the ride, but was a tad disappointed. Quite frankly, it feels like Wayforward had bigger ambitions with this game that went unrealised (which, if you look at the missed kickstarted stretch goals, makes perfect sense).

 

To be honest (and by no means am I saying it's a bad game), this is the first time I have felt let down by WayForward as a company. Until now, their games cost a small amount of money and felt like they'd packed in as much as they could - apart from Pirate's Curse, which was quite expensive but well worth it. Risky's Revenge felt like it wasn't as extensive as they might have planned, but what was there was absolutely 10/10 - packed full of love and attention to detail.

 

Half-Genie Hero feels cynical in comparison. WayForward has been utterly ruthless, only including content that was crowd funded. Hundreds of backer names fill the end credits, and yet the game doesn't even have different dance animations (they really couldn't have made three - one for each beat?) Maybe I just don't understand how Kickstarter works, but they way they used it felt mercenary.

 

And then there's other little signs of the game not quite being finished...

like with the endings, which are almost identical, save for a few extra lines of dialogue; it's really obvious that they originally planned for an additional form for the final boss that they simply didn't have the budget to make - likewise, the end escape sequence also feels like it has been truncated from what they originally wanted it to be

 

I deliberately got the bad ending first, then I went back to get the good one. There were so few clues, I honestly couldn't tell the difference until, as you say, there were a few different lines.

 

 

It's a shame that they couldn't gather more money from their Kickstarter campaign, because it feels like the game just needed more time to bake and more time to complete the game they really wanted to make. It feels like it should be a full price retail release, but Wayforward just need a bigger budget and more time. As it stands, it feels like half the Shantae game they wanted to make. Still well worth your time and money, but I can't help but look at it and think of how much more it could've been...

 

I agree with all this. I can't reiterate enough it is fundamentally a good game. Almost all my issues with it could be fixed with a patch which, indeed, is what I think WayForward should do. I'm looking forward to the Risky Boots DLC but think it should be free - not just to backers. Paying £15.99 is an expensive enough way to "back" someone's game, and I think free DLC would restore a lot of faith. Honestly, it's not the money; I just feel a little bit disappointed in them.