Hey everyone. Did you know that yesterday was Shantae's 20th anniversary? On June 2, 2002, WayForward created the first Shantae game, which I believe was one of the first Indie titles, for the GameBoy Color. And ever since then, the fan base, admittedly started off slow and almost nonexistence. And a big reason as to why the fanbase was lacking was, most likely, two reasons. One; the more minor reason, most people weren't used to the idea of having a female main protagonist. I mean sure, we did have games like Metroid and Tomb Raider, of which both franchises have a female lead as the main protagonist. And unless I'm missing something, that was really it. It also doesn't help that whenever there was a female lead in a game, they were also accompanied by a male character who was seen as the main protagonist. Even a franchise like Legend of Zelda, a game that promotes the princess of the franchise wasn't the protagonist in the games. Instead, it was Link, a young swordmen who was seen as the main protagonist in about 99% of the games (100% if you don't include those god awful CD-I games). The other reason why Shantae didn't receive a large fanbase was because of the timing. Remember, the game was released on the GameBoy Color in 2002 and the Next generation of the GameBoy, the GameBoy Advanced was already out for nearly a year. And as a result, many of the gamers who played GameBoy were paying more attention to the games that were being released on the GBA. Backwards compatibility be damned. As a result, Needless to say, the first Shantae game was a bit of a flop.
It didn't exactly help that Risky's Revenge, the second game released for the Shantae series, was also seen as a disappointment in the eyes of the community. I wouldn't be surprised that there are people who liked that game, but needless to say, the game felt unfinished due to how short it was. But that's probably because it was unfinished. Granted, Risky's Revenge wasn't seen as glitchy and bug-filled mess along the lines of Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric, or Sonic 06, but it was incredibly short. It's even shorter than the original Shantae game, which isn't a good thing at all. And from what I've heard, the reason why it was short was because of two things. One was the lack of funding. And the other thing, at least from what I've heard, apparently Risky's Revenge was supposed to be an episodic game, where you would play a chapter, while WayForward was developing the next chapter. I don't know if that last statement is true or not, as I've also heard that the Director's Cut of Risky's Revenge is the final product. I've even heard that the second Shantae game was originally gonna be released for the GBA, but that game was ultimately scrapped, and Risky's Revenge was released for the Nintendo DSi. And while I am glad that I had a chance to play the game, I am tempting to say that it's my overall least favorite game in the Shantae series.
But then, Shantae & the Pirate's Curse happened, and the fan base exploded. Many people became fans of the Shantae series, and many people became backers, supporters and tons of fan art were developed. It was fast paced, the dialogue was funny, a fantastic soundtrack, with some of my favorites being Run Run Rottytops, the Boss Theme, We Love Burning Town, and the Final Boss theme just to name a few, the art style looks fantastic, and I think it's safe to say that at this point, WayForward knew about the character designs and how much fan service there is in this one game. I mean on the third island, Shantae, Risky, Sky and Rottytops are seen wearing nothing skimpy princess attires. That being said, there were two problems that I did have with Pirate's Curse. One technically being an outside problem, while the other is an actual problem. The first problem was the lack of transformations. Not in the way that you're probably thinking, I'm mainly talking about how the game doesn't utilize Shantae's animal transformations at any point in the game. This wouldn't be much of a problem, except that was originally seen as Shantae's main gimmick, outside of her using her hair as a whip. But since Shantae lost her magic powers at the end of Risky's Revenge, Shantae had to find an alternative to fight the enemies. So, Shantae ended up borrowing some of Risky Boots' pirate equipment, which includes a pistol, pirate hat, pirate boots, a scimitar and a cannon. It's kinda of a weird thing to say, but I do prefer the Pirate Equipment over the transformations, especially the transformations that were used in the first two Shantae games, but with the said, it is pretty tragic that the Pirate Equipment that Shantae used in this game are overall better gameplay than Shantae's transformation. The other problem is Mug Bog Island. I may love this game, but the 4th Island that Shantae explores is absolute misery. The level is way too claustrophobic, with way too many enemies cramped into one area, and it's easily the most difficult are to speed run. Aand because of how close the enemies are, this means that you barely giving you space to fight back. Not to mention returning to that area is pure misery. If you don't have the Death Mask before reaching the doorway to the afterlife, then you have to go ALL THE WAY BACK to Risky's ship and go on a mini side quest to get the mask, then go all the way back. Plus, in order to 100% the game, you need to go back Mud Bog Island, along with the other islands, to collect the darkness that the Cackle Bats have stored in them, as well as the Heart Squids. (And keep in mind, this is you're playing the game for the first time, or if you're not playing the Pirate Mode that you can unlock after beating the game for the first time.) What's funny is that the level after it, Frostbite Island, is nowhere near as challenging as Mud Bog Island. Sure, the wolves that are seen in on that island do a lot of damage, but at the same time, the wolves are more spaced out and they die much quicker than those black slime creatures, so I have no idea why the difficulty decided to spike like that. Despite this, Pirate's Curse is often regarded as the best game in the Shantae series. I am one of those people.
And because of how popular the Shantae series was becoming, it didn't take long for more games to be developed and funded by the aforementioned backers and supporters. As such, Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero was developed. And it also didn't take long for the DLC to be added. This included a Risky Boots Mode, where you get to play as the Pirate Queen herself. The Friends Til the End Story Mode, where you play as Sky, Bolo and Rottytops at the same time. And then there were the different costumes that Shantae wore, where she would have different gameplay and abilities depending on what costume she was wearing. This included, Cop Mode, where she dressed up as a police officer from the Mighty Switch Force game. Pajama Mode, where Shantae fight enemies with a pillow, and wants to invite everyone she meets to a slumber party. Ninja Mode, where Shantae "dresses up" as a Ninja, and wanting to learn the secrets of being a ninja. It's also the most fast-paced gameplay out of all the alternate costumes Shantae wear. And finally, there was Beach Mode, where Shantae is wearing nothing but a bikini and wants to find the ultimate spot to tan. Too bad that, despite the fact that Shantae is at her most fan service appearance, the gameplay SUCKS!!! And the big problem with that game mode is the sunscreen mechanic. I don't want to go on a rant, but let's just say that you're always in a rush to find sunscreen, or water, in order to prevent Shantae from burning and eventually dying from overexposure in the sunlight.
After a while, another Shantae game was released; Shantae & the Seven Siren. This is currently the latest game in the Shantae line-up, if you don't include her guest appearances in other games, and it's..... and alright game. It's still a fun game, but it's definitely the easiest game in the Shantae line-up. I've had many times where I had over 999 gems that I didn't need to use, whether it be because I couldn't get to a shop, or they constantly shower you with gems. And even if you spent most of you gems and you can purchases all of the power-ups on your first go, which it will happen, you can always explore the dungeons, caverns and a few secret areas to find more gems easily. Not to mention, the power cards you can get your hands on can easily break the game in half if you know the right combinations. The four transformations also make the games easy to break, with the one that can replenish your health being the best example. Even the bosses, save the for the final boss were complete jokes. Matter of fact, do you know that I deemed as the hardest section in Seven Sirens? That Dancing Mini Game located in that forest town on the far left of the map. Just trying to hit those Tiki heads within two rounds is nerve racking, and all just to get you hands on a Heart Squid. What's more is that I think WayForward eventually heard about on how easy the game was, so they eventually released a free update, where new game modes were added to make the game either more challenging, or more easy, depending on what you prefer. It's still a fun game, and I am looking forward to whatever the next Shantae game will be.
But like I said, the Shantae games aren't the only games that Shantae herself has been in. She has guest starred in other games. Did you know that Shantae made a cameo in a WarioWare game? I sure as hell didn't know until recently. She also apparently appeared in something called Mutant Mudds, (although whether that was just a trailer that sadly never happened, or if she did become playable in that game I have no clue,) appeared as a DLC character in Runbows, as well as Blaster Masters. In fact, because of her guest appearance in Blaster Master, WayForward actually created a special transformation in 1/2 Genie Hero, where she takes on the form as one of those vehicles with the turret. Shantae even had an iOS game called Watch Quest. I don't know if it was any good, but I thought I'd mention it. She's even appeared in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Although, she, along with Risky Boots, were originally seen as two of the 1500+ Spirits. As a spirit, Shantae inhabited the body of Zero Suit Samus, while Risky Boots inhabited the body of Daisy. Shantae did eventually get in as a playable character.... as a Mii Costume for the Mii Brawler. It does kinda suck that Shantae was reduced to being a glorified costumes, even though many fans, myself included, wanted her to be an actual playable character in Smash Bros Ultimate. Hell, I've even seen plenty of concepts and What-Ifs involving Shantae being playable in Smash Bros Ultimate, which even includes what kind of costumes/alternate colors Shantae would've had, with one of the being an alternate costume based on her evil half/evil clone Nega-Shantae. Still though, it is at least decent to have a version of Shantae being playable in that game, even though it's just a Mii Brawler in a Shantae skin.
To summarize, seeing Shantae go from that one character that some people might've heard of, but not many people payed attention to, to being one of the most popular Indie characters, only behind Shovel Knight is a spectacle. I hope that both Shantae and WayForward continues onward with more game, and more love and respect form fans of the franchises.
(Also I hope the next Smash Bros game adds Shantae as a playable character.)
Hey everyone, Omnicidal Clown here..... Well.... We did it! After over 8, nearly 9 years of DeviantArt, we finally reached over 1,000 Watchers. That's just incredible. I mean, I knew that it would eventually happened. But at the same time, I'm still amazed that I was able to reach the 1k mark on DeviantArt. And in less that 10 years no less.
I want to thank each and every single one of the people who decided to watch my content and further supporting me. This include those who Favorited my submitted artworks, commenting on who you think would win in a hypothetical fight, or even something as simple as asking how I'm doing outside of DeviantArt. I literally couldn't have done this without any of your support. Not to mention, I also support those that decided to use my content outside of DeviantArt. I've actually seen a few videos on YouTube where the Thumbnail is actually one of my Thumbnail, and actually giving me full credit for the artwork in the description below. I thank you all, and I hope more and more people will support me.
This however, make me as the Big Question; Can we get 2,000 Followers and beyond? There's only one way to find out. Please continue supporting me, and, if you so choose, share my content towards friends and others you know. Just make sure you credit me for the thumbnail, so that other people can see more content. Once again, I thank you all, and I hope more will be coming in the near future.