No, I don't actually dream of the character. I think that would come off as a little creepy? But I do adore the character; she's one of the most adorable female video game protagonists in the industry. And because I wanted to make a reference to I Dream of Jeannie... IT WAS A DECENT SHOW, GET OFF MY BACK.
You wouldn't guess it for an instant, but Shantae back on the old Gameboy Color was one of my first video games to not be produced by a large scale AAA developer like Nintendo or Sega. Humbly developed by the precursor team that we now know as WayForward (the amazing people who also brought us some of the best licensed video games in the industry) Shantae was a side scrolling platformer about a half-genie whose only goal was to stop an evil pirate from wreaking havoc on her peaceful home.
Shantae as a character was just as captivating as her game, providing a great deal of joy and challenge to a once much younger me. It was one of the first games I went out of my way to do research on and learn more about in my later years as a I became more internet-savvy. Matt Bozon became somewhat of an inspiration for me in wanting to learn more about game design and business, as well as a driving force in my own artistic direction.
I'm not sure if anyone else was ever so inspired by one video game, let alone this one tiny gem, but it's very difficult to describe just how impacting the first Shantae game was for me. So much so I wound up... selling it. In all my naivete, I never would have guessed that 1) Shantae would become a franchise or 2) that the original would become so friggin' rare. Largely one of the biggest mistakes of my life as a gamer. To put it simply, you are lucky if you can find a copy on eBay for less than $150.
So why this little trip down memory lane? Not only is Shantae receiving a third installment (after its sequel which launched on DSi and made its way to iOS/Android), WayForward FINALLY launched its new Kickstarter campaign and it looks amazing.
http://www.kickstarter.com/...
Hot off the heels of the success of Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9, and to my joy (and pleasantly accurate prediction) it is an HD Shantae game made in a similar way to the overall style of Ducktales Remastered HD, with hand drawn characters and 3D environments with a 2.5D gameplay style. They intend to bring it to every major platform that utilizes HD graphics. Stretch goals go all the way up to $1.3 million dollars, with only two revealed thus far (but I suspect at least one of them is being able to play as Shantae's friends and another for full voice acting).
Perhaps this blog comes off very much like an ad, but I would like to see it more as a PSA. If you love gaming, or care at all about anything WayForward has done, fund the heck outta this game. Spread the word and all that jazz. A long overdue HD video game starring this immensely underrated character is finally being made and as a fan, I couldn't just sit by and watch.
Anyway, regardless of what you feel or choose, thank you for your time. What are your thoughts? Any games that significantly impacted you way back when? Any Kickstarter games you hope get funded or have already been funded?
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Dude I was just about to send a PM about making a blog about the game, and here you already made it. Good lord man that was FAST!
I really dig the rayman origin-esque artstyle.
I really don't know what Way Forward is thinking with this franchise, why announce a kickstarter for your niche 2D franchise 3 days after the maker of Mega Man makes a kickstarter for its spiritual successor, which not only is Mega Man one of the biggest names in 2D platforming but the fanbase has been all but abandoned by Capcom? They should have delayed it a month, or at least a week to have some of the hype die down. It's gonna get drowned and forgotten by the race to $2.2 million that Mighty No 9 is going for.
It's not the first time, the first Shantae game came out for the Gameboy Color after the Gameboy Advance was released. I'm confident the game will reach it's goal and get made, but it probably would have made another stretch goal or two if it Way Forward would stop choosing to live in the shadows of bigger items.