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Shantae and the Seven Sirens


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Shantae 5

 

It's not a dream! Wayforward has just announced Shantae 5 for Switch, PS4, XBox One, PC, and- interestingly- Apple Arcade. I am over the moon. No details are known yet, but we do get a nice preview of the updated art style, and what may or may not be the official title and logo. Shantae 5 is slated to arrive later this year.

 

Personally, I half expected a reveal during the recent Indie Direct, given that it's been a while since Half Genie Hero wrapped up, and was mildly disappointed when we didn't see anything from them. Turns out we didn't have long to wait regardless! As a longtime fan of the series, this just easily became my most wanted game this year, so I'll be following this closely. My hope is that the level design returns to the interconnected Metroidvania style of Shantae 1-3 rather than the segmented stages we saw in HGH. But either way, I'm just happy it exists. 

 

What about you? Are you excited for a new adventure through Sequin Land? 

Edited by Laclipsey
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  • 3 weeks later...

Just from that screenshot I already think I like the style better than 1/2 genie hero. I liked half genie hero but it was almost too chibi for me sometimes. This seems closer to the pirates curse which was my favorite. 

 

Pretty excited! I'd also like to see it go back to more Metroidvania style maps. 

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  • 2 months later...
On 7/5/2019 at 6:09 PM, alienboyva said:

OMG! This is AWESOME!!!!

 

 

Notice the window at 0:05... People are saying that is a tease for Shantae in Smash. :v  Uhhh...I think it's just pure coincidence.

Even publications are getting in on the rumor mongering. But something tells me if Sakurai and the team were going to hint at Shantae's inclusion in Smash, it wouldn't be through her own game. As much as I want to hope. 

 

The animation is fantastic. Every single frame is beautiful and I'm loving how the angular Trigger style translates to Shantae and the crew. I would buy one of the animation cels if I could.

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  • 1 month later...

It's been renamed Shantae and the Seven Sirens, lads. And we have screenshots and some new details

 

Spoiler

shantae.original.jpg

 

Though the in-game assets look to be taken straight from Half-Genie Hero, the level design seems to be making a return to form, boasting an interconnected world and the return of labyrinths, self-contained dungeons that despite being a staple in all three original Shantae games, were absent in Half Genie Hero. One has only to look through the screenshots to see this difference in level design. This comes as a welcome surprise, since the linear level design was my main gripe with the last Shantae outing. 

 

Also outlined are new half-genie characters, new "Fusion Magic," and the ability to augment Shantae with collectible cards she finds across Sequin Land. Presumably this is how the upgrade system is presented in Seven Sirens. Lightning-fast, aquatic-themed transformations are also promised, one of which can be seen in the screenshots. Wayforward also teases TV-style cutscenes, likely suggesting more animation from Studio Trigger! 

 

The new art style is beautiful, and I'm glad to see Wayforward can use Half-Genie Hero as a framework to top what they did last time. I liked Half-Genie Hero well enough, but its linear level design made it somewhat less replayable in my opinion despite all of the different modes encouraging multiple playthroughs. The ocean motif seems to work with Shantae really well, so I'm glad to see that it's brought to the forefront with this outing. Looking forward to hearing more, and I'm hoping we're still on track for a release date this year!

 

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Edited by Laclipsey
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39 minutes ago, Laclipsey said:

Also outlined are new half-genie characters, new "Fusion Magic," and the ability to augment Shantae with collectible cards she finds across Sequin Land. Presumably this is how the upgrade system is presented in Seven Sirens. 

I hope so. 

 

A phrase like "Collect and power up with monster cards!" does make me wary, as I immediately see how something like that could be monetized a la FIFA Ultimate Team Packs. I hope that's not the route Wayforward is going with this. I hope it's just an in-game collectible that you have to find in hidden locations or earn by beating challenges or enemies. 

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11 hours ago, blcdude1 said:

I hope so. 

 

A phrase like "Collect and power up with monster cards!" does make me wary, as I immediately see how something like that could be monetized a la FIFA Ultimate Team Packs. I hope that's not the route Wayforward is going with this. I hope it's just an in-game collectible that you have to find in hidden locations or earn by beating challenges or enemies. 

I saw someone asked Matt Bozon about that on Twitter, and he assured them there would be no microtransactions. My impression is that these cards are either the central or supplemental power up gimmick, and it's clear from his comments that they'll be a collectible found within the game world. 

 

To address another earlier point: Matt also clarified that the only animation Trigger is doing for the game is the opening that we've already seen. So either Wayforward is doing animation in house or I'm totally misinterpreting the meaning of "TV style cutscenes."

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  • 3 weeks later...

And here's our first footage, coming from the PAX demo!

 

 

The instant transformations are looking nice. I can see this becoming the the new standard for how Shantae transforms. As much as I love Risky's Revenge and Half Genie Hero, utilizing the dancing animation for transformations necessarily means stopping the action to watch an animation every time you you need access to say, an extra jump from Harpy form. Still, it's clear that dancing is nevertheless mapped to a button in Seven Sirens, so I'm left wondering what function it will serve. It puts me in mind of the dance from Pirate's Curse. 

 

Also correct me if I'm wrong, but the physics seem a little different as compared to Half Genie Hero. Maybe I'm imagining it, but Shantae seems a little faster and jumps a little higher, perhaps in keeping with Risky's Revenge and Pirate's Curse. 

 

Also presumably the titular "Sirens" are the game's bosses. I need this game. Hoping we get a follow up on Shantae's Dad

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I'm sure it'll still have dancing transformations. These quick ones will most likely be quick movement upgrades for regular Shantae since she changes back immediately after touching the ground.

 

I don't mind the reused assets as long as it feels like a new experience. In which that won't be a problem with it going back to an exploration style map.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 5 months later...

New details! Release date is May 28! There will be a physical edition and a collector's edition through Limited Run, though those details have yet to surface. 

 

Those new instant transformations look like a real game-changer. Looks like dancing is going to have a new function, like healing or activating powerful attacks. 

 

Between this and Xenoblade, my two most anticipated games of the year release a day apart from each other. First world problems, I guess. 

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1 hour ago, Ridley Prime said:

 

 

Okay, that's cool.

 

Kinda just got into the series recently from getting and playin Half Genie Hero when it was free on XBL, though I understand Pirate's Curse was their best received so far. Seven Sirens I can definitely see myself getting into at some point as well when my backlog is more shortened again.

Pirate's Curse is the most graceful and deliberate of all of the Shantae games.  Half Genie Hero was probably my least favorite, mostly because of the departure from Shantae's Metroidvania roots. HGH is very linear and necessitates playing through the same stages over and over, adding a lot of fluff to subsequent playthroughs that isn't helped by the fact that the sidequests were still laid out as if the map were nonlinear. I could go on for a bit about it, but the bottom line is that this is why Seven Sirens' return to the Metroidvania format (and labyrinths) has me over the moon. And I'm excited for you to play Pirate's Curse. :)

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  • 1 month later...

At long last, the announcement is here! Preorders go up May 15, exclusively through Limited Run, so be ready!  

 

In addition to the regular game, there's a sweet collector's edition. That steelbook and the soundtrack alone sell me on it. 

 

Spoiler

shantae.original.jpg

 

It is worth mentioning, however, that Limited Run says that delivery will take 2-3 months, so if you're looking to play it day one, this probably isn't for you. But heck, I think it's worth it. 

Edited by Laclipsey
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  • 2 weeks later...

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