Shantae HD Kickstarter!

[Tanukitsune]

I know we have a few WayForward fans here, so I gotta share this new Kickstarter.

 

It's kinda strange to see a Kickstarter with footage and not a person talking about the project, but frankly, I trust WayForward more than almost any other company. Considering they tend to make a lot of licensed games, that just goes to show how they really know what they are doing.

 

Since it's a WayForward we already know it's going to look gorgeous and sound great thanks to Jake Kauffman...

 

What's also strange is that they are doing this Kickstarter even before they release the upcoming 3DS Shante game, but it seems this Kickstarter exist so they finally start to have more original games.

 

Although a part of me hope they'd still continue to make licensed games, because they almost always make good ones, which is pretty rare, they made one of the few good Aliens games, which few game developers can claim.

[melmer]

I checked reviews for previous shantae games and saw good things, so I backed at $15

There's some rumblings over on gaf that they've changed her skin colour. since its been pointed out she looks practically albino

http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=669453&page=5

[Thrik]

I know nothing about this game except that I've seen it's sprites numerous times and always liked the way that girl is animated.

[Tanukitsune]

The game is still being made, it's hard to tell how she'll look in the finished game. In the previous game for DSi, she looks tanned on the menu, but white in game?

[melmer]

Got to love a bit of controversy they've clearly got some quality artists working over there

[Sno]

I love Wayforward's games, but i've somehow never played any of their Shantae games.

The first game, which i understand to have been a very rare GBC release, is now on the 3DS VC.
The second game appears to have been greenlit for a Steam release, after having initially been released only through DSiWare.
The third game is due for a 3DS eShop release, i guess?

Making this the... fourth game? On top of a third that isn't even out yet?

[tegan]

Why are they doing this now? Shantae just got rereleased for the first time in more than a decade plus Shantae and the Pirate's Curse comes out before the end of the year. It's really weird timing.

[Henroid]

Oh man yes.

 

Yeah the Shantae games are pretty high quality games, but are as niche as it gets.

[tegan]

Side note: if the one single photograph somebody took of the Pirate's Curse demo is anything to go by, this is the second time in very recent history that they've completely revamped Shantae's art style.

 

[Niyeaux]

The gameplay in the kickstarter video looks thoroughly unremarkable. Am I missing something here?

[Sno]

People seem to really love those Shantae games, i dunno. Wayforward generally does pretty good stuff though. They've had their fuck-ups, but they've delivered a lot of really top notch games too.

 

I more think it's really weird that... If they've already got a Shantae game ready for release and did so through traditional means, why are they now asking fans to shoulder the burden for another Shantae game, and why before the previous one has even been released?

I'm not saying nobody can give me a satisfying answer to that question, i'm just thinking it's a question worth asking.

[tegan]

The gameplay in the kickstarter video looks thoroughly unremarkable. Am I missing something here?

 

Shantae games traditionally look terrible in videos and sound amazing in description. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

[shammack]

I've never understood the affection certain people have for Shantae. I played the DSi one and "thoroughly unremarkable" was a pretty apt description. It wasn't unpleasant, but wasn't memorable in any way.

[tegan]

I've never understood the affection certain people have for Shantae. I played the DSi one and "thoroughly unremarkable" was a pretty apt description. It wasn't unpleasant, but wasn't memorable in any way.

 

This statement could be applied to virtually any Wayforward game.

[Twig]

DAMN! SO HATE.

 

I've never played a Wayforward game. I tend to like the art, but avoid playing them because people I trust always express opinions in line with shammack.

[Tanukitsune]

WHAAAT!? "Thoroughly unremarkable"? They've excelled with their pixel artwork and music since their birth! The fact they make licensed games that are at worst so-so is ridiculously remarkable. 

[ihavefivehat]

My experience with every Wayforward game:

 

"Wow! This art looks amazing! I can't wait to play the rest of this game!"

 

2-3 hours later:

 

"Wow! This art looks amazing! I feel so guilty for not wanting to play the rest of this game!"

[Niyeaux]

Oh, good, it's not just me. I haven't played any of their other games, I don't think, but all the gameplay in that kickstarter video looks like bog-standard action platforming. We've got a good 30 years worth of games that have done that pretty well, so I think I'll pass on this one.

[Thrik]

WHAAAT!? "Thoroughly unremarkable"? They've excelled with their pixel artwork and music since their birth! The fact they make licensed games that are at worst so-so is ridiculously remarkable.

I don't think anyone's disputing their games look great, it's the whole 'good gameplay' part that some seem to be questioning.

I agree that this Kickstarter seems odd considering the other releases going on. Kickstarters are usually fuelled by people wanting to revive a much-loved old franchise — which isn't needed here.

[melmer]

All i think of when i read Shantae is Alcohol, shants innit, drinkypoos, lets get our shant on, blazzin

 

i actually know someone who has 'shanton' tattooed on his calf, true story

[tegan]

A Boy and His Blob has pretty decent gameplay, by the way.

 

Visually this is kind of giving me the same vibe as Ducktales Remastered, where the blocky 3D environments look pretty crummy, especially in contrast with the hand-drawn sprites. It's a shame, because Gigi D.G. is apparently doing background art and I normally love her work.

[Tanukitsune]

Wait, she does Cucumber Quest, right? She works for them regularly or was she hired just for that?

 

I gotta admit, it looks like they feels more comfortable making 2D games, but it looks they have to adapt to survive I guess.

 

Frankly, the only game of their I hated was Bloodrayne and only because they committed the "sin" of having bullet hell bosses with a character that lacks bullet hell mechanics.

 

I feel I care about them too much to make a good case, I've been with them practically since day one and I'm "fanboying"...

[SecretAsianMan]

I played Ducktales Remastered when it came out, but the sheen of nostalgia quickly wore off and the game stopped being interesting much sooner than I would have liked.  Having never played any Shantae game, I don't even have that nostalgia to draw me in so this whole thing looks unremarkable to me.

[Tanukitsune]

The video is pretty bad, but it's still being made, I wish the had chosen someone talking about the game than showing it, specially when it's not really showing the "neat stuff", she doesn't just whip her hair, she has several transformations and other powers which I assume they haven't even started with yet. Can you even tell it's a metroidvania game from the video? It looks like a generic platform game... 

 

I really hope they change that video, since it seems to be hurting them more than helping them.

[Thrik]

No, you can't. I had no idea it was anything but a straight platformer until you just said otherwise. I'm certainly more interested now that I know that, and it would have been wise of them to make that more clear in the video.

 

It does seem strange that fans are being asked to back this as you'd think that with them getting other Shantae games out right now and them presumably having great publisher connections (considering all their licensed titles) they'd be able to get this funded in other ways. I guess Double Fine has done the same thing, but then would publishers have funded an adventure game or quirky-ass strategy game costing so much? Probably not, whereas something tells me WayForward could have gotten this funded more traditionally.

 

I guess we're now heading into a space where developers are actually choosing fan-funded games over publishers even though they could probably succeed with either. Interesting times, and some publishers might be starting to develop the first inklings of a sweaty forehead over it.