Shantae
| Shantae | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genres | Platform |
| Developers | WayForward Technologies |
| Publishers |
Capcom (Game Boy Color), WayForward Technologies (all other releases), Rising Star Games (Pirate's Curse release on 3DS) Marvelous USA (Half Genie Hero physical release on PS4, PSVita and Wii U) |
| Creators | Erin Bozon, Matt Bozon |
| Composers | Jake Kaufman |
| Platforms | Game Boy Color, Nintendo DSi, iOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One |
| Platform of origin | Game Boy Color |
| Year of inception | 2002 |
| First release |
Shantae June 2, 2002 |
| Latest release |
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero December 20, 2016 |
Shantae is a series of platform video games developed by WayForward Technologies, with the first title having originally been distributed by Capcom. The main character of the series, a half-genie named Shantae, was created by Erin Bozon, while the games themselves were created from this character by her husband Matt Bozon. The series currently consists of four games: Shantae (2002), Shantae: Risky's Revenge (2010), Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (2014) and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (2016).
Set in the fictional world of Sequin Land, the series follows Shantae as she tries to protect her hometown Scuttle Town, and more generally Sequin Land as a whole, from various threats, which generally involve to some extent her nemesis, the lady pirate Risky Boots. The setting, despite various fantasy, dark fantasy and steampunk elements, mostly displays oriental-inspired aesthetics. All games involve collecting new powers and items, which vary from game to game, to strengthen Shantae and unlock access to new areas.
Although releasing to strong reviews, the first game sunk into obscurity, its poor sales generally being attributed to its late release on the Game Boy Color, which at the time had already been replaced by the Game Boy Advance. After several years in the vault, the series resurfaced in 2010 with Risky's Revenge, and has since enjoyed more commercial success and a growth in popularity. The entire series has always met with constant critical support, and is considered the flagship series of WayForward Technologies and to some, the American indie video gaming scene as a whole.
The character of Shantae was created by Erin Bell, the future wife of Matt Bozon, the game's creator. In 1994, while both were engaged, Erin got a flash of inspiration while coming back from her camp counsellor days, and created the character, naming her "Shantae" after one of the campers, as well as developed her dancing abilities. Matt later asked her what she would come up with if she was to create a video game character, and she introduced him to Shantae. Matt liked the idea and fleshed out the mythology and cast of the game. Erin also imagined that the character could summon or charm animals by belly-dancing. This would later become the basis for the transformation dances. Matt has provided two contradictory stories about how the idea for the hair whip came to be; in one, he said he was inspired by the nine-foot-long hair of his future wife, while in the other he claims that Erin's sketches already featured Shantae using her hair as a weapon when she showed him the original concept.
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Wikipedia