The Half Genie Protector of Scuttle Town, Shantae for SSB4 (WayForward wants her in Smash)

[TheRickyWill]

Poking around in search of more Shantae history, I decided to hop over to the newer(?) Shantae website, made when Risky's Revenge was new.

Shantae has an official twitter (which is no longer active) which first had a humorus recap of the first Shantae game, told with twitter posts made from Shantae's perspective.

 

[TheRickyWill]

I also found an article on the website related to the Shantae NAB! microgame in WarioWare DIY:
Shantae meets Wario

"For the launch of WarioWare D.I.Y., Nintendo asked several of the game industry's most physically attractive designers to create their own microgames. WayForward's own Monsieur Bozon contributed Shantae NAB!, which you can download to your copy of WarioWare D.I.Y. today. Visit the official WarioWare D.I.Y. website to learn how. Or, watch the "making of" video right here."

However, the website is down, making the video unavalible. Luckily, NintenDaan came to the rescue.

So these 5 have all had affiliations somehow...

And the only one Shantae has had affiliation with is

Oh, great...

 

[Black-magic13]

I say all the Nintendo power magazine stuff and the stuff you just found @ TheRickyWill should be exposed on twitter or something with Nintendo tagged. I know when I promote shantae I put hastag Japan and Nintendo and sakurai lol. Idk if it helps but It doesn't hurt to try lol.

 

[Teeb147]

Just my thinking, but I think there are good chances that K Rool won't be part of the roster, and that Shantae has a chance to come in, really

I'll be glad with any more girls in the roster, tbh. Isaac would be interesting too tho, for sure.

 

[TheRickyWill]

Let's see... What can I dump...

Shantae's history and the issues her and Wayforward faced since she a was female protagonist, and what she'll represent as a 3rd party.

Spoiler

Hate to be PC, but... Here's a few quotes from a blog post I found that really opened my eyes:

"If you look at all the video game franchises with three or more games, only 12 have women as the main characters. WayForward’s Shantae the half-genie represents a particularly important - if often overlooked - milestone in representation for female characters."

"Created in 1994 by Erin Bell, with some input from her future husband Matt Bozon, Shantae is the first female character to have her own successful game franchise that was always intended to be female and the star, and who wasn’t spun off a male character’s game." (Believe it or not, it's true! Popular female protagonists like Samus and Lara Croft were first conceptualized as male characters.)

Something interesting I also found was this quote from Matt Bozon about a comment he made during an interview about the difficulty of pitching Shantae to publishers, long before the Game Boy Color game:
"The female character thing… at the beginning, my goodness, you would not believe how hard that was. We had opportunities to get the Shantae project rolling for a while and there were plenty of conversations. With a young game industry - with people who had some money and would have to make a colossal risk to get the game manufactured and into stores, and they would ask some tough questions like “We gotta ask you… have you considered making it a male character instead? ‘Cause this is a male audience. Gotta put a guy. We don’t know, it’s never been proven that a male-dominated audience will accept a female character. Especially one that looks like this. She’s not tough, she’s just this unsuspecting [belly dancer]!” I think we were taking on too many things at the time that were risky. … It was a female character. It was a dancing game. And when we were pitching this, there was no DDR yet. We were saying we want this to be where you have to have some rhythm and there’s like a beat to it in order to transform. And they were like "Oh, it’s too hard to understand what that’d be like. What if somebody can’t get that concept?” “Well we think we can teach it to them.” “Mm… I don’t know. And it’s a girl?” And a couple of times they were like “If you put a male character and even have it be selectable, you can play as the male character or the female character. Or maybe you unlock the female character!” And we were like “NO. This is what the game is; we want it to be about this. This is her, this is her game."
Keep in mind that these pitches that Matt is talking about were made long before games like Tomb Raider, which was an enourmous success.

PERSONALLY, THIS FEELS IMPORTANT.

In a time where female leads, and diversity in general, is becoming encouraged in gaming (heck, Nintendo's been doing it by putting the spotlight more on the Inkling Girl in Splatoon, and the inclusion of same-sex relationships in Fire Emblem: Fates).

Shantae personally seems like a character that seems capable of representing something more than the eShop, Indies,and Handheld-born franchises. She is one of the very first female protagonists (Not to mention of a different race/color) of a long-running franchise. Like the quote above says, there's only 12 franchises mainly starring with 3 or more games. Shantae has been critically successful, and some of her games have sold well, too. She's is currently fast approacing her fourth and largest installment.

That sounds like a pretty solid reason to put Shantae in Smash Bros, to me.

Every 3rd party in Super Smash Bros has their proper place, from gaming's past to it's future.

>Pac-Man was the game that brought gaming to a larger audience.

>Mega Man was one of the most succesful 3rd party franchises birthed on Nintendo, and constantly changed and evolved on it as the systems did.

>Solid Snake added more story elements to games, and introduced a new mechanic to gaming: Stealth.

>Sonic was the one who stepped up against Mr. Video Game himself, with a battle that changed the gaming industry.

So, what will Shantae bring to the table? What impact has she made, or what will impact will she make?
Well, Shantae will represent the growing encouragement of diversity within gaming, and promote the independent developers who struggle just to bring their vision to life.

C'mon, do you want Samus to continue to be the only female protagonist on the roster?

Nintendo Power coverage...

Spoiler

Also pointing out that Pirate's Curse had a cover story and Risky's Revenge had multi-issue coverage helps.

Reviews!

Spoiler

GBC original
"Shantae uses the WayForward GBC engine at its absolute peak, showing off elements that push the Game Boy Color hardware almost into Game Boy Advance territory. You'll find multi-scrolling backgrounds, water transparencies, night and day effects...By far, the prettiest Game Boy Color game ever created. This is one well-rounded package, and definitely one that no handheld gamers should be without." -IGN Pocket (score 9/10)

"Great graphics, solid play control and the developers' obvious commitment to create a game with real depth. Shantae may seem like an unlikely title to garner such praise, but this purple-ponytailed newcomer is for real." -Nintendo.com (score 4.5/5)

"Shantae hits all the right notes—from the solid audio and video to simple, tight controls. Shantae is one virtual babe who’s worth the hefty time investment to get to know better." -Gamepro.com (score 4.5/5)

"This title has everything--it looks great, sounds wonderful, and the gameplay is outstanding and varied. ...The whole game is truly a visual feast; Shantae will stand out as one of the few titles to demonstrate what the GBC was capable of, and more importantly, what the GBA should be doing." -EAGB (score 5/5)

"Shantae really is one of the best games on the Game Boy Color, and in many ways can easily stand shoulder to shoulder with games released on the Game Boy Advance. The folks at Wayforward Technologies really must be commended, as this effort must have squeezed every last ounce of potential out of the system. We can only hope they continue their work on the Game Boy Advance." -Gamer Web (score 9/10)

"Shantae is at the top of her class for the handheld genre. The developers stopped at nothing to create a full and detailed gaming experience. Engaging and demanding gameplay, careful attention to detail, unique puzzles, and well designed audio/visual elements make Shantae a cut above the rest. So don't let those preconceptions fool you - get your hands on Shantae and don't miss out on one of the best handheld games on the market today!" -Game Zone (score 9/10)

Risky's Revenge

Pirate's Curse
GameRankings(3DS) 84%
(Wii U) 84%
Metacritic(3DS) 82/100
(Wii U) 85/100

Destructoid7.5/10
Game Informer7/10
IGN8.5/10
Hardcore Gamer4.5/5
Pocket Gamer9/10

Matt Bozon on why Wayforward continues to be a big supporter of Nintendo platforms!

Spoiler

We’ve been there supporting Nintendo with every system launch starting with the Game Boy Color. We want to be first in line to make games for these legendary platforms. Whether they reach a massive audience or not, Nintendo fans occupy an extremely loyal corner of the game industry. They like intelligent design and visually iconic characters, and they typically understand that games of high quality take time. Sure, we want our games to appear everywhere and be played by everyone, but I feel we have a real connection with Nintendo and its fans.

We’re working to expand our fan base, but Nintendo fans got us here which is why we go the extra mile to serve them when we can.

(Made before the Smash ballot, so there's no sudden bias that people can point out.)

And that video of Matt Bozon making Shantae NAB! for Warioware DIY...

I think this is enough to convince people to support Shantae... phew!

Repost any of these wherever you like!

 

[Manic Rykker]

And the only one Shantae has had affiliation with is

Oh, great...

To be honest, I wouldn't be that surprised if Wario would be acquainted with the half-genie, in a canon sense. Before the whole microgames thing, there was the Wario land series, which featured Wario going on all sorts of adventures. Why?... Trying to get rich of course XD.

He has visited temples, gone to different worlds, etc.. A lot of times he ends up unintentionally helping folks, and stopping bad guys... it's kinda funny.

 

[TheRickyWill]

To be honest, I wouldn't be that surprised if Wario would be acquainted with the half-genie, in a canon sense. Before the whole microgames thing, there was the Wario land series, which featured Wario going on all sorts of adventures. Why?... Trying to get rich of course XD.

He has visited temples, gone to different worlds, etc.. A lot of times he ends up unintentionally helping folks, and stopping bad guys... it's kinda funny.

Yeah, I love the Wario Land games for that.

 

[BigShad]

I'm imagining Wario in Shantae's clothes.

My brain burns.
So do my eyes.
Send help.
Please.

 

[TheRickyWill]

I'm imagining Wario in Shantae's clothes.

My brain burns.
So do my eyes.
Send help.
Please.

WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME

 

[Shadowknight1]

Well, I've now finished the entire Shantae series up to the present! Now I really want her in Smash!

 

[TheJukeBox]

Just my thinking, but I think there are good chances that K Rool won't be part of the roster, and that Shantae has a chance to come in, really

I'll be glad with any more girls in the roster, tbh. Isaac would be interesting too tho, for sure.

I honestly agree with this too. K Rool is a really hyped character. People will be really dissapointed if he doesn't come but they will need at least some BIG hype characters foe the next game in my opinion. Shantae I feel has a better shot at being dlc then as an original character in a game. IDK just makes more sense to me that she gets in like that.. That's why I have been pushing for her in my ballot votes, especially as Azura has little chance due to so much reps and Gardevoir and her current status so... GO SHANTAE!
Roy's our boy? More like Shantae is bae

 

[TheRickyWill]

By the way, I think a new Japanese post popped up on the Miiverse Shantae PC community.

 

[Jave]

Top Shantae searches on Google Images:

Spoiler

"Shantae for Smash" has gotten pretty popular.

 

[smashkirby]

I'm imagining Wario in Shantae's clothes.

My brain burns.
So do my eyes.
Send help.
Please.

Hang on....

Spoiler

 

[Trick or Treat]

Hi guys.

Am I bad person for really wanting Shantae as DLC, even though I have never once played or seen her games?

D:

Please don't hate me

 

[SuperSegaSonicSS]

Hi guys.

Am I bad person for really wanting Shantae as DLC, even though I have never once played or seen her games?

D:

Please don't hate me

I haven't played her games. You don't have to play them to be a fan.

So, welcome to the thread.

 

[Trick or Treat]

I haven't played her games. You don't have to play them to be a fan.

So, welcome to the thread.

Hey, thanks!

To be honest I didn't really know much about her until the ballot became a thing, then I kept hearing about her and seeing her more often and I fully support her, as one of my 5 wanted DLC characters!

 

[Shadowknight1]

So, here's a question fellas(and ladies). If Shantae gets in, what look do we want her to have? Should she be based more on her original look? Should she have her vest? Or should she be based more on her Half Genie Hero look?

 

[GoldLiger]

By the way, I think a new Japanese post popped up on the Miiverse Shantae PC community.

What does it say?

 

[SuperSegaSonicSS]

I thought we answered this before...

But I rather she be based on her more "humanized" design, as I feel her "chibi" design would look rather odd compared to the rest of the cast of "anime" looking characters, and it's shown in the games character portraits that she's more normal in proportions then in the sprite version of herself.

 

[TheRickyWill]

Hi guys.

Am I bad person for really wanting Shantae as DLC, even though I have never once played or seen her games?

D:

Please don't hate me

Heh, don't worry.

I discovered Shantae in Nintendo Power and didn't play a game until 4 years later.

What does it say?

It's a drawing.

 

[Wademan94]

So, here's a question fellas(and ladies). If Shantae gets in, what look do we want her to have? Should she be based more on her original look? Should she have her vest? Or should she be based more on her Half Genie Hero look?

I can't speak for everyone, but here's how I'd personally see her in Smash:

Spoiler

(I know I've posted these pics before, but I don't remember what page, so I though this would be more convenient)

 

[TheRickyWill]

I can't speak for everyone, but here's how I'd personally see her in Smash:

Spoiler

(I know I've posted these pics before, but I don't remember what page, so I thi=ough this would be more convenient)

I think that and the Smashified design would most likely be it. A combination of Pirate's Curse and Half-Genie Hero. Properly proportioned, adorable, and show's that Shantae's a young character.

(Also it's / and then Spoiler)

 

[smashkirby]

So, here's a question fellas(and ladies). If Shantae gets in, what look do we want her to have? Should she be based more on her original look? Should she have her vest? Or should she be based more on her Half Genie Hero look?

In terems od being 3D, I'd like to see this

Spoiler

or this

Spoiler

With a few HD touch-ups, of course.

 

[Wademan94]

Mind if I ask a quick question involving my palette swap ideas?

I've probably asked this before, but the one above is meant to be the final version, is there anything that I need to fix/change?
or any that should be swapped out for any of the ones below (minus from the last one)?

(did I kill the thread?)

 

[Shadowknight1]

I like the ones you have listed in the ffinal, but the two between "Sky" Shantae and Pirate Shantae...what are they referencing, exactly?

 

[dangeraaron10]

Hi guys.

Am I bad person for really wanting Shantae as DLC, even though I have never once played or seen her games?

D:

Please don't hate me

I haven't either, but I plan to do so eventually because they're all available for the 3DS.

 

[Midnight Twinkle]

So, here's a question fellas(and ladies). If Shantae gets in, what look do we want her to have? Should she be based more on her original look? Should she have her vest? Or should she be based more on her Half Genie Hero look?

I'd say either like Omni's Smashified, or like Wayforward's costume designs(my profile pic).

 

[gb7zone7]

I like the ones you have listed in the ffinal, but the two between "Sky" Shantae and Pirate Shantae...what are they referencing, exactly?

That right there is Ike I mean BOLO.
That lovable doofus.

 

[TheRickyWill]

That right there is Ike I mean BOLO.
That lovable doofus.

Bolo is Bro.

 

[gb7zone7]

Bolo is Bro.

Solo Bolo to go, you know my bro? Fo sho.

 

[Wademan94]

I like the ones you have listed in the ffinal, but the two between "Sky" Shantae and Pirate Shantae...what are they referencing, exactly?

Yeah the blue one is Bolo (his Pirate's Curse design), and the other one resembles the Guardian Genies from the first Shantae game, the ones that would teach you the transformation dances when you rescue them

I would've done one based of this design:

but everyone would probably think it was based off the Genie from Aladdin

 

[TheRickyWill]

Either Ninja or Officer Wagon Shantae is an alt for her in Smash if she gets in, or we riot.

 

[Silvera]

View attachment 72718
Either Ninja or Officer Wagon Shantae is an alt for her in Smash if she gets in, or we riot.

Why not have all three?

 

[Trick or Treat]

View attachment 72718
Either Ninja or Officer Wagon Shantae is an alt for her in Smash if she gets in, or we riot.

The second and third ones are amazing.

 

[ShyGuy XL]

Solo Bolo to go, you know my bro? Fo sho.

Playing Smash Bros. in a winning streak roll letting the salt flow

 

[TheRickyWill]

If Shantae doesn't get in Smash, I hope that Half-Genie Hero at least gets Battle Mode, based on the one from the cancelled GBA game.

C'mon, you can't have 8 playable characters and do nothing multiplayer-based with them.

 

[ShyGuy XL]

If Shantae doesn't get in Smash, I hope that Half-Genie Hero at least gets Battle Mode, based on the one from the cancelled GBA game.

C'mon, you can't have 8 playable characters and do nothing multiplayer-based with them.

True that hoping this Battle Mode you keep bringing up appears in the game whatever it is (I'm clueless)

 

[Wademan94]

View attachment 72718
Either Ninja or Officer Wagon Shantae is an alt for her in Smash if she gets in, or we riot.

I know it's simple, but I wouldn't mind the Pirate Costume as well

Why not have all three?

Though it would be cool, I doubt we'll see multiple alternate costumes for one character

 

[BluePikmin11]

New Big Poll! It's Source Gaming's biggest Smash poll yet!

NEW POLLING EFFORT BY @@ BluePikmin11
The SG team has helped BluePikmin reorganize his individual character polls into 4 parts. We've also provided pre-filled out forms with neutral responses so people can navigate quickly. Hopefully this will yield more and better information for future posts.