I'm feeling pretty enthusiastic today so I feel like going over a few observations I've had recently. Strap in bois and gois because this is going to be a long one.~
Firstly, let's just establish that WayForward (hereafter referred to as "WF") is most likely under an NDA and get that bit out of here.
Anyone that
stalks follows WF on any of their social media knows that they're a company that's heavy into fan communication. And also,
they were behind the idea of getting Shantae into Smash Bros..
But those two points together, so what?
Who cares? Well, ever since the ballot ended, they
stopped communicating about the latter whenever fans bring it up. Obviously, this is out-of-character for them because they
both supported Shantae for Smash
and they make the effort to communicate with their fans.
So the only two solutions to this conundrum are: 1) they're being jerks, 2) they're under an NDA. Or at least, these are the only two
reasonable solutions (that don't involve say, alien mind control replacing their capacity to respond to Smash questions with crippling paralysis). The previously linked tweet (literally thanking their fans), creation of Jammies mode (to thank their fans) and constant re-tweeting and liking of fanart make it highly unlikely that the former is true. So it follows that the latter
must be true. (Or else, WF will have
a lot to answer for.)
Giving them the benefit of the doubt, let's assume they're under a
non-disclosure agreement.
So right off the bat, if we are to accept that WF being under an NDA is true, this means that Shantae has representation in Smash Bros.
in some capacity. Which logically implies that Sakurai has examined her character.
Recently, I conceded that Shantae could be in the game in as low of a capacity as a regular trophy (or sticker, if they return). However, in lieu of Jammies mode, I no longer think that this is a reasonable expectation.
Before you get your panties twisted though, I
do still think that an AT is possible as her highest level of representation, because ATs do still carry a lot of weight to them. Mainly, what I want to argue here is that it's unreasonable to try and justify that she's in the game as
just a regular trophy (and outlandish to suggest she's absent altogether).
Keep in mind, we're working under the assumption that WF is under an NDA in regards to Smash Bros.
Since I can't find the blasted image I'll let our friendly neighborhood
WreckitRyan
explain the Jammies "hint":
Frankly, I believe there are too many coincidences here to dismiss all of these as mere coincidence. As they say, where there's smoke there's fire. To me, it's pretty clear that they're referring to Smash Bros with these nods. And while I won't be so outlandish as to suggest that they programmed this entire mode just as a love letter to Smash Bros., the inclusion of said "hints" feel too prominent for her to be relegated to a "mere" regular trophy in Smash.
So I'm thinking now, at minimum, she would have to be an AT. Otherwise, what's the point of dropping so many "hints" in regards to Jammies mode (
a mode that was made to thank the fans and was given away for free) if she'll only appear as a regular trophy? Some would argue that it's justification enough to say she's playable because otherwise why would she be a "mere" AT, using the same logic. But... sorry, I just think it's a really big deal to get in
even as an AT. >_>
Anyways, her inclusion, and in particular her inclusion at the level of (in my mind) at minimum
an AT would imply she did alright on the ballot. Well... how well is "alright" anyways?
Apparently,
the Smash Ballot garnered 1.8 million votes worldwide.
Well that's neat.~
If a character were to garner
one percent of that total, it would be impossible for
more than 100 characters to be above them (as each character would only garner one percent; this obviously wouldn't be the case but we'll keep it simple). That would effectively make that character a Top 100, which is a pretty big deal considering
Goku there are thousands of potential votes.
One percent of 1.8 million is... 18,000.
*ahem*
It would be unreasonable to assume that all of Shantae's Kickstarter backers voted for her
one time in the ballot so I'll disregard that it had 18,000+ backers. However, it would not be unreasonable to assume that she's capable of garnering those numbers. Since... ya know... voting is free.~
---
Here's an underrated point to chew on:
Promotion around the ballot was a pretty big deal. I would argue that being in the mouth of a popular youtuber,
such as Etika, could capture a few votes. "But J-Dawg, just because Etika talked about her doesn't mean his fans are going to vote for her".
Yeah, except uh...
Funny thing, Sakurai is actually
aware of Etika's existence...
SO LIKE, HE WATCHES HIS VIDS RIGHT!? SO LIKE, HE SAW HIS STRAW POLL RIGHT?! SO LIKE, SHANTAE IS PLAYABLE RIGHT!?!?
She probably did alright on the ballot.
stuff that doesn't matter
---
Standard for Selecting Characters:
・The character must display personality in their game
・It’s important to have something only that character can do.
・Potential development issues, and game balance is also taken into some consideration
・ Distribution among the franchises is also taken into consideration
Source: Gaming
Oh hey, she does this stuff.
It all means something, I swear!
. I've loved the Shantae series since I first played the GBC game some years ago (on the 3DS Virtual Console), and I wholeheartedly support Shantae for Smash!!!
