Shantae, the Half Genie Protector of Scuttle Town! (A Switch To A New WayForward)

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Exactly. It's just more convenient for Nintendo to negotiate with Japanese companies than it is with Western ones

Yeah, and even Sak himself acknowledged that there are only so many big-name JP series left to pull material from without having any choice but to branch out.

Even without characters, it's clear they still contacted various Western devs for minor content (even Warframe's Digital Extremes). It's just a question of which chosen ones besides and are still in the wings, if any. Could be Crash, could be Shantae, could be Rayman, could be Bubsy (somehow), there's simply no way of knowing.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

If we are talking about big names in general, most of those missing from Smash are western names like:

Crash
Spyro
Rayman
Lara Croft
Kratos
Ratchet & Clank
Sly Cooper
Jack & Daxter
Big Daddy

Ect, ect.

Though there are still some big Japanese names left and interesting obscure ones at that as well.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Happy Valentine's Day!

There was a problem fetching the tweet

 

[MattX20]

Ah hey, we reached the page number that means 15 in binary code and one that has ties to angels. Nice

 

[GoldLiger]

In my own personal theory/opinion, I think WayForward is waiting for Shantae to be revealed as a character in the Smash Fighters Pass in order to tell us when the release date for her first game comes to Switch. I mean why wait for a game that can easily be ported to the Switch in a month's time. Especially after they gone and announced it was coming.

 

[Comedic Comrade]

In my own personal theory/opinion, I think WayForward is waiting for Shantae to be revealed as a character in the Smash Fighters Pass in order to tell us when the release date for her first game comes to Switch. I mean why wait for a game that can easily be ported to the Switch in a month's time. Especially after they gone and announced it was coming.

That's what I think too. How hard is it to make a port of a GBC game? It isn't hard. So why the unnecessary hold up? In my opinion, it's the perfect form of promotion.

 

[Megadoomer]

In my own personal theory/opinion, I think WayForward is waiting for Shantae to be revealed as a character in the Smash Fighters Pass in order to tell us when the release date for her first game comes to Switch. I mean why wait for a game that can easily be ported to the Switch in a month's time. Especially after they gone and announced it was coming.

Some people thought that might happen with Doom Eternal on the Switch, but it didn't wind up happening. It seems very, very rare for a game reveal/release date to tie into Smash. (if it's ever even happened - even something like reveals being tied to anniversaries are extremely rare)

 

[Schonberg]

Some people thought that might happen with Doom Eternal on the Switch, but it didn't wind up happening. It seems very, very rare for a game reveal/release date to tie into Smash. (if it's ever even happened - even something like reveals being tied to anniversaries are extremely rare)

The big difference between the two is, Doom Eternal is a modern game meant for current gen hardware, and was first being developed right then. They aimed for an all-console release but Switch missed the boat because they had to make more modifications to make it run consistently on the less powerful hardware. So there’s tangible reasons for that delay.

Shantae is an 18 year old GBC game that’s already been ported to modern hardware before. It does NOT mean that Shantae is guaranteed for smash, but it feels like this delay is purposeful for SOME reason since it’s been this long for what should be a task so easy it could be done in their sleep. The silence is extra odd when Covid related delays can be tossed on Twitter as an immediately understandable excuse as to why something needs more time.

 

[Paragon-Yoshi]

Shantae is an 18 year old GBC game that’s already been ported to modern hardware before. It does NOT mean that Shantae is guaranteed for smash, but it feels like this delay is purposeful for SOME reason since it’s been this long for what should be a task so easy it could be done in their sleep. The silence is extra odd when Covid related delays can be tossed on Twitter as an immediately understandable excuse as to why something needs more time.

Well, like I said before, there is one big difference between the 3DS version and the incoming Switch version.
The Switch version was confirmed to have the Advanced Features, which the 3DS version didn't have.
So it is possible that the delay might have something to do with that.

Admittedly it's a very big delay for something like this.
But maybe the Advanced Features were harder to implement than one might think, else the 3DS version would've had them.
Either way, it's another possibility for the delay.
So don't connect the delay to Smash just yet.

 

[Shinuto]

Well, like I said before, there is one big difference between the 3DS version and the incoming Switch version.
The Switch version was confirmed to have the Advanced Features, which the 3DS version didn't have.
So it is possible that the delay might have something to do with that.

Admittedly it's a very big delay for something like this.
But maybe the Advanced Features were harder to implement than one might think, else the 3DS version would've had them.
Either way, it's another possibility for the delay.
So don't connect the delay to Smash just yet.

which the 3DS version didn't have.

No That's Wrong!

The 3DS did have such features, through the debug menu which can accessed via a cheat code. 3DS merely doesnt have the flag enabled to access them without the debug mode.

 

[Comedic Comrade]

Paragon-Yoshi Even so, I'm pretty certain all the features have been added months ago. Why would they make last minute changes to a port?

 

[Paragon-Yoshi]

which the 3DS version didn't have.

No That's Wrong!
View attachment 303103


The 3DS did have such features, through the debug menu which can accessed via a cheat code. 3DS merely doesnt have the flag enabled to access them without the debug mode.

Which also was the case for the original GBC release.
So what's your point?

Paragon-Yoshi Even so, I'm pretty certain all the features have been added months ago. Why would they make last minute changes to a port?

Who knows?
Video Game Development can be a pain sometimes.

 

[Shinuto]

Which also was the case for the original GBC release.
So what's your point?


Who knows?
Video Game Development can be a pain sometimes.

You're a real buzzkill on here you know that? The point WAS it should not be an issue to change. We're talking about a gameboy color rom that worked on 3DS hardware, the Switch should have no issues having such a thing being ported to it system.

 

[meleebrawler]

When I think of those Marble Knight Shantae palettes and how the half-genie herself was assigned not to the front-and-center lady on the title art, but rather the spear-wielding elf, I'm reminded of the speculation of which kinds of characters the Shantae cast would pick for D&D. Except we never mentioned which races they would select. So with that in mind, would elves really be the closest analogues to (half)-genies in a universe that generally doesn't have them?

 

[Teeb147]

Whatever happened to the wayforward milestone points?

 

[Paragon-Yoshi]

You're a real buzzkill on here you know that? The point WAS it should not be an issue to change. We're talking about a gameboy color rom that worked on 3DS hardware, the Switch should have no issues having such a thing being ported to it system.

If that's the case, why did the 3DS port not have the GBA Mode feature?
And I don't mean Cheat Codes, but actually having the GBA palettes and features, as if the game was inserted in a GBA.

 

[zferolie]

I see. Thanks for the heads up. I'm just a bit worried on how many Western characters Nintendo will allow in a single pass. That misdrievous_time guy on Twitter speculates that we will get at least one more Western character. I mean, Crash, Rayman, Doomguy/Doom Slayer (most likely not coming, but still gonna list him here) etc. are all good picks, but what about the less famous characters? The indies? Especially Shantae herself. Indie characters work hard to get to where they are, while non-indies blaze through to mainstream popularity in no time at all. I hope Masahiro does the hair whipping genie girl, and the indie genre as a whole, justice.

As others have said, i think that east vs wedt is another fan theory, but hads a little merit. Honestly i think anything cam happen now.

As for indies, for the west the top still in the running is shantae by far. For the east its Reimu. I fully beleive we are getting one or the other in the pass

 

[Shinuto]

If that's the case, why did the 3DS port not have the GBA Mode feature?
And I don't mean Cheat Codes, but actually having the GBA palettes and features, as if the game was inserted in a GBA.

I can only guess they simply didnt think it necessary at the time. Or they forgot to add it in sine it was originally just a small little bonus feature for the game if you put it in a GBA

 

[Paragon-Yoshi]

I can only guess they simply didnt think it necessary at the time. Or they forgot to add it in sine it was originally just a small little bonus feature for the game if you put it in a GBA

The GBA-Mode had an entire transformation locked behind it.
And the game teases you with it, if you didn't have a GBA.
In fact, they announced GBA Mode being available in the Switch version.
So it's evidently more than just a throwaway feature.

 

[MattX20]

No matter how you slice it, it still looks suspicious that a GBC game from nearly 20 years ago would take so long to be ported to the Switch when it was ported to the 3DS just fine without issues, and I've a hard time believing it's translation issues that would cause such a lack of communication to those who pre-ordered the game.

 

[SoupCanMafia]

I can wait. I mean, it took almost sixteen years before I got to be graced with Shantae, but here we are
If I were to guess, there'd be some coding changes with regards to the GBC rerelease on eShop and the Switch, especially if they were to try to implement the GBA Mode on the Switch version somehow, like a transformation option from GBC palettes to GBA palettes.

 

[Inoj]

When I think of those Marble Knight Shantae palettes and how the half-genie herself was assigned not to the front-and-center lady on the title art, but rather the spear-wielding elf, I'm reminded of the speculation of which kinds of characters the Shantae cast would pick for D&D. Except we never mentioned which races they would select. So with that in mind, would elves really be the closest analogues to (half)-genies in a universe that generally doesn't have them?

I wrote a post or two about this ages ago.

In D&D the offspring of humans and genies (well, a few generations down the line) are Genasi.

So Shantae would be a Genasi Sorcerer most likely, with some folks recommending Druid. I'm partial to making a homebrew Kit/Build/Path for the Bard class.

Sky is a Human Ranger and Bolo is a Human Fighter.

Rottytops is a bit harder to stat out pre-3.X. In 3.5 there was the Necropolitan race from Libris Mortis. For 4E and 5E there's the Revenant race.
I'd go with Rottytops being a Revenant Rogue.

Risky Boots... Technically she's human right? Although she's been exposed to so much dark magic that one could make a case for some races that don't immediately come to mind (4E Shadar-Kai maybe?).
Class wise? Fighter for most editions, I suppose you could argue for Ranger. For 4E I'd use Warlord.

I'd use Goblin or Kobold stats as a starting point for the Tinkerbats.

 

[Staarih]

Aren't they reproducing a fully playable GBC cartridge for the limited edition for the original game as well? That, I imagine, could take some time especially at these uncertain times. I'd figure they'll want all releasing the same time and readily available when ready. I doubt they're stalling on the game for some Smash tie-in.

But what do I know.

 

[Comedic Comrade]

Aren't they reproducing a fully playable GBC cartridge for the limited edition for the original game as well? That, I imagine, could take some time especially at these uncertain times. I'd figure they'll want all releasing the same time and readily available when ready. I doubt they're stalling on the game for some Smash tie-in.

But what do I know.

It's been 7 months. All of this would have been completed months ago, like in October or November. They have all this time to work on something, so they can't just do everything at the last minute.

 

[Staarih]

It's been 7 months. All of this would have been completed months ago, like in October or November. They have all this time to work on something, so they can't just do everything at the last minute.

I guess, I'm no expert in game production. The physical editions' pre-orders ended in October so not too long ago, and they're slated for Q1 2021 so still on track. Sure, GBC Shantae hasn't hit the eShop yet, though it may not be for any apparent reason. I just feel like expecting the GBC release to tie into a Smash reveal is setting onself up for disappointment. Of course I'd love something like that to happen, so we'll see.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

What if the original Shantae port is getting delayed from being released on the Eshop because WayForward is translating it for a Japanese release? I mean, this would be the first time the Japanese has gotten to play the original if it wasn't release there already when it dropped on the 3DS Eshop. Did it release in Japan on the 3DS Eshop? I'm curious.

Aren't they reproducing a fully playable GBC cartridge for the limited edition for the original game as well? That, I imagine, could take some time especially at these uncertain times. I'd figure they'll want all releasing the same time and readily available when ready. I doubt they're stalling on the game for some Smash tie-in.

But what do I know.

Yep, they're reproducing the original GBC carts on Limited Run.

 

[Staarih]

What if the original Shantae port is getting delayed from being released on the Eshop because WayForward is translating it for a Japanese release? I mean, this would be the first time the Japanese has gotten to play the original if it wasn't release there already when it dropped on the 3DS Eshop. Did it release in Japan on the 3DS Eshop? I'm curious.

It appears that something called BEEP SHOP will release the GBC version in Japan for the first time (so not released there before), however Matt assumes it will just be the US version released there, so I'd guess no translating...

I’m 99% sure this will be the US release, just available in Japan.

— Matt Bozon (@MrBozon) September 14, 2020

 

[MattX20]

It appears that something called BEEP SHOP will release the GBC version in Japan for the first time (so not released there before), however Matt assumes it will just be the US version released there, so I'd guess no translating...

I’m 99% sure this will be the US release, just available in Japan.

— Matt Bozon (@MrBozon) September 14, 2020

That still makes no sense. I imagine a Japanese translation had to have at least be considered since all the other games in the series had translations for that market.

 

[Paragon-Yoshi]

That still makes no sense. I imagine a Japanese translation had to have at least be considered since all the other games in the series had translations for that market.

Well that game came from a time, when translations were very rare.
Game Boy games apparently had a lot of issues with translations.
So it might have something to do with that.

 

[MeteoRain]

Well that game came from a time, when translations were very rare.
Game Boy games apparently had a lot of issues with translations.
So it might have something to do with that.

I hope it's just an issue with the cartridges themselves and not the software or lack of trying. Maybe the Switch version will be able to fix that?

It also might of been a better idea to make a bundle of the first 3 or 4 games in a collection like they did with Mighty Switch Force.

But if they weren't going to bother, I'd rather they just pull a reverse Puyo Puyo and just give it the Japanese Switch owners through the NSO. Rather than selling a completely untranslated game.

 

[LaBeteNoire]

Hey everyone! If any of you missed out on the physical version of Half Genie Hero when it first came out for the Switch, it's apparently back up on Amazon

 

[Moderately obsessed]

I wrote a post or two about this ages ago.

In D&D the offspring of humans and genies (well, a few generations down the line) are Genasi.

So Shantae would be a Genasi Sorcerer most likely, with some folks recommending Druid. I'm partial to making a homebrew Kit/Build/Path for the Bard class.

Sky is a Human Ranger and Bolo is a Human Fighter.

Rottytops is a bit harder to stat out pre-3.X. In 3.5 there was the Necropolitan race from Libris Mortis. For 4E and 5E there's the Revenant race.
I'd go with Rottytops being a Revenant Rogue.

Risky Boots... Technically she's human right? Although she's been exposed to so much dark magic that one could make a case for some races that don't immediately come to mind (4E Shadar-Kai maybe?).
Class wise? Fighter for most editions, I suppose you could argue for Ranger. For 4E I'd use Warlord.

I'd use Goblin or Kobold stats as a starting point for the Tinkerbats.

I think a dual class bard druid Genasi suits her well. Let me know if you do come up with a homebrew. I painted a few models for friends that were Shantae and Risky colored.

 

[GoldLiger]

Seems we won't have long before more Smash Info is coming.

Nintendo Direct INCOMING!!!

Tune in 2/17 at 2 p.m. PT for a #NintendoDirect livestream featuring roughly 50 minutes of information focused on available games like Super #SmashBrosUltimate and games coming to #NintendoSwitch in the first half of 2021.https://t.co/fbG3hEtD0Q pic.twitter.com/w8J6lbdIkQ

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 16, 2021

 

[zferolie]

Seems we won't have long before more Smash Info is coming.

Nintendo Direct INCOMING!!!

Tune in 2/17 at 2 p.m. PT for a #NintendoDirect livestream featuring roughly 50 minutes of information focused on available games like Super #SmashBrosUltimate and games coming to #NintendoSwitch in the first half of 2021.https://t.co/fbG3hEtD0Q pic.twitter.com/w8J6lbdIkQ

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 16, 2021

Its been 3000 years....

And its a beefy direct too, at 50 minutes. Impressive

 

[Jorichi]

Seems we won't have long before more Smash Info is coming.

Nintendo Direct INCOMING!!!

Tune in 2/17 at 2 p.m. PT for a #NintendoDirect livestream featuring roughly 50 minutes of information focused on available games like Super #SmashBrosUltimate and games coming to #NintendoSwitch in the first half of 2021.https://t.co/fbG3hEtD0Q pic.twitter.com/w8J6lbdIkQ

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 16, 2021

Yay! They're back!
Didn't think they'd be gone for good since they're such hype machines. Glad to see them back, and with Smash news at that!

 

[Comedic Comrade]

Looks like we won't have to wait till March!

 

[GoldLiger]

Well people let's predict the next character to come.

My Predictions
1. Shantae
2. Crash
3. ????(can't think on the 3rd right now lol)

Your thoughts?

 

[Ace C.R.O.S.S.]

Well people let's predict the next character to come.

My Predictions
1. Shantae
2. Crash
3. ????(can't think on the 3rd right now lol)

Your thoughts?

Same. but the third option is Phoenix Wright

 

[Schonberg]

I knew Directs wouldn’t be gone forever since they kept the branding alive with Direct Minis and Lartnwr Directs - why have a Mini version without a full sized version after all - but I wasn’t expecting one so soon!

Remember to hype responsibly friends, whether or not Shantae is there it’ll be good to finally get some news about upcoming games. Actually, there should be a LOT of news in general since we know so little about the year’s plans!

 

[Motor Bug2005]

Quick question: did Wayforward or Matt Bozon retweet the announcement for the last direct before the game originally released (the one that showed Shantae as a spirit)?