Shantae has held a spot in the heart of many a gamer. From all the way back during the Game Boy Color era, the half-genie heroine has shimmied, shaken, and shapeshifted her way across the land, taking on pirates, squids, and anything else the world throws her way.
The series has seen numerous collaborations, such as Inti Creates, and being adopted by WayForward as their flagship series. Even the latest iteration’s animated trailers was done by Studio Trigger of Kill la Kill fame (no worries, Shantae isn’t sporting Senketsu). And after all this waiting, while we still don’t have a release date, we do have a name: Shantae and the Seven Sirens.
Shantae 5 is now Shantae and the Seven Sirens! Featuring a new tropical setting, new allies, new dances, new Fusion Magic instant transformations, and a nonlinear world with multiple towns and dungeons, it's Shantae's biggest adventure yet! More details: https://t.co/Y2n5u4hrDW pic.twitter.com/DYlx98NKPz
— WayForward (@WayForward) August 14, 2019
True to the WayForward form, they certainly seem keen on shaking things up, much like our eponymous heroine. This time, she’ll learn new magic and dances, make use of instant transformations via Fusion Magic, and travel to a tropical paradise that hides secrets aplenty. Alongside her friends, she’ll meet other half-genies, and they’ll have to work together to put back what went wrong.
Also coming to the game sure to have players anxious to work their thumbs is a collectible card system that can help further power up Shantae. WayForwward has been relatively silent about this inclusion, but have said it “grants players the freedom to augment Shantae’s powers to suit their own style of play.”
And while the series is known for its Metroidvania style (a game subset where travel is nonlinear and freedom is more or less unlimited), Shantae and the Seven Sirens is definitely upping the ante, with a deeply interconnected world with plenty of dungeons to skirmish, and bosses to fight.
The game is still being worked on, but WayForward has its fingers on the fandom pulse and is churning out updates just as fast as the fanbase can analyze them. Having only just been announced in March 2019, the progress it’s been making is nothing short of meteoric, especially considering what other projects WayForward has lined up.
And while the pricing and release date is unknown, it’s still set to drop on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and iOS. Until next time, stay and play savvy, gamers!
