Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (Kickstarter - PS3/PS4/Vita/PC/360/XBO/Wii U/PC/Switch)

[LunarEdge]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1236620800/shantae-half-genie-hero/posts/1756646

Digital Release set for December 20th! Nintendo still hasn't given any confirmation yet, but safe to say the date will be the same if not close by for Wii U.

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This is it - the moment you’ve all been waiting for! The digital version of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero now has an official release date of December 20!

This release includes:

• Steam for Window PC - worldwide
• Xbox One - worldwide
• PS4 & Vita - North America & Europe
• Wii U - North America & Europe (awaiting final confirmation)

If you’re curious about the retail versions, look to Xseed for an announcement shortly! Spread the word! Half-Genie Hero is just a couple of weeks away!

Also, retail version through Xseed!

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

I finally ordered wii-u risky beats edition through amazon... hope it comes out in a similar time period

[Cola]

BACKER CODES ARE GOING OUT!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1236620800/shantae-half-genie-hero/posts/1759654

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Dear Shantae Backer,

We have started to receive download codes for the game! We’ll start sending them out to you in the order we get them! Our goal is to serve all of you as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Soon you will receive an email from Backerkit with a link to your Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Backer code!

More details in the link.

I can't believe this game's almost here! Three long years waiting was worth it!

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Soooo, has anyone ever unraveled why "PC" is listed twice in the thread title?

@Carbo

[Your Vest Friend]

The second one stands for Potato Computer. 

[PC the Hedgehog]

Launch trailer!

Still surprised the game is rated Teen. I doubt violence is the issue, so the themes must get pretty dang suggestive this time around to necessitate such a rating.

[JezMM]

I beat it the other day via the backer build.  Thoroughly enjoyed my time with it.  Soundtrack and art was all on point.  Level design was creative and fun with a whole bunch of new set-pieces unlike those seen in any Shantae game (gameplay-wise).  I also feel this game has the best finale a Shantae game has had since the first title, I always felt RR and PC's final acts were just a little weak.  I do have some critiques though:

- The game is overall, much smaller than Pirate's Curse, and there are no Labyrinths.  All the stages are linear affairs, there are no "dungeons" like the previous games have.  The gameplay entirely resembles the overworld gameplay of past games.  Some stages are more vertical or square shaped, but you're still generally always marching forward.  Of course, there are plenty of secrets and side rooms to return to in the traditional Metroid-ish style, and many levels are altered on return visits with new enemies or objectives for a second runthrough, but the game's maps are very much "levels" this time, with no interconnectivity between them, even more simplified than Pirate's Curse's island select.  They're still all very fun, so the lack of Labyrinth gameplay is no major loss for me personally, but it does all still feel even more streamlined than Pirate's Curse already was.  It's a shame that not every stretch goal was reached, as I do feel the game is a little "padded" feeling, and this might not have been necessary, or at least as noticable, if the two additional chapters we never reached had been integrated.

- On the flipside to streamlining, as I feared, going back to Transformations is significantly more cumbersome and slower than Pirate's Curse having all your abilities available at all times to use with button presses and context sensitive actions (said Transformations are fun though and the handful of areas that require you to use them creatively are very satisfying to perform).

- The lack of character animation in the cut-scenes felt natural in the sprite-based games, but here it seems kind of awkward to have NPCs happily smiling away in their idle poses while something dramatic happens.  In this regard I also find it odd and a little unappealing that the dialogue character artwork only fills the top half of the screen in this version - presumebly to not block the characters, but they're never doing anything during dialogue anyway.

- Finally, I do feel the player aiding could have been just a bit more polished.  I wasted a TON of time backtracking because I didn't realise there was an item that warped me out of levels back to the hub world in my inventory.  You're given it at the start of the first proper level, but you won't need to use it until a good hour or so later - I completely forgot ever being given it.  In addition, when you're stuck on what to do, there is a hint system in place, but it offers several hints at a time and sometimes one isn't possible to achieve until another has been fulfilled, so you can spend ages trying to figure out Hint A, give up and try figuring out what Hint B is referring to, when Hint B's goal is unattainable until Hint A is done.  To add to this, hints remain in the rotation even after you've achieved their goal, as long as the other hints from that "point" in the game are still relevant.  So you can be working on the thing Hint C is referring to and the hint lady will still mention Hints A and B, which in some cases might make you wonder if you did them correctly/fully.

 

While these are big critiques though, they really shouldn't take away from the fact that overall I had a fantastic time.  I think the game is overall a great success and I'm looking forward to playing it on Hero Mode, doing the speedruns to unlock all the bonus art, and trying out the other character campaigns once they're added to the game.

[Meta77]

The game and was amazing. Not to hard, not to easy. Just right. The music was amazing as well. I ran into a few bugs but besides that the game is everything i wanted when i backed it back in 2013. No nip picking complaints, wayforward delivered what they said they would. If people wanted more then they should have helped back it more instead of getting cold feet because of MN9

[LunarEdge]

so if you got a backers code for Ps4 you can just download the game now (unless you downloaded the steam code awhile back and got the early access build as some of you guys already did).

 

Even though I was playing the Steam version I'm glad to  be playing it on Ps4. Now I'm just waiting on the OST and my damn medal/coin lol

[Meta77]

I'm just proud I was probably the first to get platinum on ps4. Never seen 0.0% backer rewards won't ship for awhile I'm sure

[LunarEdge]

so for backers who get the reward, the OST was made available digitally today. Downloaded mine and apparently they got a few extra tracks not included in the OST that comes with the physical game.

Also, just 100%'ed the game the other day and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Gonna go back and do the Hero mode to try and get the platinum even tho I don't chase trophies I figured this game would be easy enough

[Meta77]

The extra tracks i am disappointed in. Luckily i backed 200 so hoping the actual cd has a track not heard in the game. The extras we got were literally just the jingles lol.

[LunarEdge]

8 hours ago, Meta77 said:

The extra tracks i am disappointed in. Luckily i backed 200 so hoping the actual cd has a track not heard in the game. The extras we got were literally just the jingles lol.

i only gave $90.....still awaiting my damn medal or coin or whatever tf it's suppose to be lol

[Your Vest Friend]

Johnny reviewed 1/2 Genie Hero.

He thinks it's decent, but he doesn't think it's worth the asking price right now as it feels a bit lacking in content. He stresses that there is more to come so he will look at it again.

[JezMM]

On 23/12/2016 at 1:52 AM, Meta77 said:

The extra tracks i am disappointed in. Luckily i backed 200 so hoping the actual cd has a track not heard in the game. The extras we got were literally just the jingles lol.

I found it a bit awkward that one of the bonus tracks was a song that is absolutely in the game and part of the soundtrack you will hear on a regular playthrough.  The other two I didn't recognise, but maybe I abstained from some trailers and forgot about them.

There is going to be one more backer exclusive track on the physical backer-exclusive OST, I can't imagine what else that could be other than an original remix or whatever.

They'll all be ripped on youtube anyway of course, I think the bonus tracks are just an arbitrary little extra "it's the thought that counts" thank you.

[Soniman]

8 hours ago, VEDJ-F said:

Johnny reviewed 1/2 Genie Hero.

He thinks it's decent, but he doesn't think it's worth the asking price right now as it feels a bit lacking in content. He stresses that there is more to come so he will look at it again.

If that's true I don't mind paying now and getting the rest later. 

Also I'm impatient and have waited 3 years for this lol

[Zaysho]

A new "Ultimate Edition" with DLC included has been announced.

I picked up the Wii U Risky Beats edition earlier in the year and was going to buy the new Risky Boots DLC, but I think if this version comes to Switch (and I think it's pretty likely, as the base edition is already on the platform), I think I'll hold off and just double dip on this version with all the trimmings.

[Sonictrainer]

Surprise DLC

 

[PC the Hedgehog]

After the nightmarishly difficult Friends to the End, Ninja Mode, and Beach mode (GAAAH, BEACH MODE), I was happy to see that Jammies mode was significantly easier. Heck, I daresay it's the easiest mode in the game. Shantae's attack power is downright OP. I was taking down bosses in less than 30 seconds, even the final boss.