Shantae and the Seven Sirens (Apple Arcade, now out on PC/NSW/PS4/ONE)

[StaticMania]

Aw, you ruined it.

[Meta77]

1 hour ago, Rowl said:

Enough with this PC bullshit! Bad enough that those freaking SJWs destroy all of the old shows and movies, so I hope, really, really hope, that they will not infect games with their pc agenda as well. There is nothing wrong with Shantae and if someone has a problem with the game series, just do not buy them! This freaking SJW movement has to stop before they suck out everything that is fun out of the entertainment industry! 

Bud calm down it's fine. Not everyone is going to agree. But if there is anything I've learned about the Shantae fandom is that most are super supportive of her. Back to the topic. I really hope its longer than hgh was

[Rowl]

HGH was sadly very short, but it was also more of a simplified Mega Man-like arcade game, rather than the more complex Metroidvania-like gameplay from the first three games. I really hope that Shantae 5 will go back to basics. 

[Plasme]

I'm actually thinking of buying Shantae because I think it looks cool and like the design. You probably would think I'm an 'SJW' to be honest if you knew all my views, but I'll probably buy some of the games anyway. I hope that helps you realise us 'SJW's aren't so cartoonish.

I do think it's a bit disturbing that she's 15. I've seen designs of her until now and she's definitely sexualised, if only lightly. Couldn't they have just made her 18?

I think another implication of Blue Blood's post is worth considering. Are all the characters sexualised like Shantae? If so that makes the characters kind of samey, so that's another criticism you could level against it, though I've yet to play any game from the series.

Will probably buy Risky's Revenge on Steam this week.

[Rowl]

It is not you, it is the whole SJW movement as a whole that bugs me. Everything you like from the past is wrong! If you do not agree with me, you are wrong! We are now stuck in this ruleset, where the artists really have to follow specific templates, to avoid any controversies. Storytelling, characterizations, character designs, roles, etc. is so reduced nowadays. This is the reason why I hate SJWs so much. They are a hazard for every creative mind out there and they are not even interested in art, just there agendas. 

[Salamander]

Can't argue with you there!  Because your arguments are based in complete fantasy and bear no resemblance to reality.

I wonder if Shantae 5 might end up being the best jumping-on point for the series.  All the other games have some condition or drawback which makes it not fully representative of the franchise, but for their first project to be both multi-platform and fully internally budgeted, I'd imagine WayForward will want to establish a clear identity and direction (a way forward, if you will).  So I'm expecting a more coherent and well-rounded project, probably with a stand-alone story or perhaps kicking off a new long-term arc.

[Meta77]

I mean Google shanyar or actually just follow WFs Twitter.  most fans like her look. Many have been on a spam spree of new art.  I can understand a few out there are offputting but the fandom is what got shantae to where she is today

4 minutes ago, FFWF said:

Can't argue with you there!  Because your arguments are based in complete fantasy and bear no resemblance to reality.

I wonder if Shantae 5 might end up being the best jumping-on point for the series.  All the other games have some condition or drawback which makes it not fully representative of the franchise, but for their first project to be both multi-platform and fully internally budgeted, I'd imagine WayForward will want to establish a clear identity and direction (a way forward, if you will).  So I'm expecting a more coherent and well-rounded project, probably with a stand-alone story or perhaps kicking off a new long-term arc.

Well she has her powers currently so unless they go the route of revealing her mom mostly should be fine

[Pawn]

2 hours ago, Rowl said:

It is not you, it is the whole SJW movement as a whole that bugs me. Everything you like from the past is wrong! If you do not agree with me, you are wrong! We are now stuck in this ruleset, where the artists really have to follow specific templates, to avoid any controversies. Storytelling, characterizations, character designs, roles, etc. is so reduced nowadays. This is the reason why I hate SJWs so much. They are a hazard for every creative mind out there and they are not even interested in art, just there agendas. 

Standards are constantly changing and the conversation around what is or isn't appropriate in art and entertainment has been going on for centuries. The difference is that now we have the internet, where we can share a wider variety of personal views on a regular basis. These will often clash, as different parts of the world (never mind individuals) are more right or left wing on subjects than others.

And remember it is possible to enjoy something while acknowledging it may have some problematic elements, particularly if it is decades old.

But try not to overreact. If you can't handle these discussions without going off on one, then it would be best not to take part in them.

[Meta77]

6 minutes ago, Pawn said:

Standards are constantly changing and the conversation around what is or isn't appropriate in art and entertainment has been going on for centuries. The difference is that now we have the internet, where we can share a wider variety of personal views on a regular basis. These will often clash, as different parts of the world (never mind individuals) are more right or left wing on subjects than others.

And remember it is possible to enjoy something while acknowledging it may have some problematic elements, particularly if it is decades old.

But try not to overreact. If you can't handle these discussions without going off on one, then it would be best not to take part in them.

True. Though myself see nothing wrong with her. But I do enjoy WF sticking to thier guns on her design, it doesnt diminish the series and japan really started to get involved with the series lately.  many series go through this all the time. Nearly all fighting games. Oh alpha sf5 chun li rofl

[Solly]

Cautiously optimistic about this. 

I don't think it would be too controversial of me to say that 'Shantae' has always been more about style than substance. Its gameplay is in desperate need of a shakeup. I find it quite telling that the most universally-praised game in the series, Pirate's Curse, is the game that takes the main transformation gimmick the series is based on, and completely shelves it in favor of a more traditional Metroid-style progression system where you're given new abilities that synergize with each other, allowing you to access new areas while changing the way you play little by little. It doesn't have the visual flair of belly-dancing to transform into a bunch of different animals, but it's a lot more compelling than just 

see obstacle > dance for a few seconds > turn into elephant > break obstacle > immediately turn back because playing as anything other than normal Shantae kinda sucks.

Not everyone's going to agree with that appraisal, and I don't mean to be overly harsh, but this is coming from someone who likes the series and has played every game in release order, and backed Half-Genie Hero. These games are kinda shallow. They're not bad by any stretch, but it would be nice to see Wayforward bring some new ideas to the table. 

[Meta77]

I mean there are multiple sections requiring different forms to progress like pirates.  I would not mind cycling through several forms at once with one dance. Every games usually introduces something new

[Salamander]

If there is a sense that the transformations can represent little more than lock-and-key gameplay, would the solution lie in making them more seamless to access, or perhaps more individually viable for regular offensive/mobility gameplay?

[Meta77]

That would be interesting.  I mean they did come out pretty fast in hgh. But honesty I want to SEE HER MOM finally lol

[StaticMania]

1 hour ago, FFWF said:

...would the solution lie in making them more seamless to access...

That would be the obvious solution and should've happened long ago to be honest, even more so than what they've already tried.

[Solly]

1 hour ago, FFWF said:

If there is a sense that the transformations can represent little more than lock-and-key gameplay, would the solution lie in making them more seamless to access, or perhaps more individually viable for regular offensive/mobility gameplay?

They probably streamlined transformations as much as they reasonably could in Half-Genie Hero (while still keeping the dancing, of course), so I'd have to go with the second choice. Accessing different forms is only tedious because you're asked to do it so often, and shortening the process wouldn't solve the lock-and-key gameplay, as you put it. 

 

[JosepHenry]

.... Whomever still uses SJW in this site. Please stop.

Also I probably forgive Shantae for her design because she was designed by the creators' wife when she went to a trip to the middle east and met a belly dancer named Shantae. Just like Bayo, I feel her "sexuality" is somewhat appropriate. Shame about her being 16 though... Could live with her being 18 or older but eh.

[Meta77]

I still doubt that many people care honestly after this long. The fact the series is now almost as popular as ever even full well knowing how she would look in hgh shows the fanbase is fine with her. As for her age no character in game goes around stating such so technically you can just imagine shes older. Sort of like gurren lagaan

[Soniman]

Shantae is more cute then sexy to me as a hot blooded hetero so I have no problem with the art direction myself. HGH was a fun game but I agree it was a step down from PC gameplay wise so hopefully Shantae 5 can give us that happy medium of gameplay styles. Looking forward to it 

[Meta77]

Shantae running on the rtx is very bad. It looks great still but it runs the game at like 3x the normal speed.

[Lord-Dreamerz]

The new animated opening for Shantae 5 by Studio Trigger is HERE! And it is funky delicious awesome! Loving it to the max!

 

[Tornado]

Seems like the two were made for each other.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

14 minutes ago, Tornado said:

Seems like the two were made for each other.

Given Studio Trigger's history, I'm not surprised.

[Detective Kaito]

It looks absolutely amazing, just what I would expect from Studio TRIGGER.

I acknowledge that some people are complaining about how low budget it is, but WayForward is an indie studio. While something like Indivisible's opening which was also animated by TRIGGER seems to have a much higher budget.

To be fair though, Indivisible did make $2 million in crowdfunding, and since Half-Genie Hero made over $700k during its Kickstarter, I imagine Shantae 5's budget is around that or maybe even $1 million. 

Shantae 5 isn't crowdfunded but they still managed to create something very beautiful with what they had.

[Blue Blood]

I mean yeah, it does look low budget. This animation is basically a sideshow. A really high quality, minimal budget 30 second intro. It's nice that WayForward, a small studio constantly putting their all into their niche IP, were able to get this made. It could be loads better, but I don't know what there is for actual fans to complain about.

[StaticMania]

What animation is there looks good, so...