It’s never nice to be the odd one out, and the original Shantae game had to deal with being cast aside for several years. Every other game in the series has become available on PlayStation at one time or another, but the original has been left behind–until now. The very first Shantae game is set to arrive on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 later in the year.
The director of Shantae, Matt Bozon, revealed the news on the PlayStation Blog, and in it, he discussed the history of the series and why this half-genie hero would be gracing our screens for its 20th anniversary.
The blog revealed a lot of details about the series. Did you know that Matt Bozon wasn’t the person that originally created the titular hero, but it was his wife Erin Bozon that birthed the character in a bid to get more women and girls into video games? Her work has gone a long way in pushing female protagonists to the forefront.
Matt said about his wife, “Erin began creating a concept for a new game starring a prominent female lead, in the hopes that it would inspire more girl gamers, and at the same time, create an action/fantasy game that everyone would enjoy.”
Shantae has gone on to become a fan favorite due to her confident demeanor and never say die attitude, becoming a bit of a virtual role model. Bozon continued:
“The first game, simply titled Shantae, established a lot of the series’ core gameplay and introduced players to the world of Sequin Land, as well as characters like Shantae, her adopted uncle Mimic, best friends Sky, Bolo, and Rottytops, and arch-nemesis Risky Boots.”
The world was vast and filled with whimsical townsfolk and monsters. The character animation was fluid, and the backgrounds were lush and vibrant, with lots of changing effects, day and night cycles, a huge track list of catchy tunes, and a new gameplay gimmick that is lurking around every corner.”
What we can assume is that when the original Shantae is re-released later in the year, it will possibly find a home on the new and improved PlayStation subscription service that will be coming into play in the not-too-distant future. You can also take a look at some potential concept images below for the newest installment.
