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Shantae Series

Stay Warm this Winter...

As 2013 comes to a close, everyone here at WayForward wants to wish all of our Shantaerians and Tinkerbackers a very Happy Holidays!



See you all in 2014, The Year of Shantae!​
 
I now want a side-scrolling beat-'em-up with those characters. And who is that guy with the flashlight?
 
I now want a side-scrolling beat-'em-up with those characters. And who is that guy with the flashlight?

His name is Jake and he's from their horror puzzler game Lit aka "School of Darkness" for WiiWare.
 
Stay Warm this Winter...

As 2013 comes to a close, everyone here at WayForward wants to wish all of our Shantaerians and Tinkerbackers a very Happy Holidays!

See you all in 2014, The Year of Shantae!​
Ah, good old Genzoman, I recognized his style as soon as I saw that image. So is Genzoman an official employee of WayForward? I know he did all of the artwork for Double Dragon Neon, another WayForward game.
 
Ah, good old Genzoman, I recognized his style as soon as I saw that image. So is Genzoman an official employee of WayForward? I know he did all of the artwork for Double Dragon Neon, another WayForward game.

Genzoman just does commissions for WayForward when they need him to.
 
he should be a permanent addition to the payroll. Shantae and Genzo's sexy art just go hand in hand.
 
also, have they released the wallpapers yet for backers?
 
Pre-Production Concept Art

Hello Shantaerians and Tinkerbackers!

With three separate Shantae games in development at the moment we are belly-dancing at a furious pace here at WayForward.

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is nearing the end of development, Shantae: Risky's Revenge Director's Cut is steam-rolling along (get it? Because it's coming to Steam XD ), and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is basking in the glow of pre-production. Here is a sneak peek at some Half-Genie Hero art:

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We have a number of artists helping to flesh out character expressions and poses to breathe life into our little Half-Genie. Once approved they will be style-matched to the in-game character design.

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For anyone who doesn't know, pre-production is when we flesh out the story, characters, and world and allow our ideas to run wild. Part of the pre-production process is to take all of our concepts and hone them into the best experience possible. This means that inevitably some ideas, characters, enemies, environments, etc. may not make it into the final game making the Digital and Physical Artbook rewards the only way some of these ideas may see the light of day!​
 
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I remember it being on Greenlight for the longest time, but this is the first I'm hearing of the director's cut.
 
I hope they add voices or WafForward realizes that people like me would pay up the nose for a voice pack DLC. I WANT SHANTAE WITH VOICES GODAMMIT!
 
Half-Genie, All Heart

Happy Genie-tines Day!

Here's a Valentine's Day wish from WayForward to all of our Shantaerians and Tinkerbackers! o^_^o




Building a Hero

Lets talk about game development at WayForward, shall we? Before we get to production artwork (the highly polished stuff you see in the final game), we take our ideas through a lot of phases. Our goal is to make every single element in Half-Genie Hero the best it can be, and to provide adequate time to polish, iterate, tear down, try again and so on.

We begin by scoping out the game, something that all of you had a hand in. We're designing 2 intro segments (one for Shantae and one for Risky Boots), 5 main Chapters or "Worlds", and an epic conclusion. Some of these Worlds will be themed to the stretch goals you all made happen -- racing on magic carpets in one case, tracking down the secret origins of Shantae's new Guardian Genie Rival in the other. Each chapter will have its own enemies, music, effects, environments, and bosses which all get broken down into tasks, with time and money accounted for.

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Then comes the fun stuff... concept artwork, scenario design, engine development, character design, rough story outlines, animation tests, and our gameplay "collision gym", which we use to establish game rules (gravity, camera, enemy behavior, and Shantae's moves).

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Here's a sketchbook page breaking the game down into Worlds (we call them Chapters when referring to story, but Worlds might be a better term. You know, standard game jargon). Players will be unlocking these Worlds in order, following a mostly linear storyline - and then revisiting them to fulfill NPC quests. You can see which characters might be involved with the storyline too.

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Next are some thumbnails - loose paintings that explore color and tone for each area. This makes it easy to see the game at a glance and say, "Hey, there's no Lava area in this game, but we've got 2 kinds of swamp...is that ok?"

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And finally some character designs for one of our large scale bosses, the Giga Mermaid. In our Waterfall Chapter, Shantae is investigating some mermaid-related crime and this 50 foot tall Mermaid Princess marks the end of the level. While she rages out and deals epic damage to Shantae you've got to wonder why she's in chains. Is this a frame job? Maybe and maybe not! Anything can (and will) change in the early phases of development. That's why we call it Game Development!

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Mightiest of the Year!

In other news, Mighty Switch Force! 2 has been nominated for Game of the Year by Pocket Gamer and we need your help to win! Please click the image below and vote to make your voice heard!




Blackmore

Our good friend Jeremy Blaustein and the team at iQiOi Co., Ltd. have an exciting Steampunk Adventure game on Kickstarter right now: Blackmore. Jeremy has localized some of our previous titles and we hope you'll take a look at his campaign :)



Thanks for reading and remember, to stay in touch with us between updates you can follow us on Twitter @WayForward or Like us on Facebook!​
 
There's no place like home

Hello Shantaebackers and Tinkertarians...Backertarians and Shantinkers...Shantaerians and Tinkerbackers!

Today we’ve got something new for you…a first of its kind, one-and-only exclusive never-before-seen look at the inside of Shantae’s lighthouse!

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For 15 years Shantae has kept her home shut tight and locked up but today we’re actually going to open the door and see what’s in there! We’ve had sketches since back in the Game Boy Color days, but Half-Genie Hero will be the first time you can explore Shantae’s home in person!


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Now that you've had a peak inside Shantae's home, how about a peak inside our new(ish) home (on the internet)? For those keeping track, we are still hard at work on our website redesign. We're beta testing it right now and hope to have it public very soon! For anyone who hasn't heard, the new site will include forums, backer only areas, and will allow our backers to update their rewards and track their selections (platform, t-shirt size, etc.).


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Once the site is live and everyone has had a chance to familiarize themselves with the layout and functionality we will also begin working directly with our backers on some of the rewards. This includes the Your Art in Game, Enemy Designer, and Your Face in Game rewards as well as Original Sketches by Matt Bozon! So get excited!!​
 
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Get your motor runnin'...head out on the Skyway!

Hey there Race Fans! We've got some exciting Shantae: Half - Genie Hero news for all you grease monkeys and hotrodders!

Sequins of Unfortunate Events!

As work continues on our Waterfall/Mermaid themed world we're also popping into the garage to see what we can get airborne for the the Magic Carpet races in Sequins of Unfortunate Events, one of the stretch goals YOU funded.

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Much of this particular stage will take place high above Sequin Land, with vehicles of all shapes and sizes zipping past to form platforms and hazards. A few updates back we showed off some airborne cities, ruins, and other citadels in the sky…this time we’ve got some vehicle designs to share.

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Expect to see some familiar faces piloting racing rigs of their own design. Despite all of the chaos, this area will play much like other stages with the focus on platforming, traversal, and a bit of exploration for good measure…not really “racing” in the literal sense. Imagine characters moving within the glass portholes, hatches opening to release enemies in clown-car-spawn fashion. The setup just doesn’t feel complete without some foul play…some of these ships are practically begging to ignite and go down in a blaze of glory, aren’t they? Remember, everything could change – but this is how the magic happens, friends!​
 
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As someone who backed Half-Genie Hero via Paypal and therefore is not receiving email notifications on updates, I'm thankful for them being regularly submitted here. Nice work, Zeriam!
 
As someone who backed Half-Genie Hero via Paypal and therefore is not receiving email notifications on updates, I'm thankful for them being regularly submitted here. Nice work, Zeriam!

No prob. Always happy to help.
 
just a little more and the game can have multiple characters! and maybe voices for DLC!
 
I don't think they're going to get the voices for DLC. I'm skeptical on them even getting the 3 characters. Though they could make one of them with the money they have now. If the three of them are equal to $100,000 then they have enough for approximately 1.75 characters as of now.
 
I don't think they're going to get the voices for DLC. I'm skeptical on them even getting the 3 characters. Though they could make one of them with the money they have now. If the three of them are equal to $100,000 then they have enough for approximately 1.75 characters as of now.
its just 50,000 dollars. ;w; I just really want to have voices in this game alright? ;w;
 
My good people...I just made a 25$ dollars donation on WayForward. Like everyone else on this thread, I love Shantae and I can't wait for the next games. I hope someone else will donate the remaining 25$ in order to reach the next goal. But I think WayForward did a great job, they deserve all what we gave them !
 
I'm waiting on my next paycheck to donate. Love the hell out of Shantae.
 
Don't forget your parachute!

And don't look down...

High above the sky the Ammo Baron attacks! When we last left our heroes we were enjoying some concept art depicting various racing craft. While we’re coding platforms, death pits, and scrolling background layers lets skip ahead to phase 2 of this action packed speed stage and see what’s coming down the pike.

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When the player is partway through the flying carpet zone we’ll be choreographing some camera and set-piece change-ups that get us high above Sequin Land and the clouds. There, more of our traditional stage layout occurs in the form of an immense Airship Sequence.

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The first time through players will most likely be focused on the action, though using your transformations will help tremendously with finding secrets (we haven’t voted on Transformations…yet…but we’re assuming there will be some familiar standards for dashing, crushing, bashing etc). Our current plan is based around a series of meddling airships that want to sabotage the race, creating airborne terrain for the player that’s wrought with peril!

Just when you think you’ve reached the end one of Ammo Baron’s smaller ships appears to make trouble for the player.

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A mini boss of sorts, this ship is able to split into 2 smaller ships and re-unite during the battle. Don’t lose your footing as you battle this foe!

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Take out this airborne menace and you’ll get a clear shot at the Airship’s power source. Destroy it, and get ready...Ammo Baron’s Airship is going down with you on it!

Adventures of Pip!

We’d also like to introduce you to a Kickstarter project created by some old friends of WayForward at Tic Toc Games. Shereef Morse, who worked with us back in the Game Boy Color days, and Marc Gomez, best known for art directing WayForward’s A Boy and his Blob, are helming the project. From what we’ve seen Tic Toc Games has something brilliant in Adventures of Pip and we’re sure they’d love to get support from you!


 
I could watch this for hours without getting tired of it...
 
Are they still accepting donations via Paypal? I wish to play with Shantae's friends.
 
The all-new WayForward.com

Hello Shantaerians and Tinkerbackers! We have some exciting news!!!!!

Yes, the greatest (WayForward) website the world has ever known is NOW LIVE! It has everything! Words! Pictures! Things! And most importantly...Forums that can be accessed by all of our backers, both Kickstarter and PayPal alike!!! And even better, you can now manage your Pledges and Rewards at the drop of a pirate's hat! So head on over and post away! We've got lots of experience making games, but these newfangled websites are somethin' else so if you experience any issues, please don't hesitate to contact support@wayforward.com.

Note: Backers that pledged between 4/25/14 and 6/2/14 may experience a 24-48 hour delay for these pledges. If you use the same email account for account registration the update will occur automatically.

Note: Users attempting to access the new site with Internet Explorer 9 or earlier may experience issues or be unable to access the site altogether.

Creating a New Account

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To begin the first time registration process, click the Login/Register button tab in the upper-right corner which will prompt you to sign in to an account. Selecting the Create an account tab will transition to the registration process.


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Make sure to use a valid email address to complete the process. If you backed Shantae: Half-Genie Hero through Kickstarter or PayPal, create your account using the same email address to associate your Pledges & Rewards with your newly created WayForward profile. Once the account is created, you will be prompted to check your email to finalize the verification process.

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Upon completing the verification, you will be back on the site and now logged in to your account. You can access additional details pertaining to your account by hovering over the My Account tab that has now replaced the Login/Register option in the top right corner.

*You can also choose to Connect to the site using various Social Media accounts. Just click any of the images at the bottom of the Login/Register window to begin the process. After using the social media credentials, you will be prompted to pick a Username. Please note that the Username can not contain spaces or disallowed words or phrases and it’s suggested to not use your real name.

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Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Pledges and Rewards

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All Shantae: Half-Genie Hero backers, both Kickstarter and PayPal, can now access, review, and update their pledge and rewards via our new site. While logged in hover over the My Account tab in the upper right corner and select My Pledges & Rewards. It should display the Pledge Level or Pledge Amount associated with the account's email address. Click the Manage Pledges button to begin the BackerKit process.

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The BackerKit site will display the amount pledged through the account's email address. If you pledged through both Kickstarter and PayPal you will appear as a Multi-Pledge as opposed to a standard Pledge Level.

At this point, you can select to upgrade your pledge level and would only need to pay the difference. A Multi-Pledge user will need to select one of our standard Pledge Levels.

If you select or have previously selected a standard Pledge Level, your pledge and rewards will already be added to your account.

If you remain a Multi-Pledge user your pledge amount will appear as a credit on the Add-On page.


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Once you have selected your Country, you may be asked a few questions based on your reward tier before advancing to the Add-On page.

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To use any Credit on the Add-On page, simply add any tier reward to your cart.

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For example:

If your total credit is $90, you can select the $90 Collector's Edition reward tier to obtain the commemorative metal coin and all previous rewards!

Or

You can select the $75 Standard Edition reward tier that comes with the Physical Soundtrack and then add a second $15 Get the Game reward tier to your cart to get a Second Copy of the Game for a friend!

Or

If you have decided you want to show off your support for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, you can select the $110 Groovin' Shantae T-Shirt reward tier and pay the $20 difference!

Note: No refunds are available for any remaining credit in your account.

If you have no Credit at this step, you have the option to purchase additional rewards for yourself or as a gift for a friend.

Note: This is not the same as simply upgrading your Pledge and is an entirely separate purchase unless you have credit within your account. If you simply want to upgrade your pledge level to receive additional rewards but not purchase an additional tier, please back out to the first page of BackerKit or contact support@wayforward.com to turn your total amount pledged into credit.

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Once you have completed that step, you may be asked a few questions based on any Add-On purchases you are making, such as desired platform for the game, t-shirt size, etc.

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Complete the Shipping page and you will then advance to the final Review for your selections. Any currently available digital rewards can be downloaded from this page. You can always return to this page by selecting Manage Pledges from your WayForward Pledges & Rewards page.

Upon completing the BackerKit process your My Pledges & Rewards page will be updated. Should you find any errors please contact support@wayforward.com.
 
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Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Official Trailer 2

WayForward Technologies have released a new trailer for Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse, which is now in development for both Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is inspired by the Metroid games in the sense that it will feature an interconnected world and require you to acquire different kinds of items in order to access new areas in the game.

The 3DS version will feature stereoscopic 3D, while the Wii U version will utilize HD artwork. Both versions of the game will support a touch-based inventory management and a real-time mapping system on the second screen.

Additionally, the Wii U version of the game will also support off-TV play.

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse
will be released in late Summer.​
 
The trailer is spectacular! I like how Shantae utilizes not only her hair whip, but her new weapons as well. I cannot decide whether to get it on the 3DS or Wii U.
 
The trailer is spectacular! I like how Shantae utilizes not only her hair whip, but her new weapons as well. I cannot decide whether to get it on the 3DS or Wii U.
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I'm getting both.

1. I need something on the go.
2. HD art for the Wii U version like Mighty Switch Force Hyper Drive Edition? Yes please!
 
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Some people can't afford it Sano, please keep that in mind.

As for me once I get a 3DS I'm putting Pirate's Curse on my list of games to buy.
 
I just like using that gif. mostly joking.

Zen, I would probably recommend putting Risky's Revenge above Pirate's curse on your list. considering Pirate's Curse takes place after Risky's Revenge.
 
I already played Risky's Revenge.