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Shantae and the Pirate's Curse

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Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Developer(s)WayForward Technologies
Inti Creates
Director(s)Matt Bozon
Writer(s)Matt Bozon
Composer(s)Jake Kaufman
SeriesShantae
EngineEngineBlack
Platform(s)Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Microsoft Windows
ReleaseNintendo 3DS & Wii U
  • NA: October 23, 2014 (3DS)[2]
  • NA: December 25, 2014 (WIIU)[1]
  • PAL: February 5, 2015[3]
  • JP: November 19, 2015 (3DS only)[4]
Microsoft Windows
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is a platform game by WayForward Technologies and Inti Creates for the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U. It is the third game in the Shantae series, following Shantae: Risky's Revenge. It was released in North America on the 3DS eShop on October 23, 2014 and on the Wii U eShop on December 25, 2014, and in PAL regions on both platforms on February 5, 2015.[3] The game was later released on Steam on April 23, 2015.[5] On November 19, 2015, it will be the first game in the series to know a physical release, exclusive to the Japanese market.[4] The game follows the adventures of the eponymous half-genie Shantae as she once again has to save Sequin Land from a new foe, the Pirate Master, with help from her nemesis Risky Boots.

Met with critical acclaim, just like the first two entries in the series, the game was a nominee for best 3DS game and best platformer by IGN (losing to Persona Q and Bravely Default for the first category and to Stealth Inc. 2 for the second) and made the Top 10 of the Club Nintendo 2014 survey of the fans' favourite games, which featured more than 682,000 voters. It also was commercially successful, appearing in the best-sellers for the 3DS. A fourth entry in the series, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, is already in development.[6]

Gameplay

See also: Gameplay of the Shantae series

Like its predecessors, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse casts players in the role of Shantae the half-genie, who can attack enemies using her hair. Having lost her genie powers in the previous game, Shantae now makes use of various pirate items that the player obtains during the course of the game. These include a pistol that can be used to shoot enemies and switches from afar, a hat that can be used to glide through the air and ride on gusts of wind, a scimitar that can break blocks using a downwards thrust, boots that send Shantae into a charging dash that can break through certain walls, and a cannon that can be used to perform addition jumps in mid-air. Players can also make use of various items, such as damaging pike balls or health restoring potions. These items, as well as upgrades to Shantae's hair attack and pirate items, can be purchased using gems obtained from enemies and breakable objects. In place of transformation dances, Shantae can use a genie lamp to suck up nearby gems, as well as carry dark magic and other gaseous objects like smells.

Each of the game's many islands often require Shantae to gain access to an evil den, where one of the pirate items can be found, and defeat a boss in order to gain a map to the next island. Players will often be required to fulfil certain quests in order to progress, such as finding an item on one island and giving it to someone on another. Hidden across the various islands are twenty cursed Cacklebats, which the player must defeat and extract Dark Magic from in order to obtain the game's best ending. Also hidden throughout each island are 32 Heart Squids, which can be exchanged to increase Shantae's maximum health. Clearing the game unlocks Pirate Mode, which gives Shantae all of her pirate items from the start to allow the player to perform speedruns.[7][8]

Plot

After the events of Risky's Revenge, Shantae, who had been forced to defeat the embodiment of her genie powers, has been adjusting to life as a mere human. As Shantae's hometown of Scuttle Town is suddenly taken over by the Ammo Baron, who legally becomes its new mayor, Shantae is approached by her arch-nemesis, Risky Boots, whose henchmen and items have suddenly gone missing. Discovering that some Dark Magic has placed a curse on her Tinkerbats, turning them into evil Cacklebats, Risky deduces that the Pirate Master, a powerful evil tyrant who was sealed away long ago by the genies of Sequin Land, is attempting to revive himself. Determined to stop his revival at all costs, Risky forms a reluctant alliance with Shantae to destroy the dens of evil giving him power, recover Risky's lost pirate items, and retrieve the Dark Magic inhabiting the Cacklebats.

Along the way, Risky reveals that the Dark Magic is actually Shantae's genie magic, which was scattered across Sequin Land rather than destroyed. After Shantae destroys all of the evil dens, Risky attempts to destroy the Pirate Master's grave, but is kidnapped by the Pirate Master after he revives. Confronting the Pirate Master, Shantae agrees to give up the Dark Magic she had collected in order to save Risky. To her surprise, she discovers that the magic has turned back into Light Magic, allowing Shantae to once again become a half-genie and defeat the Pirate Master with Risky's help. With peace returned to Sequin Land, Shantae uses her powers to give Scuttle Town back to its rightful owner and drive the Ammo Baron out of town, while Risky returns to her life as a pirate, preparing for when their paths cross again.[9]

Development

The game was announced in the November 2012 edition of Nintendo Power.[10] On May 29, 2014, WayForward Technologies announced that more info about the game would be revealed at the E3 2014.[11] Just prior to Nintendo's own E3 2014 presentation, WayForward revealed to the Nintendo Life online news outlet that an HD variant of Shantae and the Pirate's Curse was coming to Wii U.[12]

Reception

Commercial performance

The game was commercially successful, being featured in the best-sellers for the Nintendo 3DS.[13]

Critical reception

Like its predecessors, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse was well-received by critics, with scores of 84% (3DS and Wii U) on GameRankings[14][15] and scores of 82/100 (3DS) and 85/100 (Wii U) on Metacritic.[16][17] Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4.5 out of 5, saying "Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is another exemplary entry in a short but long-lived line of exploration-driven platformers. The gameplay is fun, varied and challenging, and will test the skills of even the most hardcore platforming fans."[21] Destructoid enjoyed the moment-to-moment platforming and combat mechanics, the dungeons' "interesting" layouts and hard-to-find secret areas, and the "funny" narrative, but lamented the replacement of a "giant, singular open world" like in Risky's Revenge with a "collective of islands" that were too small and found the removal of the previous game's quick travel mechanic made "getting from place to place ... a hassle."[18] Pocket Gamer thought Pirate's Curse was "a joy to play," with "masterful spritework" and a high-quality soundtrack.[22] Game Informer felt that the game was let down by "pesky backtracking" with "annoyingly ambiguous" places to use unlocked pirate gear after returning to previously-explored areas, but found that "all of Shantae's pirate platforming abilities gel together well during the latter stages," with a few moments of "old-school platforming at its best."[19] With the game aided by "detailed, expressive sprites" and environments "bright and full of life", IGN found that Pirate's Curse "[stood] out from the glut of retro-inspired platformers", praising the world's division into "distinct-feeling" islands whose "smaller, more focused approach" kept the reviewer engaged, the occasional "inane, hilarious" puzzle scenario, and the "consistently funny" dialogue, but was annoyed by numerous enemies that constantly respawned while backtracking throughout the islands.[20]

The game was among the Top 10 of the 2014 survey of Club Nintendo's Fan Faves, voted by over 682,000 people.[23]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Year Awards Category Result Ref.
2015 IGN's Best of 2014 Best 3DS Game Nominated [24]
Best Platformer Nominated [25]

References

  1. ^ Sirani, Jordan (2014-12-16). "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Gets Wii U Release Date". IGN. Archived from the original on 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2014-12-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Neurenschwander, Jeff (2014-10-08). "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Dated for 3DS". Operation Rainfall. Archived from the original on 2014-10-14. Retrieved 2014-12-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b Doolan, Liam (2015-01-21). "Shantae And The Pirate's Curse For Wii U & 3DS eShop Releases In Europe And Australia On 5th February". http://www.nintendolife.com/. Archived from the original on 2015-01-21. Retrieved 2015-01-21. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse sur 3DS arrive au Japon (et en boutique!)". Nintendo-Town. 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2014-09-29.
  5. ^ a b "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse on Steam". Valve Corporation. 2015-04-22. Archived from the original on 2015-07-22. Retrieved 2015-07-26. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2015-07-02 suggested (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Shantae: Half-Genie Hero | WayForward". wayforward.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-09. Retrieved 2014-09-13. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4219sN9nAg0
  8. ^ Fletcher, JC (2013). "'Shantae and the Pirate's Curse' coming to 3DS eShop". Joystiq. AOL. Archived from the original on 2015-01-31. Retrieved 2015-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "images/NP284_Shantae". nintendopower.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-11. Retrieved 2014-09-13. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Ponce, Tony (2012-11-06). "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse coming to 3DS eShop". Destructoid. Modern Method. Archived from the original on 2012-11-10. Retrieved 2015-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "WayForward on Twitter: "Stick around Shantae Fans! We'll be dropping some BIG news about Pirate's Curse during the week of E3! See you then! http://t.co/Tm12ixDToz"". twitter.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-29. Retrieved 2014-09-13. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Nintendo Life staff (2014-06-09). "Exclusive: Shantae And The Pirate's Curse Is Also Coming to Wii U". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2014-06-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ https://twitter.com/WayForward/status/571133959800627201
  14. ^ a b "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse for 3DS". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  15. ^ a b "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse for Wii U". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  16. ^ a b "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse for 3DS Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  17. ^ a b "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse for Wii U Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  18. ^ a b Carter, Chris (2014-10-24). "Review: Shantae and the Pirate's Curse". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 2015-10-24. Retrieved 2015-05-03. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2014-10-24 suggested (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ a b Turi, Tim (4 November 2014). "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on 2015-01-07. Retrieved 2015-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ a b Thompson, Scott (29 October 2014). "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 2015-07-24. Retrieved 2015-05-03. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ a b Thew, Geoff (2014-10-28). "Review: Shantae and the Pirate's Curse". Hardcore Gamer. Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2014-11-30. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ a b Oxford, Nadia (30 October 2014). "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on 2015-06-01. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  23. ^ "2014 Fan Faves". Nintendo of America. Archived from the original on 2015-07-05. Retrieved 2015-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "Best 3DS Game". IGN. 2015-01-13. Archived from the original on 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2015-01-21. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ "Best Platformer". IGN. 2015-01-13. Archived from the original on 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2015-01-21. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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