Shantae Half Genie Hero | Kickstarter

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero | Color Study

You all are perhaps familiar with Shantae, the fun and unique platformer series from WayForward. So it’s probably not news that they are putting together a new Shantae adventure, Half-Genie Hero, as a Kickstarter for pretty much every console out there. This new adventure is in HD, features a vibrant new art style by Mariel Cartwright, the talented artist best known for Skullgirls, and has music composed by Jake “Virt” Kaufman and sung by Cristina Vee.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero | Cristina Vee
Cristina Vee
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero | Mariel Cartwright
Mariel Cartwright

You can find more about the musical prowess of Virt in the following interview.

Another really exciting update is the fact that Half-Genie Hero will now be available for Vita owners and on Vita TV (provided the game is funded). What is especially exciting about this is the fact that it will be part of the basic funding, not a stretch goal. So if it gets funded, the Vita port—among others—will be green-lit. Personally, I’m happy for the series to be available for as many consoles as possible, just so long as I get to play it on my own Wii U.

Besides all these goodies, they also provided a detailed storyboard describing the introductory sequence in the game, complete with pretty pictures. Take a gander and just try not to get excited.

Shantae Half Genie Hero | oprainfall

Shantae Half Genie Hero | oprainfall

Shantae Half Genie Hero | oprainfall

In closing, while Half-Genie Hero is close to being funded, it’s not quite there yet. They still have 3 weeks left, and funding has slowed quite a bit since its blistering start. They only need to get to $400,000 (USD) for Half-Genie Hero be a reality (it’s so far sitting at just over $240,000), so they still need your help. Besides that, there are some very cool stretch goals I would love to see made into a reality, such as Risky Mode, WayForward costume swaps and some bonus chapters.

If you’re interested, check out their Kickstarter page. In the meantime, enjoy the bumping tunes, lovely lyrics by Cristina and sweet graphics in their trailer!

Josh Speer
Josh is a passionate gamer, finding time to clock in around 30-40 hours of gaming a week. He discovered Operation Rainfall while avidly following the localization of the Big 3 Wii RPGs. He enjoys SHMUPS, Platformers, RPGs, Roguelikes and the occasional Fighter. He’s also an unashamedly giant Mega Man fan, having played the series since he was eight. As Head Editor and Review Manager, he spends far too much time editing reviews and random articles. In his limited spare time he devours indies whole and anticipates the release of quirky, unpredictable and innovative games.