After initially reeling from the news that Gex was back, I was shocked to find another retro hero of the past is getting a big name release.
Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution was initially intended to be the sequel to the incredible Shantae title, but unfortunately never saw a release after the GBC title didn’t pull amazing sales numbers. Even with incredible review scores, money had a lot to say regarding it’s future – particularly with the awkward release coming after the Game Boy Advance was already on shelves. This meant that the Game Boy Advance-bound sequel instead was shelved, and developer WayForward decided to move …well, forward.
Thankfully, the recognition for the amazing series found it’s way into the hearts of many when Shantae: Risky’s Revenge released on the Nintendo DSiWare service, garnering awards and a rightful dose of adulation. It’s easily one of my favourite game series of all time – and here we are, about to receive a “new” game.
Kind of.
In a partnership with the legendary Limited Run Games, Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution will see an actual release – on it’s native console, the Game Boy Advance. This doesn’t come without a little effort however, as the game itself was never fully completed. It’s core gameplay loop and experience were concepted and playable in some form, but the original team of legends from WayForward are reuniting to finish the title in accordance with their vision. This means Matt Bozon, Shantae series director and Shantae creator Erin Bozon will be teaming up with programmer Michael Stragey to dust off some GBA-era development tools and complete the handheld experience.
Curiously, this title actually carries some genuine weight to the Shantae series narrative. The story beats that exist within the lost sequel were never reintroduced in other games, with it’s entire plot treated as a ‘lost chapter’ to the greater story. Characters introduced within Risky Revolution would openly appear in later games, with their missing introduction ignored – so for many who care about the world of Shantae, this serves as a smorgasbord of cutting room floor content weaving it’s way back into the greater story.
The only awkward part is the fact that this is an authentic release, in the sense that nothing has been said regarding modern platforms. So far this bad boy is destined for carts and nothing else – to the delight of Game Boy diehards that still have their AA batteries on hand.
Be sure to check out limitedrungames.com for more information, and wayforward.com for more development notes as this lost gem reaches it’s full shine.
If you’ll excuse me, I need to browse eBay.
Are you a Shantae fan with a handy GBA nearby? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
Known throughout the interwebs simply as M0D3Rn, Ash is bad at video games. An old guard gamer who suffers from being generally opinionated, it comes as no surprise that he is both brutally loyal and yet, fiercely whimsical about all things electronic. On occasion will make a youtube video that actually gets views. Follow him on YouTube @Bad at Video Games
