Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, the follow-up to WayForward’s cult GameBoy Color platformer, is set to strut its stuff on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and Vita. Having already crossed its Kickstarter target with time to spare, the studio is now hoping to hit a couple of stretch goals. At the time of writing, the title needs to raise a further $80,000 to guarantee the inclusion of a handful of game-changing costumes. Another $100,000 on top of that will ensure a bonus chapter is added to the campaign.

But what is the title all about? “Shantae is the name of the half-genie main character who carves through enemies with her destructive ponytail, and belly dances to transform into mythological creatures, animals, [and] swords,” creative director Matt Bozon told the PlayStation Blog. “There aren’t many games that include the art of sensual dance as a main game mechanic, but Shantae pulls it off nicely.”

As is the trend these days, Half-Genie Hero follows in the footsteps of Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, allowing you to gradually explore more of the title's world as you power up and unlock new abilities. It also promises to look the part: “WayForward puts its traditional feature film style animation in the front row alongside rock solid gameplay, which has its roots firmly planted in the 8-bit and 16-bit eras of classic gaming,” added Bozon.

A measly $15 pledge will ensure that you receive the release on your platform of choice when it deploys next year. It’s been in development for a while, so this isn’t one of those Kickstarter campaigns that’s based purely on ideas – it’s an actual game. Are you planning to drop a few rupees into WayForward’s production bank? Let us know in the comments section below.

[source kickstarter.com, via blog.us.playstation.com]