A Look Back at Past Shantae Prototypes

Matt Bozon from WayForward recently explained the design process behind Shantae and the Pirate's Curse.

He highlighted some prototype Shantae projects that didn't quite come to fruition, including a polygonal adventure where players could run around in "three distinct gameplay 'gyms' - a spline-scroller like Klonoa, something more free like Super Mario 64 and even something that was more isometric in design.

Despite these ideas remaining at prototype stage, Bozon didn't rule out a polygonal Shantae outing, but "only if it serves the style of gameplay we want to create at the time," he stressed.

As for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, he noted how it'll be an entirely different game; a more action-platformer orientated design compared to the Metroid-esque approach in Shantae and the Pirate's Curse.

"Pirate's Curse expands the original gameplay and takes into new territory. Half-Genie Hero goes back to belly dancing and magic, but adds a ton of variety with more playable characters and HD visual design."

What do you think of the new Shantae games? Could the series step into 3D platforming?