How did you discover the Shantae serie?

Hey there all, might as well tell everyone how we discovered the character and series that this forum is all about.

Me, I discovered the game at about 12/13, in an issue of Nintendo Power with an article about the first one on GBC, with some kind of walkthrough and nice pictures of the game along with artwork from Matt Bozon. The moment I saw it, I had to play that game, but I unfortunately never did find a copy of the original one.

I first truly experienced the game when the 3DS Eshop opened. The very first game I bought when going online was Risky's Revenge, which was money well spent.

So, how did each of you get to know who Shantae is?

For me that's a bit of a longer story.
But to say this from the beginning: I live in GERMANY! So I don't have Nintendo Power or anything like that here.


The first time I saw her, was when I started building a roster for my "Nintendo VS Capcom" game idea.
(Back then when it was still just an idea...)
I skimmed through a list of Capcom games and saw her in it. Thought she was an interesting character and added her to the list.
BAM!

It was a little later, about one year ago (maybe a little more) when I read a german video game magazine that tested "Shantae: Risky's Revenge".
And they also added a mini-article about the original Shantae game, saying "A real masterpiece! But nobody knows about it..."
This kinda awakened my interest a little more.

A short while later, I finally decided to check out some video footage about Shantae. And I watched cubex's Longplay of it.
(The GBC-original to be precise)
...
And HO-LY COW!!!!!
I instantly fell in love with this game and the character. Seriously, you can't imagine how this felt...
It was love at first sight, you could say.

Either way, that's how I got to know her.
And she quickly became my favourite VG-character of all time, along with Yoshi.

Of course, before long, I also learned of her tragic financial backstory. Which fueled my desire to help her.
So among other things, I also tried to turn "Nintendo VS Capcom" into a fan-game with her in it as playable character.
But that's a different story...


And that, as they say, is that! :lol!:

Durn it, I was planning to make a topic like this and ya beat me to it!

I got my 3DS when there was an opportunity for a good deal on it, meaning there weren't actually any games out that I wanted for it. I wanted to make the most of my new toy, so I looked through their eShop for something that looked like fun. Curiously glancing through their recommended categories every now and then, I came across one ("Fantasic Females", I think?) where I was met with a girl as cute as a button staring back at me.

A pretty face might be enough to arouse my curiosity and get me to watch the trailers and read the description of the game, but it's not enough to sell me on it--it wouldn't be hard to use a pretty face to sell a lack-luster game, and this was an expensive one for the 3DS eShop! I took a look online to see what I could find out about it and see if the gameplay was worthwhile to get the game. (And then I could enjoy the pretty face.) TV Tropes was my go-to site to get a rough idea about it and see a little bit of what to expect. Aside from a few mature comments, everything I read was wholeheartedly positive. A game that combines Metroidvania elements with Zelda elements? And while few people have tried it, the ones who have universally agree it's great? Okay, you've definitely got my attention.

The TV Tropes article linked to Brickroad's Let's Play of the GBC Shantae game, so I figured I'd check that out. If I liked it, that would be enough incentive to get Risky's Revenge and it would give me everything in the story of the first one so I didn't feel lost on the story (or the references to that very Let's Play!). I don't remember exactly where this happened, but I know it was early: I had already realized in the back of my mind that I would be getting that game and watched along with the rest of the Let's Play just for fun.

And because of the way it came out for iOS, I have ended up paying for that game three times now... I regret nothing.

It's quite interesting how varied you guys were exposed to the series! Mine's a pretty short story in comparison. =P And Agent Gold, I hope Risky's Revenge was at least cheaper on the iPhone/iOS, there's no way I would have payed $12 for the same game that many times! (Wait, nevermind I did that for Earthworm Jim several times because of all the ports it has. xD SNES version was the best, though!)

I decided to look through Racketboy.com's Hidden Gems article on GBC games almost a year ago, and happened to notice the paragraph about Shantae. It immediately grabbed my attention; I was shocked to discover a GBC title that didn't look like runny biowaste in-game, and well animated too! Clearly it had a great amount of effort invested in it, so I decided to try it out. Some parts of the game left me feeling like so much more could have been done with it, but overall, I fell in love with all the characters and the comical universe Shantae inhabits. I'd buy Risky's Revenge in a heartbeat, but don't plan on upgrading to either a DSi or 3DS anytime soon. xD

.Luke wrote:And Agent Gold, I hope Risky's Revenge was at least cheaper on the iPhone/iOS, there's no way I would have payed $12 for the same game that many times! (Wait, nevermind I did that for Earthworm Jim several times because of all the ports it has. xD SNES version was the best, though!)

Heh. Yeah, the iOS versions are a little cheaper. There's a free one where you pay to unlock the full game per device (not sure how much that costs--it was on sale when I did that) and a $5 version that doesn't require any further unlocking. If you've got an iPod Touch or anything in its family and you're not looking to spend much*, that might be the way to go. DSi/3DS controls feel more solid, though, so it's not like the other one doesn't have its merits. If you've yet to discover Risky's Revenge, it's just a matter of what you have and what trade-offs you feel like making as far as which version to get.
Of course, if you have such a device, how small can your budget be? XD

(I feel like I might be straying from the topic just a bit, but I thought I might as well offer my thoughts on that one.)

I caught an article and advert for Shantae back in the early 2000's when I was still getting Nintendo Power,
and it was love at first sight eheh. Fun fact: I first thought Rottytops was one of Shantae's transformations.

Having been enjoying Xtreme Sports from last year and noticing the similarity in art style, I thought it'd be worth trying.
Though I couldn't find a copy at first, so I resorted to emulation to test the waters (VBA 1.5 works best).

I eventually got a copy for Christmas, and it was truly a platformer fan's wish come true.
I couldn't help but wonder why none of the used game stores had any copies a few years later... silly me
("The real reason Shantae isn't on 3DS VC? Because the current Nintendo Point limit is 10,000")

I have to admit my introduction to the Shantae series is kind of bland compared to you guys, but here I go...

I recall when I was working on one of Paragon's Nintendo vs Capcom conceptual art for Shantae herself, so when I looked up her outfit I bumped into her games. :'D I have to admit the interest eventually grew over this past month.

But...yeah; that's just how it went for me. XD Everyone's stories about finding/reading about the game sound far more interesting. ^^;

Your's isn't that bland, SunnyLinda! xD The more ways we can get Shantae the exposure she deserves, the better. I think it's unique that you discovered her through fan art. ^^

Agent Gold wrote:Heh. Yeah, the iOS versions are a little cheaper. There's a free one where you pay to unlock the full game per device (not sure how much that costs--it was on sale when I did that) and a $5 version that doesn't require any further unlocking. If you've got an iPod Touch or anything in its family and you're not looking to spend much*, that might be the way to go. DSi/3DS controls feel more solid, though, so it's not like the other one doesn't have its merits. If you've yet to discover Risky's Revenge, it's just a matter of what you have and what trade-offs you feel like making as far as which version to get.

Ah, that's good to hear! The licenses don't expire quickly, do they? That's a huge problem I have with a lot of phone apps and games. I'd rather pay extra for a copy that isn't locked to die on me two years down the road. xD I don't anything with an Apple Logo on it, though, so I'll probably be stuck forking out $12 for it eventually, it all depends on whenever a 3DS homebrew app scene decides to happen! =P

Agent Gold wrote:Of course, if you have such a device, how small can your budget be? XD

Haha, true that! I think would sooner buy a second laptop, or upgrade my desktop machine, before shelling out for a device I'd have to buy again six months later. Companies like Apple revise electronics too quickly these days if you ask me!

I discovered it... I think it was either a friend on Deviantart or it was art on Deviantart. Either way, I discovered it on Deviantart. XD

I actually came across this game entirely by accident. We used to play flash games and junk online in our old middle school class with free time, when my friend told me about one of the best online game websites ever. I didn't realize it at first, but it turns out it was a website that was designed to emulate GBC games. I did see Pokemon on there, but I thought it was a flash remake someone did, and never really bothered with it.

After scrolling a bit more I saw that it actually was a GBC Emulation site, so started scrolling through some games mostly looking for old ones I remembered. Naturally I came across Shantae, and anyone who'd played a GBC would know that screenshots of that quality for a GBC game was an instant must for trying it out (it also helped they included her in-town sprite in the screenshots, at which point I was like "THIS is GBC!?")

Now here's the thing: I didn't even make it to the first boss until maybe about a year later, when I happened across the actual cartridge. Despite finding it on the emulation site at school, I would always forget about the online game sites when getting home, since to me those were basically my free time in the computer class. I also didn't play Shantae at school because I was embarrassed about playing a game that featured a girl (hey, I was 13.)

So basically, Shantae became the hand-held love of my life. I even had Zelda: Minish Cap (biggest Zelda fan here) and still liked Shantae more. I never did max out Shantae though (never got all the annoying fireflies,) and... I LOST it in moving... it's worth freakin' $200 now.

I still haven't even played Risky's Revenge though, as I'm waiting on getting a 3DS, so I can get Risky's Revenge and Mighty Switch Force together. There's also a bunch of others for 3DS that make me want it but I'll save that for the random game thread.

I've recently had somewhat of a following of Shantae (mostly due to Paragon being contagious I think) and I recently watched Brickroad's Let's Play of Shantae for old memories (it was great to see he got stuck at basically all the same parts as me.)

HOPEFULLY by the time I get that 3DS they release the original on VC.

I actually found Shantae while browsing around deviantART.

After finding a cute picture of another pretty face, I eventually found Brickroad's LP of her game on YouTube. I watched every video (even the ones where Brickroad made no progress), and I loved every second of it. This is what forced me to emulate the game on BGB, and later get the sequel for DSi/3DS legit.

Long story short.
TV tropes got me curious then watch Brickroad's Let's Play, Now I wanted to play it so i use an emulator on my Kindle Fire.

I first heard of her in an old Nintendo Power. It wasn't one that actually talked about the game, it just had an ad for it on one page. But honestly, that ad was enough for me to be interested. I even remember being so curious about the game, that I almost considered stealing it from a girl at school.