Brainstorming: Ability/Item/Attack Concepts

In this topic, you can post your ideas for Items, Special Attacks and other abilities you'd like to see in Shantae-games.

I already came up with a lot of ideas. And it'd like to know what you guys and gals come up with.


So here are some of my own ideas.
First of all Special Attacks, aka Martial Arts specials like the ones in the original GBC-game.
I seriously would love them to return in future games. I liked them really much
So I came up with a variety of special moves.
I've already written them down in my "Element Gem" script, a written game concept of mine for a Shantae game.
I quote:

Special Fighting Abilities
Aside from the Hair Whip, the "Martial Arts" oriented style returns from the GBC-style.
Albeit the abilities that Shantae performs are (mostly) new and each has it's own unique effects.
New attacks/abilities are learned from the character Kunai. You can find her in various locations, throughout your journey.

Here is a small overview of some of them:
- Kick
The only Special Attack that is available from the beginning.
A simple Kick. It doesn't deal as much damage as the Hair Whip.
However, it can "shove" away enemies or knock them down.
Useful if you need some more room...

- Spin Attack
Shantae performs a Spin Attack that hits all enemies around her in close proximity.
Useful if you are surrounded.

- Fatal Drop
Shantae performs a Knee Drop on knocked down enemies, finishing them off before they have a chance to recover.

- Block
She enters a defensive stance for a second. If she is hit by attacks during that period she will block them.
In most cases, this will repel the attack and knock enemies off balance, leaving them wide open for more attacks.
But not all attacks can be repelled like this. But in other cases, Blocking is still useful, as enemy attacks won't deal any damage or at least the damage that Shantae takes is decreased.
The timing needs to be critical. But if you time it right, this can be a very useful skill.
That being said though, there are still a few exceptions. Aka, attacks that are so powerful that they will break through her defense and deal full damage regardless.
So be very careful...

- Somersault Kick
The rising Somersault Kick returns from the original game. And it works the same way
Useful against airborne or jumping enemies, that are hard to reach.

- Rising Whirlwind Kick
When Shantae is knocked down, she can perform this attack to hit any enemy around her, as she gets back up.
Good if you want to clear your surroundings of enemies, that otherwise might maul you, as you get back onto your feet.

Just a few examples. There might be more to learn...

For more, about this game idea, check out my topic in the FanFiction section.

I know that "Block" isn't really an attack. But oh well...


As for other abilities:
I would really like to see some more elemental stuff.
I know we had Fireballs. So what about ICE-related items?
Items that allow you to freeze stuff for a variety of uses?

Another ability, that might work as a substitude for blocking, is the DODGE ROLL.
Obviously, Shantae quickly rolls forward in this move to avoid enemy attacks and some hazards.
While she is rolling, she cannot receive any damage from most enemy attacks and hazards.

And lastly, I would also like to include CLIMBING and HANGING.
During those actions she'd still be able to Hair Whip.


So much for my ideas. What about you?

Urgh, double-post. D:


But yeah, I have been thinking about Items lately, specifically the ones that you get from defeating Mini-Bosses.
Of course, I am talking about my Game Concept again.


And I think I came up with some nice ideas for new items.
Of course, you decide. So don't be afraid to tell me what you think.


First off, I've got one new OFFENSIVE MAGIC ITEM!
It's called "Ice Dust".
Like I said, it's a magic-consuming item. And it primarily works as an attack.
When Shantae uses it, she will fire a small blizzard from her hands.
Which has the capability to either freeze enemies or slow their movements, depending on which enemy you use it on.
(Like every item, some enemies might be IMMUNE to its effects.)
But it also has other uses, other than attacking.
She can also use it to freeze certain objects.
Which is essential for clearing certain puzzles in the dungeons and some other areas.
Also, since it acts like a wind, she can fire it into WIND GUSTS and similar stuff for even greater effects.
Maybe it'll get so powerful that it can even freeze lava...?!?


Another OFFENSIVE ITEM, though not a Magic-Item, are the "Bomb Bugs".
Since it's not a magic item, you carry a limited amount of them.
Naturally, if you run out, you need to replenish your supply.

It seems to be one of Risky's inventions. Hence why Shantae obtains it from one of the Tinkerbats.
(At least, in my game concept.)
When Shantae uses it, it will crawl forward. And when it hits a certain range or bumps into something, it will explode.
With these nifty toys, Shantae can blow up objects and certain walls.
It also proves to be quite a powerful weapon in battle against enemies.

tl;dr: It pretty much works like the BOMBCHU's from the Zelda-games.


Some other items...
High-Jump Shoe's
Enhances Shantae's jump. Allowing her to jump higher than before.

Power Charms
Gives Shantae extraordinary strength. Which allows her to lift and move heavy/giant objects.
With those charms, she can even hold off certain enemy attacks with her bare hands.


But I am not done just yet...

Í have actually been thinking about improving SHANTAE'S HAIR!
This was partly inspired by the "Shantae: The Essential Conceptuals" topic and the different hair-cuts it listed.
So I came up with ITEMS that improve Shantae's hair, if they are equipped.
Of course, you can always equip and unequip them. Whatever suits your needs!

Grapple-Hairband
This hairband gives Shantae the ability to GRAB certain objects and/or HANG onto them.
If Shantae jumps, she will automatically hang onto the object, if she touches it.
But she can also use her Hair Whip to hang onto it from a distance.
But this is not all...
She can also use her Hair Whip to grab stuff and pull on it.
She can even use that against enemies to pull them off their feet, remove their shields/armor (given that it has something her hair can latch on), etc.


Megaton-Haircharm
It powers up Shantae's Hair, giving her the strength to break certain objects or smash them for various effects.
She can also hit certain switches with it.
When used, it will cause shockwaves that can stun enemies. (Though it doesn't work against all enemies.)
It's quite powerful, but also much slower. Making it less than ideal as the usual Hair Whip.


Absorb-Haircharm
Allows Shantae's hair to store light or energy within her hair and use it on objects or enemies.
Which can result in various effects.



And lastly, I have also taken on the concept of SUITS.
Of course, only one suit can be worn at a time. And you can always change them.
If you want, you could also change back to Shantae's regular clothes.
Whatever floats your boat!

Here they are:
Hair Suit
When Shantae wears this suit, Shantae's hair mysteriously grows longer whenever she uses her hair whip (and also changes back to its regular length right after).
Which gives her hair additional range and thus allows her to whip enemies from a longer distance.
It's especially useful in combination with the Haircharms and Hairbands, the "Grapple-Hairband" especially...

Magic Suit
Enhances Shantae's Magic Meter. Giving her twice as much magic than normal.

Defense Suit
Halves the damage that Shantae takes.

Sacred Suit
Blesses Shantae with divine light, boosting Shantae's attack power and giving her hair the power of light.


So much for my ideas.
Feedback is greatly welcome.

If I may say something, I think you're trying too hard to turn this into some sort of fighting game. Shantae is a platformer, and the main focus in a platformer is navigating the worlds and obstacles to reach the goal. The fighting is usually secondary and is generally no more complex than "hair-whip anything unfriendly that moves". Other attacks can help to spice up combat and make it easier, but they shouldn't be very fancy or overly-relied on.

Changing suits is a little much. I'd probably go with something smaller, like equippable charms.

Also, some of your power-up ideas are of little use when Shantae has similiar things in her arsenal already.

*High Jump Shoes - That's what the Monkey form is for.

*Power Charms, Megaton Hair - Ditto for the Elephant.

*Hair Suit - Risky's Revenge gave Shantae a Hair-Cream iteme that increased her hair-whip range

*Dodge Roll - She already has a back-dash in RR. That's more effective for evasion without having to reposition around an approaching enemy.

I don't think the Monkey form jumps very high at all. In-fact, the controls while jumping are a lot more restrictive. I've fallen into a lot of deathpits because of how strictly diagonal its flightpaths are, even Actraiser gives you more control over jumps than that.

And just because Megaton Hair could replace the Elephant form, I'm sure certain obstacles would still require the brute strength of an elephant either way. Some games love their double-standard logic. xD "Okay, I can blow huge rocks out of my way with these rockets, but I can't destroy a simple locked door with them? WTF CURSE YOU TROLLS!!!"

You've got a point with the Hair Suit, though, but it would be nice I guess to provide players with a more permenant replacement for consumable upgrades. Just imagine going through the first half of the game with hair cremes, but eventually you find a suit that doesn't need you to blow more gems on the stuff? I liked how the TMD eventually got infinite energy in Singularity. ^^

I like the Ice Dust item concept, it could easily make some room for creativity in puzzle-solving parts of dungeons! Imagine freezing an enemy so you could stand on them, to reach a switch above you that has to be whipped? Or a more obvious one, freezing enemies that are lined up in the water to form an icy "bridge".

.Luke wrote:You've got a point with the Hair Suit, though, but it would be nice I guess to provide players with a more permenant replacement for consumable upgrades. Just imagine going through the first half of the game with hair cremes, but eventually you find a suit that doesn't need you to blow more gems on the stuff? I liked how the TMD eventually got infinite energy in Singularity. ^^

What are you talking about? The Hair Creams were always permanent upgrades.

Wait, so the Hair Cream used magic, instead of buying it in limited supplies? Clearly I haven't played Risky's Revenge yet. xD

.Luke wrote:Wait, so the Hair Cream used magic, instead of buying it in limited supplies? Clearly I haven't played Risky's Revenge yet. xD

You buy a Hair Cream, and it permanently upgrades the hair-whip. There's no limit or magic cost to its use once obtained.

I'm gonna have to go ahead and say the reason that Shantae is such a good game is because the hair whip ISN'T the only option. It also has an expansive set of items/abilities that aren't required.

The transformations are the only required abilities in the game, giving you freedom on what you want to use. Its platforming isn't so strong as a game like Mario, anyway.

I certainly wouldn't want the game to go overboard and become a brawler, though.

BossFight is right about this.
I think the large variety of options is really great.


OF COURSE, I wouldn't make it into a Beat em Up.
But still, why holding back with alternate attacks?
I mean just because I introduce a variety of Martial Arts-based Special Attacks doesn't automatically make it a fighting game.
In the end, it's a matter of how it is implemented.

True, both Twilight Princess and Wind Waker had tons of moves for Link, but either are hardly considered fighting games; the combat is only one part of the experience. I think Shantae could use a few extra moves while still maintaining its simplicity, instead of weighing the player down with countless combos. The Fighter's Gear did this pretty well in the first Shantae, so I wouldn't see the harm in some extra attacks.

Maetch wrote:You buy a Hair Cream, and it permanently upgrades the hair-whip. There's no limit or magic cost to its use once obtained.

Oh, didn't know that. xD

.Luke wrote:True, both Twilight Princess and Wind Waker had tons of moves for Link, but either are hardly considered fighting games; the combat is only one part of the experience. I think Shantae could use a few extra moves while still maintaining its simplicity, instead of weighing the player down with countless combos. The Fighter's Gear did this pretty well in the first Shantae, so I wouldn't see the harm in some extra attacks.

I never said anything about Combo-attacks. :/

Rather, I'd like to implement special techniques, each with different uses.
Like "Block" for defense purposes (working like a combination of Shield and Shield Bash from Skyward Sword), "Kick" as shove or instant-knockdown attack (like Jump Strike from 3D Zelda's, just that does less damage than the Hair Whip), "Somersault Kick" for Anti-Air, etc.
I also have some more than that. But for examples, they should suffice.

I kinda treat those extra attacks like the Hidden Skills from Twilight Princess. And I don't think it's a bad thing to have them. o.O

Paragon-Yoshi wrote:

.Luke wrote:True, both Twilight Princess and Wind Waker had tons of moves for Link, but either are hardly considered fighting games; the combat is only one part of the experience. I think Shantae could use a few extra moves while still maintaining its simplicity, instead of weighing the player down with countless combos. The Fighter's Gear did this pretty well in the first Shantae, so I wouldn't see the harm in some extra attacks.

I never said anything about Combo-attacks. :/

Rather, I'd like to implement special techniques, each with different uses.
Like "Block" for defense purposes (working like a combination of Shield and Shield Bash from Skyward Sword), "Kick" as shove or instant-knockdown attack (like Jump Strike from 3D Zelda's, just that does less damage than the Hair Whip), "Somersault Kick" for Anti-Air, etc.
I also have some more than that. But for examples, they should suffice.

I kinda treat those extra attacks like the Hidden Skills from Twilight Princess. And I don't think it's a bad thing to have them. o.O

I don't think it's bad to have them either. I'd also like to see a return of the charge to twirl attack from the first game. But I'm thinking it may be better if you can run while charging it, if it's going to have the same charge time requirement that is. Shortening the charge time would work too. I also wouldn't mind throwing on an extra move or two for transformations, just so players have more of a reason to use them than getting around.

Well, they already had those medallions that allowed the transformations to attack.
Or do you mean another attack for each of them?

Paragon-Yoshi wrote:Well, they already had those medallions that allowed the transformations to attack.
Or do you mean another attack for each of them?

Well, yeah. Not extensive, but just a few more options. I'd say the transformations should start with the ability to use a basic attack (though the elephant always gets the ram) and then gain maybe another attack or even their own magic ability.

I see. Good idea.