Shantae Fans may want to dig out their Game Boy Advance consoles next year as WayForward and Limited Run Games has announced that the unfinished Shantae game Shantae: Risky Revolution is getting a physical release on GBA.
This announcement comes from Limited Run Games’ LRG3 showcase and reveals that Shantae: Risky Revolution is the long-lost direct sequel to the original Shantae game and is being developed straight from the original game code from the early 2000’s.
This is some rather great news for Shantae fans and it is great to see the Game Boy Advance get some love after all this time. However, it does mean that current gen consoles may no longer have the full series of Shantae games (of which there are five currently as of writing this article). Hopefully, Shantae: Risky Revolution may see a digital release at least on other platforms but it has yet to be confirmed.
If you would like to learn more about the announcement for Shantae: Risky Revolution, we have the official press release below.
WayForward Announces Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution
The lost GBA game will be the last GBA game!
Valencia, Calif. – July 12, 2023 – Shantae is back in a Game Boy Advance game 20 years in the making! Independent game studio WayForward, alongside publisher Limited Run Games, is thrilled to announce that Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution — the long-lost sequel to the original Shantae — is back in development after being put on the shelf for nearly two decades. Building off the original game code from the early 2000s, this once-canceled title will be completed and released physically on a Game Boy Advance-compatible game cartridge. A new behind-the-scenes video, as revealed at the LRG3 digital event, can be seen at https://youtu.be/u1-fu8loFDY.
Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution reunites the design team of Shantae creator Erin Bozon, series director Matt Bozon, and programmer Michael Stragey, who are using GBA-era development tools to authentically complete the handheld experience that was planned so many years ago. Previously existing only in unfinished demo form, Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution will be released as a full game with all of the hair-whipping, belly-dancing action that Shantae fans have come to expect, along with multiple chapters, numerous towns and labyrinths, six creature transformations, fierce bosses, and a soundtrack by acclaimed composer Maddie Lim, plus a 4-player battle mode.
“Restoring the lost Shantae sequel has been an incredible adventure!” says Matt Bozon, Shantae series director. “After reuniting as a team, we restored the original game demo, and now are working hard to complete the full game on original hardware! This isn’t a demake or a new retro-style game, but an actual GBA-era title that was lost to time. We paused development in 2004, and now we’re back at it nearly 20 years later with the same tools, hardware, and Link Cables that we were using back then. It’s crazy, it feels impossible, but it’s happening! We’re on a time-travel mission to save Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, and finally bring it to the fans!”
Filling in the gaps between the original Shantae (2002) and Shantae: Risky’s Revenge (2010), Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution sees Shantae protecting Sequin Land from a twisted new plot orchestrated by her nemesis, the pirate Risky Boots. Using a secret subterranean device, Risky is able to rotate and rearrange the continent, plunging it into chaos and giving her more coastal cities to plunder. Fortunately, by harnessing this technology and the knowledge of the Relic Hunters, players will be able to turn the tables on Risky, giving Shantae new paths through environments and a chance to thwart the villain’s scheme.
Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution will be released as a physical Game Boy Advance-compatible game cartridge published by Limited Run Games with an estimated release date of early 2024. Additional information, including dates for the game’s preorder window, will be announced in the future. For the latest news, please visit www.wayforward.com and www.limitedrungames.com, and follow @wayforward and @limitedrungames on social media
Source: WayForward PR
