It isn’t usually {that a} developer will get to revisit a chapter of their previous and choose up the place they left off on a mission twenty years prior, however the revival of Shantae Advance within the type of Dangerous Revolution has given WayForward artistic director Matt Bozon simply that chance.
Having co-created the character along with his companion, Erin Bozon, the second recreation within the sequence following Shantae’s Recreation Boy Coloration 2002 debut was began however shelved after WayForward struggled to discover a writer. Nevertheless, with the assistance of Restricted Run Video games, the builders are actually revisiting this ‘misplaced’ chapter within the sequence, with the now-completed recreation getting a limited-time launch on Recreation Boy Advance and a wider trendy console launch courtesy of Restricted Run’s Carbon Engine later this yr.
We lately received the prospect for an e mail chat with Matt to debate what it is like returning to work you began 20 years in the past, how the ultimate recreation compares to the unique imaginative and prescient, and which model of the beautiful GBA {hardware} he personally prefers…
Nintendo Life: First up, it looks like congratulations are so as! How assured have been you during the last 20 years that you’d – in some unspecified time in the future – have the ability to return to Shantae Advance? Was it a imprecise need or one thing you actually thought may occur?
Matt Bozon: Thanks! I’d all the time hoped that we’d have the ability to return and end it, however the odds appeared simply astronomical. All of us actually needed it to, however knew it was most unlikely. On the time of scripting this, followers can lastly — lastly — preorder the misplaced Shantae recreation! It’s unbelievable!
How far alongside was the sport earlier than it was shelved, and the way massive was the unique crew in comparison with now?
The sport was 50% full, when it comes to the general workload. The participant’s “golden path” by means of the journey was about 25% and the mobility and most techniques appeared nearer to 75% on the time.
The unique 2002 period crew was round six folks. The brand new 2023 crew was me and Mike once more because the “core 24/7 duo,” with Erin, Maddie Lim, and extra artwork expertise in help roles as wanted. The Hyperlink Cable minigame was programmed by the unique Shantae programmer, Jimmy Huey, 20 years in the past, and continues to be splendidly preserved. So, usually, it is a a lot smaller crew on any given day, however it’s additionally a extra centered effort.
The artwork and the multi-layered ranges look unbelievable. How a lot of the sport at this time would you say is ‘new’ versus executing on authentic plans and restoring issues from twenty years in the past?
It’s a few 50/50 mix. The outdated work needed to be iterated on, because it was by no means really accomplished again in 2002-2004… however it’s largely the identical. The brand new work was utterly certain by design selections, animation, coloration palettes, tilesets, instruments, and code of the unique effort. We’re utilizing the identical outdated instruments, a few of which dated again to 1985, which now we have to run in DOS. So, we’re not benefiting from any trendy instruments in any respect, until you rely Home windows. This isn’t precisely by selection. This isn’t a homage retro recreation, however an precise GBA recreation working code from 2002. With the sport accomplished, it’s primarily the sport it will have been virtually 25 years in the past, had we completed the work approach again then.
What has it been like returning to a mission you labored on so way back? Have you ever discovered your self questioning selections your youthful self made or revising/remodeling outdated materials primarily based in your data and expertise now?
Pacing, velocity, and responsiveness are a lot better than they’d have been if it had been launched again within the day
Sure, selections made by youthful me created a ton of complications for contemporary me. It’s exhausting to clarify, however I discover myself attempting to protect the work began by what looks like another much less skilled one who would not know the Shantae sequence in addition to I do now!
Partly it is because the sport design for Shantae Advance: Dangerous Revolution started on the finish of 2000, earlier than the Recreation Boy Coloration Shantae had even shipped. There have been no followers or suggestions to study from. So a number of the outdated concepts didn’t completely align with the place the sequence in the end went. The viewers that this recreation was initially meant for in 2002 had grown up, too! And there have been new followers who have been launched to the sequence by the later video games. So, all of this needed to be thought of, and there have been many course corrections wanted. Fortunately, Mike is a really affected person programmer. He finds a strategy to make these items work, in some way!
Working with the GBA versus trendy techniques, have been there any quirks or technical features of the outdated console you genuinely missed, past the nostalgia of it?
Sure, I actually like engaged on a small recreation. I like getting to put each tile and enemy, and tweaking quantity worth and animation timing. It’s enjoyable to entertain the participant so straight. As for quirks? Effectively, that is home made tech that Mike wrote himself, and that only some folks have ever used it. It was enjoyable to return and attempt to keep in mind the way it all labored. Working in a customized software made for a recreation’s particular wants is superb, and looks like a misplaced artwork. I’m wondering what would occur if extra folks wrote their very own recreation engines once more!
Have you ever built-in any features of the next video games again into Dangerous Revolution’s gameplay?
Positively. There are issues that the unique recreation didn’t contemplate, like making it enjoyable for a number of replays, or velocity runs. Pacing, velocity, and responsiveness are a lot better than they’d have been if it had been launched again within the day. And the characters are higher realized, too. The save system is far smarter. This recreation will really feel like GBA, however with most of the trendy nice-to-haves.
Audio-wise, was there something in place earlier than the sport was shelved or are the music and results all-new for 2024?
The outdated recreation had audio borrowed from our personal Godzilla: Domination, only for demoing functions. So it wasn’t till 2023 that Shantae Advance received its personal music. Maddie Lim composed for this recreation, and it’s each a pleasure to hearken to and a technical marvel!
In relation to packaging, manuals, cart colors, and many others, for the Restricted Run GBA launch, how concerned are you and WayForward on that facet of issues?
Because the Shantae licensor, Erin may be very hands-on with the approvals for these. We work straight with LRG on all of that! I received to write down the instruction booklet, similar to within the outdated days! The cart colours and that basically cool acrylic body have been all concepts from LRG, and so they look unbelievable.
As regards to the upcoming Change model, what are the variations? The trailer reveals HD character portrait and UI enhancements, and a four-player mode is talked about.
The perfect comparability is Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse on 3DS, after we ported it from the lower-res 3DS to the higher-res trendy consoles. Such as you talked about, the window dressing is all high-res illustration work, and also you received’t want Hyperlink Cables to take pleasure in four-player Battle Mode! The sport may also be performed in its authentic GBA format, with out the flowery high-res ingredient, for a extra genuine GBA expertise. The discharge of the Carbon Engine ports (aka the console ports) are nonetheless a methods out, so we would like gamers to pay attention to this.
Are there another ‘misplaced’ initiatives knocking round in submitting cupboards at WayForward Towers – different stuff you’d wish to revisit given the prospect?
Shantae Advance is the one canceled Shantae recreation. That mentioned, WayForward has made lots of inside tech demos through the years, and for a very long time it was fairly frequent to seize Shantae belongings, or use her as a check character by whoever was making the tech demo. I say “tech demo” as a result of most of those weren’t recreation demos — they have been meant to pitch tech internally, or present some type of recreation framework to a possible shopper. So we don’t consider these as canceled video games. I’ve additionally received a fairly large backlog of Shantae recreation designs floating round. Perhaps sometime we’ll revisit these, too!
Lastly, what model of GBA is your private choose – OG horizontal or SP? (Or the Micro, after all. Personally, simply wanting on the factor offers me hand cramps, although!)
My favourite GBA is my NES-themed SP, with the brighter display screen guts swapped in. It was a Father’s Day present from Erin and the children again when it initially launched, and has seen lots of use. Each youngsters are grown now, and are character animators. Our daughter labored on Seven Sirens, and our son labored on Dangerous Revolution. So yeah, this little machine means quite a bit to me, and it’s my most popular strategy to play GBA!
Because of Chris at WayForward and Matt for taking the time to reply our questions.
Pre-orders for the GBA model of Shantae Advance: Dangerous Revolution are open now till seventh April. The usual model is $59.99 and there is a natty Collector’s Version for $99.99 that comes with a gold cart, the soundtrack, and a swathe of different goodies. They’re anticipated to ship in October ’24 and January ’25 respectively — try Restricted Run’s web site for extra particulars. The Change model is pencilled in for launch later this yr.