A Summer Launch Awaits Shantae Advance

Shantae Advance turned some heads when it was announced back in 2023. The game was a real project from back in 2002 that was ultimately abandoned before completion. Turn the clock ahead 20 years and Shantae Advance was suddenly being revived by WayForward in collaboration with Limited Run Games. Originally set for release in 2024, the game was pushed back to this year, but with no indication of when. Now, we have, well, still no release date, but we know the general timing: summer 2025.

WayForward isn’t simply finishing Shantae Advance, the studio is mixing the best of the GBA with modern console amenities. Here are the key features of the game:

• Discover the lost chapter of the Shantae saga, fully restored and released after 20 years!
• Fight and explore using your hair-whipping ability, magic items, and belly-dance transformations (including monkey, elephant, crab, and more)!
• Thwart Risky’s twisted plot in classic visual mode or with high-def portraits and menus!
• Spin and shift Front Yard and Back Yard playfields to create new routes and solve puzzles!
• Visit towns, battle through labyrinths, purchase upgrades, find collectables, and meet with friends like Rottytops, Sky, and Bolo!
• For the first time ever in a Shantae game, four players can compete in Battle Mode!

The game is technically already out—in physical form. Shantae Advance is a Limited Run Games offering, meaning a corresponding tangible copy of the game was part and parcel with the eventual digital release. Game Boy Advance cartridges were made featuring Shantae Advance and have already been shipped out to those who ordered them, but there have been some unhappy customers thus far.

 

According to the folks at Time Extension, there’s been some uproar over LRG manufacturing partner Retro-Bit Gaming sourcing used GBA chips to produce enough copies of Shantae Advance. Consumers are alleging to have received copies with chips bearing physical imperfections. It’s been enough of a point of consternation on social media that LRG made the following statement about the situation:

My understanding is that this is the largest run of new GBA games in over 15 years – 20,000 units – and to pull it off Retro-Bit had to source a lot of new old stock FRAM chips that are no longer widely manufactured. Due to the amount needed and the decades they’ve been in storage, there’s a wide variance in the visual aesthetic of the chips.

This does not impact the function of the chips and Retro-Bit has assured us that customers will have no issues with their cartridges. The cartridges have been tested across a wide variety of hardware: GBA, SP, Micro, DS, DS Lite, GameCube player, and Analogue pocket. Across the board we have had no issues with the operability or function of the cartridges. We have played through the game front to back at both LRG and WayForward hundreds of times. Customers will not have any issues playing or enjoying their cartridges for decades to come.

Imperfect chips notwithstanding, it’s still really impressive to see a game brought back from vaporwear to a living, breathing release. LRG invested a million of its own dollars into the project, so it’s a bit unfair to presume the company is simply being cheap with the physical version of Shantae Advance. Still, it’s also not the greatest situation for consumers to pay a pretty penny for a game and find out bits and pieces of the release were salvaged without being told beforehand.

What say you, readers? Will you download Shantae Advance? Did you order a physical copy and were you happy with the quality? Share below and online!

Source: WayForward Press Release