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Just A Friend
Jan 11, 2010




"Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero" is a 2016 2D Sidescroller/Metroidvania by Wayforward. It is the fourth game in the Shantae series which started on the Gameboy Color. This is the first HD one! It was successfully kickstarted back in 2013 and came out on pretty much all platforms!

As the name suggests, the games feature a Half Genie called Shantae. Who attacks with her purple hair! This one in particular has some super beautiful art and levels. HGH is a little more dialogue heavy than your typical Metroidvania but no worries, the writing is mostly great!

The game basically feels like it was made for me, as it somehow features most of the things I put in a Game-jam game I made myself years back.


I'll be playing the PC version. It's not a very long game, it has 5 linear levels you can revisit (and will revisit often) and a final 6th one. So the videos are delineated by level (like 1-1 and 1-2 to finish out the first level). Usually there's some set-up before the next level unlocks.

The game also features many different kinds of modes and DLC. They mostly re-use a lot of content/levels. I won't be playing through all of them, maybe show off a few modes or DLC after the main run.

Pandariots aka Sinatrapods or simply Pods will normally be joining me for (most of) the playthrough.

Let's Play & Break?
Not this time! There's not really much to break. It's just a fun, very tight game we're gonna enjoy.

Any place to support you?
Yes! I have a patreon at https://www.patreon.com/jaffy.

You can also find my previous stuff on the kilobops website. Alternatively on LPArchive.org or on my YouTube channel itself.

Finally, you can join my discord if you wish! https://discord.gg/8hgEeuR
















































Just A Friend fucked around with this message at 17:47 on Mar 28, 2021

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Just A Friend
Jan 11, 2010




morallyobjected
Nov 3, 2012
This was my first Shantae game! I got Seven Sirens as well, which I think is slightly better overall, but this one was still a lot of fun

I agree that the animation work is just generally a joy to look at

Beartaco
Apr 10, 2007

by sebmojo
I'm really looking forward to this! I've heard great things about this game so I'm excited to see what it's all about.

Psycho Knight
Jan 19, 2017

"Being a fangame and not bound to a rating, Pokemon Reborn is able to expand more on topics such as death and the extreme dangers Pokemon could pose. These topics...are treated with the respect such a subject deserves."

Let's throw a Medicham into a volcano and make it give the T2 thumbs up!
I grabbed Risky's Revenge from the PS Store shortly after it was listed there because I was in the mood for a platformer and since then I've been picking up every one of these games that comes out. They're great.

This one is my favourite of the series, personally. Seven Sirens was all right and it did make some small tweaks that I liked, but overall it didn't reach the same level as this one.

azren
Feb 14, 2011


I watched someone's playthrough of the previous one, and was pretty impressed. Kinda surprised that this one doesn't have as much voice acting, but it's definitely pretty.

(Unless I'm making up the voice acting for 3, I don't remember)

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014
I read about the original Game boy game decade and a half ago but didn't play until Pirate's Curse and then played Risky's Revenge followed by HGH, still haven't played Seven Sirens though I have it and have seen a play through of it.

Also the kid's remark was cause his mom doesn't want him looking at the genie girl in harem dancer attire.

And yeah, Shantae is really good at letting players jump on at any game without issue as it gets them up to speed on what's happened so far.

Steven Universe isn't post apocalypse as it is a world that narrowly avoided an apocalypse, Monster Hunter can be considered post apocalypse though.

Additionally, Tinkerbats in Pirate's Curse were shown to have a more bat-like form called Cacklebats

Chimera-gui fucked around with this message at 07:10 on Feb 16, 2021

Just A Friend
Jan 11, 2010

Chimera-gui posted:

Steven Universe isn't post apocalypse as it is a world that narrowly avoided an apocalypse, Monster Hunter can be considered post apocalypse though.
Maybe I was thinking of Adventure Time instead. That's probably more correct.

I played it back when Apple Arcade was new and there was only a Part 1. I should play the full thing sometime, and maybe not on iOS haha. But I like what I had played!

AtomikKrab
Jul 17, 2010

Keep on GOP rolling rolling rolling rolling.

That was a neat video.

Also the post apocalypse undertones.

Just A Friend
Jan 11, 2010

We didn't see much actual game play yet, I didn't want to leave you hanging, so....






Time for P.O.O.P. T.O.O.T.!

DoubleNegative
Jan 27, 2010

The most virtuous child in the entire world.
My friend gifted me this for Christmas. I've been really enjoying playing it. It's too adorable!

Also if you want to hear the song from the update more clearly, the woman who sang it uploaded it to her personal channel

AtomikKrab
Jul 17, 2010

Keep on GOP rolling rolling rolling rolling.

Game is very wholesome, good for the soul.

Nidoking
Jan 27, 2009

I fought the lava, and the lava won.
It's probably not the case that I'm the reason that Chef Girl is in this game, but I take credit for it anyway.

Coolguye
Jul 6, 2011

Required by his programming!
it seems like a bit of a tease to comment on how good the music is in this game when you've got it turned down so low that only people who are part bat like me can hear it.

Just A Friend
Jan 11, 2010

Coolguye posted:

it seems like a bit of a tease to comment on how good the music is in this game when you've got it turned down so low that only people who are part bat like me can hear it.
Mixing the audio to a level that pleases everyone is quite tricky. I'll work on the mixing for the next videos, see if we don't get drowned out if I raise it. For now, check out the below link.

DoubleNegative posted:

Also if you want to hear the song from the update more clearly, the woman who sang it uploaded it to her personal channel

morallyobjected
Nov 3, 2012

Just A Friend posted:

Mixing the audio to a level that pleases everyone is quite tricky. I'll work on the mixing for the next videos, see if we don't get drowned out if I raise it. For now, check out the below link.

I don't know if your recording/editing process supports it, but have you ever tried auto ducking? I feel like that used to be popular to do with video LPs. or maybe you do that and I just didn't notice

personally though I thought it was fine, but maybe that would be a possible solution for everyone

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014
While Risky isn't a Genie, at least not to anyone's knowledge, she does possess magic albeit dark magic presumably hence her pale skintone and ability to control the Tinkerbats.

In Pirate's Curse, it's explained that she and the Tinkerbats originally served the Pirate Master: A creature that was frighteningly powerful to the point it took the combined power of all the Genies in Sequin Land to seal him away from the world in a lonely grave on an isolated island at which point his first mate, Risky Boots, inherited his Tinkerbats and Pirate Gear as well as taking his face and turning it into her bustier and belt to add further insult to injury.

Chimera-gui fucked around with this message at 00:22 on Jan 10, 2021

Just A Friend
Jan 11, 2010

morallyobjected posted:

I don't know if your recording/editing process supports it, but have you ever tried auto ducking? I feel like that used to be popular to do with video LPs. or maybe you do that and I just didn't notice

personally though I thought it was fine, but maybe that would be a possible solution for everyone
It does support it! Actually I tried using audacity's auto ducking while editing 1-2, precisely for that song. But we talked so much, there were barely some seconds the full volume was raised up and it just felt annoying more than anything.

Anyway I'm raising the game audio in the act 2 vids, so let me know then if it's any better.

Chimera-gui posted:

While Risky isn't a Genie, at least not to anyone's knowledge, she does possess magic albeit dark magic presumably hence her pale skintone and ability to control the Tinkerbats.

In Pirate's Curse, it's explained that she and the Tinkerbats originally served the Pirate Master: A creature that was frighteningly powerful to the point it took the combined power of all the Genies in Sequin Land to seal him away from the world in a lonely grave on an isolated island at which his first mate Risky Boots inherited his Tinkerbats and Pirate Gear as well as taking his face and turning it into her bustier and belt to add further insult to injury.
Interesting stuff! I'm down to learn some more of the Shantae Lore.

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014
I don't know if you plan to LP Risky's Revenge, Pirate's Curse and/or Seven Sirens so I'm trying to be careful about what say regarding them hence the spoiler tags.

What I can say is that in Seven Sirens, the Guardian Genies are implied to each have a specific magic specialty that is normally exclusive to them and their respective offspring meaning that Shantae's shape shifting power was inherited from her mother.

Kibayasu
Mar 28, 2010

Seems like half-genies may need a union!

Nidoking
Jan 27, 2009

I fought the lava, and the lava won.

Kibayasu posted:

Seems like half-genies may need a union!

In a sense, that is actually how Seven Sirens goes.

azren
Feb 14, 2011


That loving mayor...

So in Pirate's Curse, (this is going off of memory) The action was kicked off because they mayor sold the town to a pirate because he's a greedy fuckwit. Said pirate was trying to turn the town into a huge weaponized fortress. Shantae, despite having had her genie powers stolen, still managed to win the town back, and worked with Risky fight against the aforementioned Pirate Master, getting her powers back at the end to finish the job. So my point is, why does this fucker still have a job? And what the gently caress is he doing firing the woman who stopped Superdeath McGhostfucker? It's not like there was some kind of early warning system, and it's not like she was anywhere near where the attack happened. :rant:

Just A Friend
Jan 11, 2010

Time for Act 2! Is the audio mixing an improvement?






All Monkey Business here.

Nidoking
Jan 27, 2009

I fought the lava, and the lava won.
Fun Kickstarter facts: Holly's existence in the game was one of the stretch goals. There are two chapters in the game that were added that way, which leaves me wondering how much of the game there would have been had they not met those goals. They also had two chapters that weren't funded, so there could have been even more.

There was a mermaid transformation in one of the earlier games. The series has a lot of variety.

bbcisdabomb
Jan 15, 2008

SHEESH

Nidoking posted:

Fun Kickstarter facts: Holly's existence in the game was one of the stretch goals. There are two chapters in the game that were added that way, which leaves me wondering how much of the game there would have been had they not met those goals. They also had two chapters that weren't funded, so there could have been even more.

I really wanted one of the later stretch goals that didn't get hit, but I really love the way it was handled as it came out.

I do wish the two extra chapters were released as DLC, but I understand Wayforward didn't want the backlash that would have inevitably have caused.

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014
Shantae's hair isn't actually tied to her magic as she was able to whip her hair even without magic which is good considering a major plot point in Pirate's Curse:

azren posted:

So in Pirate's Curse, (this is going off of memory) The action was kicked off because they mayor sold the town to a pirate because he's a greedy fuckwit. Said pirate was trying to turn the town into a huge weaponized fortress. Shantae, despite having had her genie powers stolen, still managed to win the town back, and worked with Risky fight against the aforementioned Pirate Master, getting her powers back at the end to finish the job.
You're more or less right though Ammo Baron is treated as a military leader rather than a pirate like Risky, he is part of a group who are collectively described as "thieving bandits who pass themselves off as artifact collectors" by a character we'll meet later though.

Just A Friend
Jan 11, 2010

Nidoking posted:

Fun Kickstarter facts: Holly's existence in the game was one of the stretch goals. There are two chapters in the game that were added that way, which leaves me wondering how much of the game there would have been had they not met those goals. They also had two chapters that weren't funded, so there could have been even more.

Ohh I didn't know that. As I wasn't a fan of the series just yet, I didn't follow the kickstarted closely. I do know the DLC's that did come were stretch goals.

Beartaco
Apr 10, 2007

by sebmojo
Why did you decide to LP this one, specifically?

That monkey is so cute, I'm really looking forward to seeing the other transformations.

Just A Friend
Jan 11, 2010

Beartaco posted:

Why did you decide to LP this one, specifically?

Simply because it's the first one I played and then promptly fell in love with. Still didn't go back and play the older ones, haha.

Just A Friend
Jan 11, 2010






*BONK*

Psycho Knight
Jan 19, 2017

"Being a fangame and not bound to a rating, Pokemon Reborn is able to expand more on topics such as death and the extreme dangers Pokemon could pose. These topics...are treated with the respect such a subject deserves."

Let's throw a Medicham into a volcano and make it give the T2 thumbs up!
This level has always been one of the more potentially horrifying things in this normally goofy game series. Like, a ton of mermaids must have been sold as food for him to have a "demand is high, supplies are low" situation. There's also no way that Shantae stopped a production facility designed to turn girls into faux mermaids faster than they could be sold. At least some of those missing girls were eaten by monsters. I don't recall there being any handwave about it either.

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014
Fun fact: Tuki is one of four monsters designed by fan backers and the only non-aggressive one of those four despite her fellow Naga replacing the Mermaids as the primary enemy of Mermaid Falls once the chapter is complete.

Carbon dioxide
Oct 9, 2012

That Blobfish transformation is absolutely horrible.

This is a blobfish in its natural state:



The meme image they also used at least for the icon for the transformation is the result of bringing it up from the high-pressure ocean depths without precautions, causing it to suffer from a horrible death by explosive decompression.

So that transformation turns you into the reanimated corpse of a fish that died of explosive decompression. Brrr.

Kibayasu
Mar 28, 2010

Psycho Knight posted:

This level has always been one of the more potentially horrifying things in this normally goofy game series. Like, a ton of mermaids must have been sold as food for him to have a "demand is high, supplies are low" situation. There's also no way that Shantae stopped a production facility designed to turn girls into faux mermaids faster than they could be sold. At least some of those missing girls were eaten by monsters. I don't recall there being any handwave about it either.

Assuming mermaids still work like regular fish I'm also choosing not to think about why the queen is captured :v:

Just A Friend
Jan 11, 2010

Carbon dioxide posted:

That Blobfish transformation is absolutely horrible.

This is a blobfish in its natural state:



The meme image they also used at least for the icon for the transformation is the result of bringing it up from the high-pressure ocean depths without precautions, causing it to suffer from a horrible death by explosive decompression.

So that transformation turns you into the reanimated corpse of a fish that died of explosive decompression. Brrr.

Psycho Knight posted:

This level has always been one of the more potentially horrifying things in this normally goofy game series. Like, a ton of mermaids must have been sold as food for him to have a "demand is high, supplies are low" situation. There's also no way that Shantae stopped a production facility designed to turn girls into faux mermaids faster than they could be sold. At least some of those missing girls were eaten by monsters. I don't recall there being any handwave about it either.
Is this game actually horrible? Oh god I don't wanna think about it...






What am I supposed to write here again?

Kikas
Oct 30, 2012

Having a normal one

AGDQ 2018 Awful Block Survivor


The only thing the new dance made me think of was:

Slaan
Mar 16, 2009



ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH
Hang in there, crab

Psycho Knight
Jan 19, 2017

"Being a fangame and not bound to a rating, Pokemon Reborn is able to expand more on topics such as death and the extreme dangers Pokemon could pose. These topics...are treated with the respect such a subject deserves."

Let's throw a Medicham into a volcano and make it give the T2 thumbs up!

Just A Friend posted:

Is this game actually horrible? Oh god I don't wanna think about it...

Remember kids, when you are writing a script that you want to be lighthearted or goofy, make sure to handwave any implications of death or other horrible things. Because when you don't address it, it immediately becomes horrifying since the audience is left to fill in the blanks themselves.

Kikas posted:

The only thing the new dance made me think of was:

It makes me think of Crab Rave on Beat Saber, because that song is always the bane of my Beat Saber sessions. I can only barely pass it on Hard, but I still love it.


I think this is the moment where everything gets somehow even more fanservice-y in a little bit. The desert setting is familiar, although I can't remember if it happens now or later.

Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 14:56 on Jan 21, 2021

Nidoking
Jan 27, 2009

I fought the lava, and the lava won.

Psycho Knight posted:

I think this is the moment where everything gets somehow even more fanservice-y in a little bit. The desert setting is familiar, although I can't remember if it happens now or later.

Earlier. Much earlier. An entire game's worth of earlier.

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Psycho Knight
Jan 19, 2017

"Being a fangame and not bound to a rating, Pokemon Reborn is able to expand more on topics such as death and the extreme dangers Pokemon could pose. These topics...are treated with the respect such a subject deserves."

Let's throw a Medicham into a volcano and make it give the T2 thumbs up!

Nidoking posted:

Earlier. Much earlier. An entire game's worth of earlier.

Really? That was Pirate's Curse?

Then again, I suppose we are missing some characters that are in that scene. I guess I'm remembering the setting and artwork rather than in-game graphics.

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