Shantae And The Pirate’s Curse Now Heading To Wii U

WayForward has revealed that Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse will be coming to the Wii U alongside the Nintendo 3DS version. Following the exclusive reveal and after many delays, the studio’s creative director Matt Bozon has pinned down a final launch window for both Wii U and 3DS versions, saying the game will release in late summer.

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse will take things in a new direction on the Wii U and blend HD visuals with pixel-based images. Along with supporting off-TV gameplay on the Wii U’s GamePad, the title will utilise the GamePad touch screen with an inventory management section and map, mirroring the 3DS touch screen use. For an insight into what Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse will deliver in terms of gameplay, Matt Bozon had the following to share with fans.

“The biggest shift is the Pirate Weapons. This time out Shantae can’t use her dance magic, so she’s forced to learn new tricks in order to vanquish foes and overcome puzzles. The pirate theme isn’t just for story; each item can be used offensively and defensively. You can destroy obstacles with your Scimitar, but it’s also a weapon. Same goes for the Flintlock Pistol – it can hit switches but also blasts monsters at long range. It’s a pretty big departure from the creature transformations seen in the other games in the series.

“The quest flow is quite different too, with Shantae and Risky sailing together from one land to the next. There is a lot of freedom to explore in Pirate’s Curse. We also have a MAP in the game! It works like the maps in Super Metroid or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which was a popular request by fans.

“Last, the scope is a huge change from Risky’s Revenge. Pirate’s Curse is the size and scope of a traditional retail game. After working on it non-stop for a full two years, we didn’t want to skimp on the size. It’s more than twice the size of the previous game!”