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Shantae Returns On The DSi October 6

The DSi sequel to beloved GameBoy Color game Shantae finally has a release date. On October 4th, the newest entry in the series will be "ret-2-go!" The original Shantae is a platformer based around a half-genie in charge of protecting Port Town, a small fishing community. After nefarious pirate Risky Boots steals a prototype steam engine, Shantae quests through all of Sequin Land to get it back, utilizing her ponytail as a whip and transforming into various animals. And she belly dances too.

The Shantae series is yet another series that I've felt rather bad for. Despite its quality, it's never gotten the respect it deserves. It came out a good deal after the GameBoy Advance had already taken over as the prime handheld, and the less than amazing sales of the first game did the sequel no favors in getting made. In fact, the sheer existance of this game in a testament to the fanbase and to Shantae creator Matt Bozon. Matt Bozon actually created Shantae in his spare time and also did much work on an unreleased GBA sequel titled Shantae Advance. But due to the low sales of the original, retailers and analysts recommended multiple platformed release or some type of cross-media tie-in.

In a 2007 response to an IGN fanmail, Bozon mentions how they would make a version of Shantae everytime they got a new platform. Shantae has been made "on Gamecube, GBA, DS and Wii, and a few other dabblings in mobile and Plug and Play, and web, and somewhat of a false start on PSP." Nintendo Power had previously revealed that this was the first in a trilogy, though I don't know if this is still true. Hopefully, this eight year lapse will herald a glorious return for the franchise.