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Shantae: Half-Genie Hero |OT| Proving 0.5 Is Better Than 9

RK128

Member
Hey guys, I've always wanted to get a Shantae game but I never had the chance. I plan to fix that with this game but I have a question: Should I go with the Wii U or PS4 version?

I was considering getting the Vita version, but a friend says that's the worst version so I'll just let it go in that case. I don't know which of the two versions to get though and I would love some opinions so I can make a decision.

I recommend getting the Vita version of Half Genie Hero and the PS4 versions of Risky's Revenge and Pirates Curse.

My review of Half Genie Hero was based on the Vita version and outside of minor slowdown at very specific spots the game ran perfectly fine.

The PS4 versions of Risky's Revenge and Pirates Curse run well and are really cheap now (currently part of a holiday sale!) so get those as well.

If you want to get them all on PS4, that is fine as well. But for 30$ (if you get Half Genie Hero digitally) you will get three fun games for the holiday!
 

Zonic

Gives all the fucks
oh crap, now I have the 99% on my speedrun file. Trying to think, bought everything from both shops, got all the items in each stage, unlocked all the gallery doors & got said item from doing that, did the 4 options things before the final level, I'm almost done with the final stage at 2 hours 18 minutes....
 

Psxphile

Member
oh crap, now I have the 99% on my speedrun file. Trying to think, bought everything from both shops, got all the items in each stage, unlocked all the gallery doors & got said item from doing that, did the 4 options things before the final level, I'm almost done with the final stage at 2 hours 18 minutes....

completing the last stage gets you 1%
(I think)
 

Mithos

Member
oh crap, now I have the 99% on my speedrun file. Trying to think, bought everything from both shops, got all the items in each stage, unlocked all the gallery doors & got said item from doing that, did the 4 options things before the final level, I'm almost done with the final stage at 2 hours 18 minutes....

I think you missed the exact same thing I did...

Spoiler obv...
You need to do the 2 Trade items from the Snake shop/merchant once also. I missed doing this on my first playthrough.
 

Zonic

Gives all the fucks
I think you missed the exact same thing I did...

Spoiler obv...
Hmmm, I could've SWORN I did that, but I'll check. Maybe I forgot the useless one?

At the very least, maybe I can get both speedrun trophies now by going back, getting the last thing, then redo the final boss battle.

....bah, you can skip the final cutscenes but not the credits....

Edit: WELL HOT DAMN. Turns out I got 100%, just needed to beat the stage.

AND my speedrun time was 2:26:38, meaning I got BOTH SPEEDRUN TROPHIES, therefore platinuming the game.
 

tornjaw

Member
Anyone else not receive their backer codes (for Wii U)? I sent them an email on the 15th trying to sort it out and haven't received anything back yet. I was wondering if anyone was in the same boat.
 

Mithos

Member
Anyone else not receive their backer codes (for Wii U)? I sent them an email on the 15th trying to sort it out and haven't received anything back yet. I was wondering if anyone was in the same boat.

Login to your backerkit page or on wayforward.com and see if the code is listed on there?
It was for me and the mail telling be I had gotten my Wii U PAL code said to login on one of those pages.
 
Hmmm, I could've SWORN I did that, but I'll check. Maybe I forgot the useless one?

At the very least, maybe I can get both speedrun trophies now by going back, getting the last thing, then redo the final boss battle.

....bah, you can skip the final cutscenes but not the credits....

Edit: WELL HOT DAMN. Turns out I got 100%, just needed to beat the stage.

AND my speedrun time was 2:26:38, meaning I got BOTH SPEEDRUN TROPHIES, therefore platinuming the game.
Any advice on how to speedrun the game? I'm trying to make this my first platinum!
 

Zonic

Gives all the fucks
Any advice on how to speedrun the game? I'm trying to make this my first platinum!
Beat the game first so you can have a good idea of the stage layout & such, plus you'll unlock
Hero Mode, which gives you 5 of your animal transformations from the get-go
, which will make it much easier because you'll want to use Harpy to fly over everything. Maybe try to stop a few times to get some gems, but your main source will be from that one transformation, where I just sat in the item shop & grinded for money.

I kind of had a video up reminding me what stuff I could get on my first playthrough of each level, so that kind of helps.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
AND my speedrun time was 2:26:38, meaning I got BOTH SPEEDRUN TROPHIES, therefore platinuming the game.
Congrats! I got my platinum earlier today as well :) I like that you can first do the standard speedrun one and then continue doing the 100% one on the same save game. This was also my 60th platinum trophy.


Any advice on how to speedrun the game? I'm trying to make this my first platinum!
I would recommend beating the game at normal pace the first time and get 100% of all items. This was it can be easier to remember where most items are, at least the more important ones. And after you beat the game (maybe you already have), you can
start with certain abilities, like flying, which save time in several of stages
.

And if you forget where certain items are, save before starting a stage and search for the items. After you find the items, and you feel that you used too much time, just quit the game and start from the savegame again. Now you know where the items are and should use less time getting them.
 
Thanks guys! Yeah I had already beaten the game but I was missing some trophies so I wanted to get them all. Again this would be my first platinum if I got it haha!

I'm not that good getting trophies in games.
 

Zonic

Gives all the fucks
I'm just so glad because I was fast enough, the game counted for both speedrun times. I'm pretty sure the limits are 2:30 for #%, 3 hours for 100%, but I need to confirm this.

Thankfully, this was a rather easy platinum. There was only a few that gave me some trouble (don't get detected by the gators in the mermaid falls factory), but the game will give you skills that'll make it much easier later on if you're having trouble.
 

Cheerilee

Member
Congrats! I got my platinum earlier today as well :) I like that you can first do the standard speedrun one and then continue doing the 100% one on the same save game. This was also my 60th platinum trophy.



I would recommend beating the game at normal pace the first time and get 100% of all items. This was it can be easier to remember where most items are, at least the more important ones. And after you beat the game (maybe you already have), you can
start with certain abilities, like flying, which save time in several of stages
.

And if you forget where certain items are, save before starting a stage and search for the items. After you find the items, and you feel that you used too much time, just quit the game and start from the savegame again. Now you know where the items are and should use less time getting them.

Yep, you should pretty much take advantage of the save system. Start a stage, do a "dry run" where you take your time and figure out where you're going to go and what you're going to do, then when you get to the save checkpoint, don't save. Quit back out to the menu and try the stage all over again, this time doing it quickly. If you're satisfied that you made it from save-point to save-point with reasonable quickness, save and then take your time exploring where to go next again. Everything should be done in two passes, first an exploration run and then a "running" run.

I would suggest that not everything can be picked up on your first pass through the stage
not even in new game plus
, but you don't need to pick up 100% of the items to continue, so on your first pass through the stages just grab the items that are easily within reach. You can come back and collect more items later, and you can speed the collecting process up with the warp dance and the escape whistle.

I don't know how strict the judging is on the speed run (I haven't tried it yet), but taking some care to make sure simple things are done quick (like pressing the start button to skip conversations) gives you extra breathing room for areas where you might run into trouble.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
In Pirate's Curse, it was 2 hours for any run and 4 hours for 100% run. If Zonic got both trophies in one run at 2:26 as mentioned above here, then they should have extended the any run compared to the previous Shantae game. 100% run is probably still around 4 hours. I think i used a bit over 3 hours for that and i got the trophy.
 

Zonic

Gives all the fucks
Yup, this was my time & it gave me both speedrun trophies at the same time.

C0eLMOiXEAAyN4J.jpg

My understanding is that when you pause the game, the timer is paused as well, though I would sometimes just press the Home button & suspend the game, just to be extra safe.
 

Fuzzy

I would bang a hot farmer!
I wish we could pause or scroll through the credits to see our name. I beat it twice and the only way I could catch my name (I used my PSN name) was to find a YouTube video of the credits.
 
I wish we could pause or scroll through the credits to see our name. I beat it twice and the only way I could catch my name (I used my PSN name) was to find a YouTube video of the credits.
Lucky. My name wasn't on it...it's not a big deal though haha!

Why isn't my name there...
 

Fuzzy

I would bang a hot farmer!
No I supported the one that included the Your Name in the Credits Reward. Big surprise when I saw the credits haha...
Did you actually fill out the survey that asked what name you wanted listed? If you did and it didn't include anything obscene then that sucks.
 
Did you actually fill out the survey that asked what name you wanted listed? If you did and it didn't include anything obscene then that sucks.
Nope. Just my full name. First and last. Tried emailing them but no response. They're probably super busy though.

Actually I want to double check now just to make sure but I don't know where to go haha!
 

Levito

Banned
This game needs a map so badly, if they want us to play through levels so many times it'd be nice to be given a bit of an indication where the missing items are.
 

JackelZXA

Member
This game needs a map so badly, if they want us to play through levels so many times it'd be nice to be given a bit of an indication where the missing items are.

They might as well just give you the items then. It's not like they have a special puzzle in front of each one. By the time you get harpy form you can speed through those levels anyways. I usually wait until after chapter 5 to get most of the items, and it goes pretty fast. The levels changing when you go back and the warp/whistle are really good concessions for returning to them as is, I feel.

I'm sort of thinking of doing a playthrough of all 4 games again but this time not buying potions or pike balls in any game, I feel like pike ball makes you SO powerful that I'd end up really playing the games differently without it. (Similar for potions) Although...I haven't done the alternate modes in 2-4 yet. (Dancer, Pirate, Hero) Maybe speedrunning them would be fun, too...
 

Krelian

Member
I think I'm almost done with the game. Got 100% on my first playthrough at around 7 hours and got the speedrun 100% achievement on my second run. Now all that's left is the any% speedrun achievement and a few small ones (like the gator one).

This was my first Shantae game and I mostly backed it on a whim. But I'm very glad I did, I'm not sure I would've bought it otherwise since I haven't played any of the other games. I think I'll go and buy the previous games now, I'm in the mood for some more Shantae. And I'm pretty sure I'll get the next game as well.

This game needs a map so badly, if they want us to play through levels so many times it'd be nice to be given a bit of an indication where the missing items are.
That would make it too easy. The items are really not that difficult to find and the number of maps is very limited. Also, the later maps don't even have many secrets.
 

JackelZXA

Member
Brickroad just did a christmas speedrun of the game. He does skip all the cutscenes but spoiler warning on stages and bosses if you haven't beat the game yet:
https://youtu.be/A_jD1iy7yXE Watching it now while doing some art stuff. :D

Also wow I nabbed extra copies of Risky's Revenge and Pirate's Curse on PS4 since that's where I got Half Genie Hero, and boy the sale right now is 50% off plus another 50% off for PS Plus. I don't have Plus but my sale cost was like $15 so with Plus I woulda got both games for $7.50. (I think the console version of RR is supposed to be a little more polished than the steam release?)


And for anyone who doesn't know, Risky's Revenge is sort of a prequel to Pirate's Curse, so that'd be the order to play those games in. (They're pretty close in terms of art direction, so it won't feel too jarring to play them together, and since RR is pretty short you can jump to PC right after)
 
Just did the hidden trophy...
holy crap what a long battle! I've never had to use the mouse bite nearly that much before and it was just so long
! I was super glad I did it!

About the Final Escape, can you use the items like invulnerability or hovering while using lightning to beat that section and get the trophy? Cause I tried that but didn't get it. Although, that might be because I had hit the cogs before and to restart the part I just fell down the pits.
 

Zonic

Gives all the fucks
You can't retry that trophy by falling into a pit, you have to flat-out exit the stage & get back to that section for another attempt, but yes, hovering while using lightning or flamethrower will work just fine.
 
You can't retry that trophy by falling into a pit, you have to flat-out exit the stage & get back to that section for another attempt, but yes, hovering while using lightning or flamethrower will work just fine.
Okay. That's alright with me! What about invulnerability? Can I use that and just let the cogs pass through me?
 

Zonic

Gives all the fucks
I haven't tried that, but it's worth a shot I guess.

Also, tip for the final boss:
on the 2nd part, just use Obliterate once the 5 pillars are up & it'll instantly fill up all of them, making the battle go so much quicker
 
I haven't tried that, but it's worth a shot I guess.

Also, tip for the final boss:
on the 2nd part, just use Obliterate once the 5 pillars are up & it'll instantly fill up all of them, making the battle go so much quicker
Eh why not right? It's worth a try!

Yeah I stumbled on that and I thought it was the coolest and yet most hilarious thing ever!

Thanks for the help!
 
Just finished my first run. This is probably my favourite entry since the first game. Controls were smooth, game looked and sounded amazing, and the level design had a nice flow to it. The transformations were back, and their implementations were pretty good. I did struggle a bit with finding the
waterfall relic and some hearts
, but the checklist on the map screen alleviated a lot of potential frustrations. Things I didn't like about the game were the insta-death auto-scrolling sections. I don't like them in any game, and this is no exception. At least they didn't ruin the game for me like they did in Ori.

I did have some glitches here and there (Steam version). One was in the desert temple where breaking one of the statues teleported me into a wall, with no other options than to whistle my way out of there. I also had an instance where the music would skip in a cutscene until the next song loaded in. Nothing game-breaking luckily enough.
 
Oh I know it's not there haha! I was actually talking about double checking on that one website to make sure that I inputted my name correctly or that maybe it wasn't inputted at all. I'm fighting a losing battle heh heh.... :(

On a brighter note, I did the Escape silver trophy! Pretty happy about it! I now have every trophy minus the speedrun ones. Those might be a bit difficult for me since I tend to take my time A LOT haha!
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
I recommend getting the Vita version of Half Genie Hero and the PS4 versions of Risky's Revenge and Pirates Curse.

My review of Half Genie Hero was based on the Vita version and outside of minor slowdown at very specific spots the game ran perfectly fine.

The PS4 versions of Risky's Revenge and Pirates Curse run well and are really cheap now (currently part of a holiday sale!) so get those as well.

If you want to get them all on PS4, that is fine as well. But for 30$ (if you get Half Genie Hero digitally) you will get three fun games for the holiday!
Vita version runs poorly. Anywhere from 60fps to 30fps and everywhere in between. Feels wildly inconsistent.
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
So, how's the PC version? Previous games haven't had any advantages on the PC, but did have some stability issues... so I'm not sure if I should go with the PC or PS4 here.
 

GuardianE

Santa May Claus
Oh I know it's not there haha! I was actually talking about double checking on that one website to make sure that I inputted my name correctly or that maybe it wasn't inputted at all. I'm fighting a losing battle heh heh.... :(

A lot of people's names were removed for a variety of reasons, mine included. I had my username in quotes along with my name and they pulled it.

Supposedly they're going to contact everyone who they removed so they can put in a different name, but it's kind of annoying they didn't so before launch.
 
A lot of people's names were removed for a variety of reasons, mine included. I had my username in quotes along with my name and they pulled it.

Supposedly they're going to contact everyone who they removed so they can put in a different name, but it's kind of annoying they didn't so before launch.
Yeah I remember reading some posts like that. It was weird cause it was just my full name with nothing strange on it. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's because of the way I backed the project that might have made it so I don't get my name on the credits. I hope not!

Still, this is an awesome game. One of my favorites actually! I'm glad with what we got and can't wait for the extras to come.
 

RK128

Member
Vita version runs poorly. Anywhere from 60fps to 30fps and everywhere in between. Feels wildly inconsistent.

I must have played a different version than because the frame rate never really bothered me throughout my entire time playing the game when playing the Vita version.

Sorry the frame-rate/performance is a big issue for some for the Vita version though :(.
 
Bought this today and started playing earlier. I was surprised at the start being so similar to old entries, I thought I was playing the wrong game at first. It got good pretty quickly though, the music is really great and I like the characters so it feels good to be back. Excited to continue playing and see what more it has to offer.
 

RK128

Member
I want a DF comparison video of all versions.

I'm going to be honest and say I would like that too honestly. If the frame rate is different across all versions, it would be good to have a video so we can clearly tell how the game runs on everything.
 
Bought this today and started playing earlier. I was surprised at the start being so similar to old entries, I thought I was playing the wrong game at first. It got good pretty quickly though, the music is really great and I like the characters so it feels good to be back. Excited to continue playing and see what more it has to offer.

the first level especially reminded me of the first game. Need to play that again one day
 

KDR_11k

Member
Well, beat it, 92% or thereabouts. I have to say I didn't like it that much. The worst part is the way any spikes and holes throw you back to the beginning of the section (especially the tower is nasty with that as it includes several dead ends you don't spot until you run into them!). The forced backtracking doesn't endear the game to me either, "go back and find some secrets in these levels before the next one unlocks" is really demotivating. I'd go back to get actual upgrades by myself but having to get plot coupons that way feels wrong.

Also I made the mistake of dying on the final boss's final phase (mistake since I forgot to pause and use one of the LOADS of healing items the game threw at me) and had to do the two previous fights again too.

I'm sure the parts where I went "fuck this game" weren't the majority but they're the ones that stick in my mind. I used the bat to skip the second half of the mansion stage and didn't regret it one bit. Fuck platforming with such sparse checkpoints.

Hm, come to think of it, about a third of the game is parts that made me think "fuck this" (third third of stage 2, second and third third of stage 3, second half of stage 5, final boss gauntlet, part after final boss). None of them get in the way of backtracking fortunately.
 

Sevyne

Member
Really enjoyed the game, but it's not even in the same league as Pirate's Curse for me. Almost everything feels like 10 steps backwards from the previous game.

Listen, I'm not opposed to backtracking a bit every once in a while for some stuff, but this game uses this for progression to an extremely annoying level. I'd honestly hate see see how hollow of a game it would have been without hitting stretch goals with how little we ended up with here. It's almost Risky's Revenge level of lacking (arguably more).

What they did get right were transformations,visuals, and responsiveness. The game just feels really good to play and man does it look great.

If it weren't for the poor design in progression it could have sat close to Pirate's Curse, but that structure seems like some rookie shit that Wayforward should be far above by now.

It really pains me to come off as so negative for this game, because I do like it a lot (even with all of the flaws). As a huge long-time fan of Wayforward and the Shantae games I can't help that I feel let down.
 
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