Possibly lost in the shuffle of all the big announcements that took place during the Apple Arcade reveal was WayForward Games’ Shantae 5, which was mixed into the software bunch. Separate from the snippet of gameplay that was on display for the upcoming side-scrolling platformer was a tweet sent out by WayForward to formally announce that the game would be arriving later this year for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and on iOS devices for the Apple Arcade.
Today we’re thrilled to announce Shantae 5! You’re invited to join Shantae in a brand-new adventure later this year on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC… AND the newly announced Apple Arcade! Stay tuned for more details! Learn more about Apple Arcade at https://t.co/KwXqXtb2ft pic.twitter.com/SFc1iOswHT
— WayForward (@WayForward) March 25, 2019
The tweet is cleverly done insofar that the numerical ‘5’ is made in the shape of Shantae’s magical hair. It’s an easy thing to miss if you aren’t readily paying attention.
The game only very briefly appeared in the Apple Arcade trailer while they were showing off some of the other, more prominent, games to lure in casuals to the subscription service due out this fall.
You can check out the original Apple Arcade announcement trailer below.
As for Shantae 5… details are scant. WayForward didn’t really reveal anything so there isn’t much to go on. The last major outing for the game was back in 2016 with Shantae: Half-Genie Hero.
WayForward followed up with a digital release of the 2D platformer for the Nintendo Switch back in mid 2017, just a couple of months after the Switch had launched. A year later they struck a deal with XSeed Games and launched a physical version of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero for the Switch in 2018.
So between 2016 and 2019 they’ve had three good years to dedicate to working on Shantae 5 for home consoles, PC, and whatever you want to call the Apple Arcade.
There’s no release date set in stone yet, but it will likely be a launch title for the Apple Arcade. I’m pretty ambivalent toward Apple’s subscription system. It’s bad but at least it offers an offline mode, so you’re not locked out of your content like the Google Stadia if you lose internet access. You also don’t have to worry about losing all access to your library of games if you commit wrongthink like with Google Stadia, which is just ridiculously totalitarian. Again, this isn’t to say that the Apple Arcade is good in anyway, but it sure as heck isn’t as anti-consumer as Stadia.
Anyway, stay tuned in for more info on Shantae 5 as it becomes available. For more info on Shantae, feel free to visit the official WayForward website.
