Proto:Shantae

This page details one or more prototype versions of Shantae.

  This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.

This page is rather stubbly and could use some expansion. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue this article?

An early prototype of Shantae was released by Gaming Alexandria on December 5th, 2020. The prototype was found on a DVD-R backup used by Interplay Entertainment, presumably due to the prototype being shopped around to multiple interested publishers before Capcom picked up the rights.

Differences

General

The prototype has no sounds or music. There is no item menu available. Falling in any of the holes in the available levels or losing all three hearts does not reduce any lifes, but does restart the level. The status bar at the bottom of the game shows 10 hearts, of which 7 empty, and does not show anything in the item slot where it shows 'OUT' in the final game if no item is held. Shantae also starts with two lifes instead of four.

Title Screen

Proto	Final

Just about everything on the title screen is different in the prototype.

• The screen uses purple instead of red.
• Shantae is positioned to the left of the screen and from her waist up, rather than having a close-up of her face. She also has a different, more neutral pose.
• The logo design is identical outside of missing the oval.
  • There is also text above the logo reading DEMO VERSION.
• The "PRESS START" box and text are completely different.
• the Licensed by Nintendo text is absent.

Following the title screen, a menu pops up with four options. 'Intro' leads to the same introductory scene as in the final game, but ends after Risky Boots takes off and has no dialogue. 'Laby1' takes the player straight to the entrance of Dribble Fountain. 'TS1' leads to the Scarecrow Fields, and 'Title' goes back to the title screen. This menu uses the same colours as the debug menu in the final game.

Intro

Proto	Final

The prototype's introduction starts the same as the final game, with Shantae and Scuttle Town getting attacked by Risky's pirates, but there is no dialogue yet. After running over the bridge Shantae encounters Risky like in the final game with Risky's animations for the encounter present but Shantae's angry animations not implemented yet. Unlike the final game, Shantae can move freely after the encounter, but it is not possible to go back to the bridge by moving left. Moving to the right sends the game back to the title screen. There are no visual differences between the prototype's introduction and the final game's introduction.

Transformation Dances

The dance mode is available, with the 'B', 'left' and 'down' buttons having their unique dances implemented. The 'up' and 'A' buttons do not have any dances yet, and the 'right' button has a mirrored version of the left button dance instead of the unique dance it has in the final game. The monkey transformation is present in the prototype and fully functional. No other transformations are playable.

Levels

To do: Document the differences of the full Dribble Fountain map

There are three level options present, with 'Laby1' and 'TS1' starting at different positions of the same world. 'Laby1' starts at the entrance of Dribble Fountain, the first labyrinth of the final game. It is missing the 'eye' on top of the entrance in the prototype.

Dribble Fountain can be entered. Doing so leads to the only cutscene with text in the game.

Shantae: Hold it you rat!
Risky Boots: What?!? Oh, it's you.
Risky Boots: You're a silly little girl if you think you can stop me from wrecking this demo!  Ta-ta!

It uses the same animations as the ones used in the final game for this scene, but with different dialogue. Once again, Risky's animations are present, but Shantae's aren't.

It is possible to enter the labyrinth further and play the level as it is fully functional. There are some differences between the prototype labyrinth and the final labyrinth:

• There are less vases throughout the level.
• The watercrab enemies look different in the prototype.
• The watergal enemies have a different death animation. Rather than bursting into bubbles like in the final game, they melt into what looks like lava.
• There is an additional hallway early on in the map. This hallway contains 6 vases with gold and hearts, and leads to a big, open area. Exploring the area in monkey form reveals it's just a big, empty room.
• There are no Warp Squids in the prototype. In one of the areas where a Warp Squid is normally rescued, a chest containing an item that looks like a scroll resides instead. This scroll cannot be used or viewed as there is no item menu in the prototype. In another area where a Warp Squid is normally rescued, a '1UP' consumable is found instead.
• When finding a key, the animation of the dropped key is greater, and the actual key is smaller and is a flashing red and gold, rather than the full gold colour it has in the final game.
• The last room of the labyrinth, where in the final game it holds the guardian captive, there is nothing present. The prototype level ends here.

The watercrab enemy in the prototype.

The different death animation of the watergal enemy in the prototype.

'TS1' starts at the very left of the Scarecrow Fields. The map of the Scarecrow Fields is completely finished and the same as that of the final game, but it is missing the items, consumables and enemies it has in the final game. On the left side of the map, scarecrow enemies spawn continuously, but they do not drop any gold. The signboards on the left and right sides of the map can not be interacted with. The right end of the Scarecrow Fields leads back to the entrance of the Dribble Fountain. Oddly enough, going left from the entrance of Dribble Fountain to the Scarecrow Fields in monkey form automatically moves monkey Shantae back to the entrance of Dribble Fountain. This does not happen in human form.

Going to the left from the Scarecrow Fields, or to the right from the Dribble Fountain entrance, leads to the entrance of Scuttle Town. Scuttle town cannot be entered. There are no other levels present.