r/ScuttleTown

Shantae is my special interest. I am both obsessed with the franchise and the character herself. I am going to info dump about why I like Shantae so much in this post. BTW I’m writing this in a Google Doc, so if the tone is too professional, it’s because I’m in essay writing mode.

Reason 1: The gameplay.

The genre of the Shantae games is Metroidvania, which is probably my favorite genre. However, a problem with Metroidvanias is that I usually get lost quite a bit. That is less of a problem in the Shantae games, as the level design is more linear. Usually, when backtracking, you’ll either go back to the area you just went through the first time, or it’ll give a hint where you need to go next. Also, most of the areas are linear chunks or levels, so it’s not hard to find where you need to go. This deals with my biggest problem with Metroidvanias while keeping my favorite part, which is the feeling of getting more powerful the further you get through the game, which Shantae is very good at giving. You both get more movement abilities (pirate gear in Pirate’s Curse, transformation dances in every other game), but you can also buy and upgrade your spells in the shop, and upgrade your hair whip, which is the main way to attack. This leads to a very satisfying sense of progression throughout each game.

Reason 2: The “fanservice” and designs.

Shantae is commonly mistaken as a porn game by non-fans. Due to how nearly every woman character (including a lot of enemies) at least has a bare midriff. However, as I’ve already stated, the gameplay is quite good by itself. But the “fanservice” is quite unique in that the designs aren’t just using sex appeal to trick people into thinking they’re good. The designs both have a balanced blend of cute and sexy as well as just being really well designed in general (Probably why they choose midriffs, since the midriff is sexy while the belly button is cute). Shantae’s design masterfully uses color theory as an example; I learned this from a video I’ll link if I can find it. Though of course, being able to see belly buttons the whole time I’m playing is definitely a plus in my book, as they’re another special interest of mine. A common criticism is the lack of body diversity, and how the only plus-size women in the series specifically wear less revealing clothing. I do agree with that, and hope we see a plus-size woman who gets to wear a crop top later in the series.

Reason 3: the aesthetic. (TW: mention of orientalism and stereotypes of east asian people)

I plan to detail this in another post, but in short: the “Arabian Nights” as it's commonly called (though I prefer to call it desert fantasy for reasons that’ll make sense) is a special interest of mine. But I am aware of how its origins are from Orientalism and how many media that use it include offensive stereotypes of east asian people. The hand cutting off thing from Aladdin is a good example. And how, overall, the trope can get ignorant people confused about actually east asian culture. However, I personally still really enjoy the aesthetic and try to distance it from my perception of actual east asian culture and people as much as possible, and want it distanced from harmful stereotypes as well. That’s why I like Shantae so much. It uses this aesthetic without using any harmful stereotypes that I know of. It also distances itself from actual east asian history, as it takes place in a tech-regressed future. It also has Scuttle Town (the town Shantae lives in) be a port city and gives Sequin Land (the country the games take place in) quite a bit of fertile land and farms. Making it more realistic than other media that use this aesthetic that just have the whole kingdom as a large desert. There is usually only one fully desert area in each game. Leaving what I like about this aesthetic, which is the style of architecture, belly dancing, and style of clothing. Bedlah babes galore!

Thanks for reading my info dump.