Shantae is a platform adventure developed by WayForward and published by Capcom for the Game Boy Color in North America on June 4, 2002. Matt Bozon directed, designed and wrote it; Erin Bozon created the half-genie heroine and Jake Kaufman composed the music. WayForward first imagined the project in 1997 as a 3D game for PC or PlayStation, and Bozon later planned it for the SNES.
The cartridge needed 4 MB of ROM plus battery-backed RAM, which made it costly. WayForward spent years looking for a publisher before Capcom signed it, and by the time it shipped the Game Boy Advance was already on sale. Programmer Jimmy Huey reused his Xtreme Sports engine to pull off parallax scrolling and transparency on the older handheld.
The small print run made the original cartridge a rarity. Europe, Australia and New Zealand first got the game officially through the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in 2013; a Switch version followed on April 22, 2021, and PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions on June 2, 2023.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Shantae | Game Boy Color | Jun 4, 2002 | Capcom | 1 |
| NA | ShantaeNew physical cartridges; announced July 2020, pre-orders from September 2020 | Game Boy Color | 2020 | Limited Run Games | 1 |
| WW | ShantaeVirtual Console; first official release in Europe, Australia and New Zealand | Nintendo 3DS | Jul 18, 2013 | WayForward | 1 |
| WW | ShantaeEmulated with Modern Vintage Gamer's Carbon Engine | Switch | Apr 22, 2021 | WayForward | 1 |
| WW | ShantaeAlso on PlayStation 5 | PlayStation 4 | Jun 2, 2023 | WayForward | 1 |
Box art by region
NA Shantae
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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GraphicsGBC on Game Boy Advance
On a Game Boy Advance the cartridge switches on a special mode that brightens the colors, which otherwise look dark on that screen, and adds a few bonus features.1
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GameplaySwitch (2021)
The 2021 Switch port lets you toggle the GBA enhancements and adds save states, extra display options and an in-game art gallery.1
Reception
Reviews at launch were mostly positive, with a 78% GameRankings average: IGN gave 9/10 and GameSpot 7.7/10, while Game Informer stood out with 3/10. Sales figures were never published. Matt Bozon said roughly 20,000–25,000 copies were made and all sold, with no second print run, which turned the cartridge into one of the rarest Game Boy Color games.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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