Shantae and the Pirate's Curse

"Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is an upcoming platform game currently in development by WayForward Technologies for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the third game in the Shantae series, following Shantae: Risky's Revenge, and will be released on the Nintendo eShop in 2013. The game was announced in the November 2012 edition of Nintendo Power.

Plot

Following the events of Shantae: Risky's Revenge, in which the genie girl Shantae was forced to defeat the embodiment of her own powers, Shantae has been adjusting to a life without genie powers. However, one day, Shantae is approached by her old nemesis, Risky Boots, who informs her that her genie magic was shattered into thirty shards. These shards had fused with Risky's minions, causing them to become more powerful and overthrow Risky, plotting to ressurect her old mentor, The Pirate Master, spelling doom for all of Sequin Land.

Offering a deal in which Shantae can regain her magic and Risky can regain her former glory, the two strike up a reluctant alliance to recover the magic shards and thwart Pirate Master's revival. Without her genie powers, Shantae is forced to learn how to be a pirate to make it through her quest.

Gameplay

Players take control of the djinn Shantae, as she tries to recover the thirty shards of genie magic scattered across Sequin Land. Unlike previous games, in which Shantae used her genie magic to take various forms, she must now seek out various Pirate Gear to progress through the game. These items include daggers, pistols, scimitars, cannons and anchor grappling hooks.

Many of these items have multiple uses; the daggers, for example, can be used to create footholds on walls as well as attack enemies. Pirate Gear can be upgraded throughout the game to make them more effective.

New and old locations throughout Sequin Land will appear. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is said to be twice as large as Shantae: Risky's Revenge and that the player will traverse new areas such as the underworld and the heavens. The map system from the previous instalment will be changed to a more Metroid-style map system and like Metroid, there will be hidden paths.

The game will also feature 3D effects similar to Mighty Switch Force!, another Wayforward title."

Source: Wikipedia, "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse", available under the CC-BY-SA License.