Good news for fans of the Shantae platformer series — developer WayForward’s canceled Shantae Game Boy Advance (GBA) game will finally be released in early 2024, and on the GBA, no less! Titled “Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution,” the game will be available in a physical, GBA-compatible game cartridge.

• More MP1st Reading: Classic Video Games Now Less Commercially Available Than American Silent-Era Films, According to Study

A new video by WayForward was released which delved into the history of Shantae Advance and why it was cancelled back in the early 2000’s:

According to Matt Bozon, creative director at WayForward, Shantae Advance was cancelled for multiple reasons. The “retail-driven” market at the time restricted creative freedom, and with sales for Shantae not doing well during Shantae Advance’s development, the project was shelved. Now given the opportunity to work on it again, it seems WayForward is pulling out all the stops for Shantae Advance, with Game Link Cable support for up to four players using a single copy of the game.

Here’s an official description of Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution via press release:

Filling in the gaps between the original Shantae (2002) and Shantae: Risky’s Revenge (2010), Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution sees Shantae protecting Sequin Land from a twisted new plot orchestrated by her nemesis, the pirate Risky Boots. Using a secret subterranean device, Risky is able to rotate and rearrange the continent, plunging it into chaos and giving her more coastal cities to plunder. Fortunately, by harnessing this technology and the knowledge of the Relic Hunters, players will be able to turn the tables on Risky, giving Shantae new paths through environments and a chance to thwart the villain’s scheme.

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution will be published by Limited Run Games with an estimated early 2024 release date. More updates and additional info, such as the preorder window, will follow in the future, so keep your eyes peeled for that.