Shanna

Shanna

Release type: Shareware
Release date: August 15, 1994
Levels: 1 (in demo version)
Author: Angelo Felix
Website: Nahunta.org
Registration bonus: Full game
Registration price: $10
Related games: Firefall

On its own merits, Shanna is a rather unassuming, cleanly presented platformer. You’re a knight off to find the eponymous lost little girl.

Although the game is hardly ambitious, Angelo Felix exhibits a better-than-average mastery of (very early) Game-Maker’s quirks, has his own voice, and manages to paint a game that is enjoyable on its own terms regardless of the whole Game-Maker thing. Rather like Mark Hadley, Felix avoids enough of the typical pitfalls, complications, and tropes of many of his peers’ games that Shanna hardly feels like a Game-Maker game. It’s just simple, charming, and itself.

The visuals are mostly original, and for their part are both striking and appealing. Something about the world that the game paints, with its spare yet well-defined, slightly surreal imagery -- the occasional enormous sunflower, the confusing leaf monster sections, the chunky red bricks, the classical way the scores drift up from slain monsters -- exhibits a refreshing spirit. With just a little a nudge and some polish, this could get really interesting.

Hidden leaf monsters in Shanna

Yet there is a bit of trickiness at work; some of the monsters and weapons appear to have been borrowed from Firefall. It’s not hard to tell the original, if you’ve used Deluxe Paint and have a grasp of VGA palettes. It's unclear why Felix felt compelled to borrow the sprites, as he has such a lovely visual style of his own, and frankly Shanna is a much better game than Firefall. You will notice, though, that Felix put some effort into hiding the theft. He only borrowed the animation frames he needed, and then altered them a bit to match the game’s style. If anything, his edited axe is more attractive than the original.

As it turns out, Felix named Shanna after his daughter. This may explain the game's intangible appeal. However rough the tools or execution, it's always obvious when someone puts his or her spirit into a work. And that's probably the quality that elevates Shanna beyond its elements. Its author just cared a heck of a lot about what he was doing.

Story

The map to Shanna

Shanna, a cute little pig-tailed girl, was out running around one day with Mandy when her good friend Te'Tare got lost. She had to find him! So off she went, and has yet to return. Where is she?

"That's for me to know and you to find out!" says the evil 'Scard. "And you had better hurry up, 'cause she lost Yito and she's drivin' me nuts!!!"

Well, it's not right for a little Princess to be alone in 'Scard Land. So you, Lance, set out to find her.

And there you have it, the first episode of Shanna. Here you need to find her, and believe me little Shanna can be stubborn!

Hope 'Scard doesn't get her... Or vice versa...

Instructions

Rescue Shanna!!!

Here are the controls:

Left arrow (4) -Move left

Right arrow (6) -Move right

Slash (/) -Climb Up

Up arrow (8) -Jump up

Down arrow (2) -Climb Down

PageUp (9)-Jump diagonly right

Home (7)-Jump diagonaly left

SpaceBar - Throw the Axe

Joystick Recomended...F9 Sets it and F8 Turns it on

Save (F5) often!

Credits

Shanna and Firefall

Graphics.........Angelo

Story............Angelo

Music..RSD and Creative Labs

My Teacher.......Ernesto Perez

Special thanks to :

Ernesto

RSD

Creative Labs

Adios.. HECHO EN PUERTO RICO !!!

Links

• Easy Lifting (DIYGamer)

Downloads

• Shanna (133.5 kB)
• Game map (274 kB)