Chunsoft’s Mystery Dungeon series is
unique among video-game franchises in that each entry stars characters from
other company’s games. Characters from Enix’s Dragon Quest series, Square’s
Final Fantasy series, and Namco’s Tower of Druaga series have all starred in
Mystery Dungeon titles — even Nintendo’s Pokemon have starred in Mystery Dungeon
games, the Rescue Team series. Chunsoft has also created Mystery Dungeon games
starring their own original character, Shiren the Wanderer, since 1995, but
these were never released in America. Now, Chunsoft has teamed with Sega to
bring the first Shiren game, originally released on the Super Nintendo, to
America on Nintendo DS.
The game’s plot follows Shiren, an
adventurer who travels the feudal Japanese countryside with his talking weasel,
Koppa. They seek the Golden Condor, a mythical bird who can supposedly grant
wishes, and who is said to live high atop Table Mountain. The game begins as
Shiren and Koppa reach the foothills of Table Mountain, and prepare to fight
their way through the numerous caverns, forests, and mines that stand between
them and the Golden Condor’s lair. There are also numerous sub-plots, involving
everything from feuding restaurants to Shiren’s irritating little brother, that
advance every time you pass through the various towns along the way.
The storyline advances mainly through
conversations with the various townspeople you meet along the way.
And while there are only a handful
of towns in the game, you will pass through those towns plenty of times — because Shiren the Wanderer (like all the Mystery Dungeon games) belongs to the obscure
RPG sub-genre known as roguelikes. Named after Rogue, the PC game that invented
the genre, roguelikes are known for their punishing difficulty, random level
design, and the fact that when you die, you have to start over. As in, all the
way over. You return to the first town in the game, you lose all your
possessions, equipment, and money, and you are dropped back to experience level
1. There are some workarounds that you can use to avoid starting absolutely
from scratch (like warehouses in each town, where you can store items for your
next trip through), but each failed attempt also provides an even more crucial
element to your eventual victory — experience (the actual kind, not experience
points). After four or five deaths, you’ll start to know the ins and outs of
each dungeon floor. As you make each new attempt, you’ll begin to recognize the
enemies that populate each floor, and understand their strengths, weaknesses,
and what tactics are necessary to beat them. Eventually, as you begin to grasp
the myriad ways you can interact with the enemies and the dungeons themselves,
you’ll begin to breeze through the floors that used to defeat you.
Enemies are numerous and devious,
but so are the many ways you have of dealing with them.
And if all else fails, you can
always rely on the kindness of strangers. By connecting to Nintendo Wi-Fi, you
can send an S.O.S. to the thousands of other Shiren players out there. Any
player can accept, and make the trek to where you fell. If they’re successful,
they send a revival spell, which brings you back to life, with all equipment,
money, and experience levels intact — rescuers can even include a little gift with
their rescue. This feature works surprisingly well, and I was saved numerous
times by the generous Shiren the Wanderer fan base. Rescuing other players isn’t
entirely a selfless act, though; successful rescuers are rewarded with rare
powerful items, including some that are only obtainable by performing rescues.
You’d be forgiven for thinking the
game looks like a long-lost Super Nintendo title, since that’s exactly what it
is. The graphics might not be the flashiest on the DS, but they’re more than
serviceable and the whole thing’s got a nice retro vibe. The game’s also got a
good art style, and the monsters are consistently interesting and cleverly
designed. Shiren’s music consists mostly of classic-sounding Japanese tunes, and
while that might not be everyone’s cup of tea, they’re low-key enough to keep
from getting irritating.
Shiren the Wanderer is an
unapologetically difficult game, but it’s also incredibly fun and ultimately
very rewarding. There’s so much variety and randomness here that the game is
infinitely replayable, especially considering the assortment of activities that
open up upon “beating” the game for the first time. While it’s certainly not for
everyone, Shiren the Wanderer kept me up well past midnight for “just one more
level” multiple times, and that’s something few games can claim. If you’re
easily frustrated, this is probably not the game for you. But if you can
appreciate a game that’s deviously clever, unbelievably deep, and genuinely
rewarding, then there’s a good chance that you’ll get just as addicted to it as
I have.
Review Scoring Details for Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer |
Gameplay: 9.2
Deep, nuanced, and intricate are just a
few of the words I would use to describe this game. There are so many different
items, tactics, and tricks to learn that you’ll see something new every time you
pick the game up. While it can get frustrating, by the time you’ve played for a
little while, you’ll begin to take failure in stride, and see each death the way
the developers want you to see it — as a learning experience.
Graphics: 7.6
The visuals don’t push the limits of the
DS hardware, but the sprites are well-drawn, the characters and enemies are
interestingly designed, and the backgrounds are varied and colorful. Anyone who
remembers the glory days of the 16-bit era will feel right at home.
Sound: 7.5
The music is traditional-sounding Japanese fare, which fits the game’s theme and
tone well. None of it’s particularly memorable, but it’s certainly not bad.
Sound effects are sparse, but environmental sounds add to the immersion.
Difficulty: Hard
You’ll die, early and often, and sometimes the game can get frustrating. Still,
the gameplay’s so addictive that you’ll want to brush yourself off and go right
back in.
Concept: 8.5
The granddaddy of console roguelikes, Shiren the Wanderer created many of the
conventions followed by more recent entries in the genre. Still, few have pulled
it off as well as this game does.
Overall: 9.0
Shiren the Wanderer doesn’t coddle its players, but those willing to invest
enough effort into the game are rewarded with a game that’s intricate, deep, and
infinitely replayable. It’s one of the most addicting games I’ve ever played,
and I doubt it will be leaving my DS anytime soon.
