Mystery Dungeon Shiren the Wanderer

by Sega Of America, Inc.

Product Features

• Classic RPG Experience: Countless hours of turn-based action gameplay gives players
• Randomly Generated Dungeons: Players never know what kind of monster will be waiting
• Enhancements from Original SNES Game: Upgrades include three expanded territories,
• New Online Rescue Feature: If players are defeated in a dungeon, they can summon
• Over 180 Unique Monsters to Battle: From bone-chilling undead warriors to fire-breathing

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000YFIRI8
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 5 x 0.8 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: March 18, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,932 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Amazon.com

On a quest to the mystical Lair of the Golden Condor, Shiren the Wanderer and his weasel ally, Koppa, venture through treacherous lands in an attempt to solve the mystery surrounding this legendary realm. Many other warriors have set out on this quest but none have survived the long, perilous journey through deep caverns, vast forests, and dangerous mountain passes. Filled with ferocious monsters, hidden traps, and thieves, the road to the Lair of the Golden Condor is not for the faint of heart. Shiren is determined to succeed and claim the riches that await the first hero to reach the mythic land.

In this classic RPG, you'll move in a turn-based manner through randomly generated dungeons that provide a great challenge and lasting replay value. Outwit your enemies using advanced tactics and clever puzzle-solving skills while finding mysterious items, numerous spells, and other equipment to help you on your journey. If you can survive to solve the mystery, you'll find the fortune that you seek.

Features:

• Classic RPG experience: turn-based action gameplay allows you time to plan your attacks and keeps you on your toes with levels that are unpredictable in nature.
• Randomly generated dungeons: new unexpected challenges continuously await players as they enter each dungeon leading up to an addictive 30+ hour adventure experience.
• Enhancements from original game: upgrades include three expanded territories, multiple monsters, revamped graphics and sounds, and a brand-new Tutorial mode.
• New online rescue feature: if you get defeated in a dungeon, summon another player to revive you via Nintendo Wi-Fi connection.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly fun, March 24, 2008

By 

M. Gunderson "theblusterer" (CA) - See all my reviews
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= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

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This review is from: Mystery Dungeon Shiren the Wanderer (Video Game)

For those with appropriate expectations, Shiren the Wanderer provides a long lasting, challenging experience. However, those who are looking for an RPG along the lines of current offerings by Square Enix and others will likely be frustrated by its inherrently risky nature.

Death in the game results in a complete loss of all your possessions, with the exception of any items placed in a rare jar or those previously stowed in the few scattered warehouses. Additionally, you may ask for help from a friend or stranger online who can then retrace your steps and then revive you at that spot. You may only receive three such revivals in a row before you are forced to start over, and it doesn't solve the problem of getting items back to a warehouse if you don't have the special jar and you are far enough along in the game where you can't head back.

Modern RPGs are made to be easily beatable given the proper length of time. The main quest of Shiren can be beaten relatively easily once you figure out how to upgrade and store weapons and shields, and familiarize yourself with the other assorted items at your disposal. Even so, the ideal player will learn to appreciate failed runs for the strategies learned and the often humorous or ironic deaths.

I highly recommend Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer to those who can appreciate the lateral thinking required and the extensive replayability, and to those who aren't afraid of video game death.

Oh, I'd also be happy to address any issues people may have with the game in the comments, as I believe that most people would be a lot more appreciative once they understand the roguelike mentality.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A challenging, absorbing, misunderstood game, April 7, 2008

By 

J. Kocan "tomservojr" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
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= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

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This review is from: Mystery Dungeon Shiren the Wanderer (Video Game)

The thing about Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer is that you will die, and you will die a lot. You will be killed by monsters that travel through walls. You will be transformed into a helpless, harmless rice ball and then killed. You will walk unsuspectingly into an open, cavernous "monster house" and know there's nothing you can do because you traded your only Blastwave Scroll for an armband that provides a gigantic XP boost - XP that you will now never have a chance to earn. And once you die, you lose all your items and all your money, and you're back to being a Level 1 weakling at the beginning of the game.

This is all by design, though, and it isn't nearly as frustrating as it sounds. (Players familiar with the ASCII game Rogue will know what to expect, as Shiren is a Roguelike - a niche genre without much mainstream representation outside the far more forgiving Pokemon Mystery Dungeon titles.) All those deaths are valuable to you. In fact, they're necessary. While Shiren himself restarts at the beginning, the world around him does not. If you've left any items in warehouses along the way, they will still be there for a future Shiren to use. Find an especially powerful weapon but have a bad feeling about the upcoming levels? Stash it for a "serious" summit attempt when things are going more your way. Also, characters you meet during your journey will remember you, and may eventually join your party, giving invaluable combat assistance (or acting as decoys, sacrificing themselves in battle while you bolt for the exit with 2 HP remaining).

This is a demanding game, but almost every time you die, you'll know what you could have done to prevent it. While the level layouts are randomly generated, you get a feel for the enemies and what they can do, and you start to make smarter, safer decisions. As you play, you'll start to recognize good and bad situations, and you'll understand how to deal with them. If nothing else, each run can in some way help make the next one a little bit easier.

If all that dying and learning sounds like it might be too much for you to handle, this may not be the game for you. But if you like a game that doesn't hold your hand - a game that you really need to master on your own - then you'll start obsessing over strategies and working out ways to improve your odds. And if you have friends (real-world or the online kind) who are also playing, you'll share some classic stories about your often-hilarious defeats and immensely satisfying victories.

I don't think this game had a very large print run. If you're interested, I'd recommend grabbing a copy as soon as you can before you realize your mistake and have to cough up big bucks for a secondhand copy. If you go in with the right mindset and are willing to get knocked around a little, you might find your new favorite game.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars May be the Best of the Randoms, March 17, 2008

By 

William Michaels (Hillsborough, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
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= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mystery Dungeon Shiren the Wanderer (Video Game)

I have played a number of good random-dungeon games, from Sega Master System's Dragon Crystal, through Dragon Warrior Monsters 1 and 2, through the Game Boy Lufia's Ancient Cave, and this may be the best of the lot (though the Ancient Cave is also excellent). It is certainly addictive! What makes it stand out is:

1. Interesting floor layouts, especially from Level 8 onward.
2. A huge variety of weapons and objects, levels of CPU generosity in distributing same, and combat situations. Many narrow escapes from total destruction.
3. A number of gaming ideas not present in previous random-dungeon games: e.g., enemies leveling up, enemies (and jars) that can change objects, warehouses for storing objects from game to game, etc., etc.
4. Fay's puzzle challenge house at the beginning, whose 50 gradated puzzles (and random rewards) test logic and knowledge of the game.

Highly recommended for any RPG fans!