Shiren The Wanderer

by Atlus

Product Features

• As wandering samurai Shiren, you will explore a vision of historic Japan that is beautiful and vibrant. An epic story that begins 1000 years prior takes you through villages and dungeons and places you alongside figures straight out of Japanese mythology.
• A brand new easy mode lets even newcomers to the genre find a foothold while experienced players will find a more rigorous challenge in Normal mode. Post?game activities will test the most advanced gamer with additional quests, a tournament, and more!
• Control your time in the dungeons down to the details. Choose direct control over your party members or take advantage of the excellent AI that lets you specify attitude and tendency. Power up equipment through the new Dragon Orb system and over 100 seals.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002BVQNPW
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches ; 4.3 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: February 9, 2010
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,605 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #27 in Video Games > Wii > Role-Playing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

For a thousand years, a princess has slept inside the Karakuri Mansion. When Shiren's former master bestows upon him the Karakuri key, he quickly finds himself entangled in a millennium old mystery, wandering through past and present to unravel the story of the girl and vanquish an ancient, lurking evil. This latest entry in the legendary Shiren series is one of the most addictive, rewarding, and endlessly replayable games on Wii!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly the game I was hoping for., February 14, 2010

By 

G. Johnson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Shiren The Wanderer (Video Game)

Is Shiren the Wanderer worth dusting off your Wii? Yes!

The game is a roguelike; don't let the publisher tell you any different. It boasts random dungeons, a cohesive story and a unique assortment of items, equipment, status effects and upgrades to keep your interest. It's a throwback to the old-school approach to gameplay: the graphics are nice but they are just there to get you involved long enough to learn the mechanics. The sound stands on it's own and is quite good.

Unlike the DS version death doesn't mean starting over from scratch. If you are playing on Easy mode you keep your level and all your stuff. If you are playing on Normal mode you keep your level but lose everything that wasn't in the bank/storage. You can then replay some of the old dungeons to replenish your stock, much like starting over worked in the DS version. Having the option to march straight back into the place you died unprepared almost seems moot, but then again if you put some nice things in the bank you might not want to bother backtracking. Regardless, the fact that you can save anywhere on the main map and freely return to the storage/shop/bank areas from any overland map area makes it much friendlier.

The difficulty steadily ramps up. The dungeons start out like tutorials but after a few hours they become quite pleasantly hectic. You'll learn the rules the hard way in this game, but trial and error is a great deal of the fun. Once you beat about 5 bosses you'll start feeling confident, and then the real game starts. Will you really be prepared?

Good luck, and consider investing in rice balls whenever possible.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb hardcore dungeon crawler, February 16, 2010

By 

forweg - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shiren The Wanderer (Video Game)

Shiren the Wanderer isn't like most RPGs out there; you can't just level grind and expect to get by. There are practically no easy battles in the later dungeons, you've always got to be on your toes and think one step ahead. Item management plays a central role.

This is my first roguelike, and although I've not played one before, I can tell that it's the real deal, not a "roguelike on training wheels" as some were fearing. While you can keep your levels for most of the main story, the post-game dungeons are a different story. And even when only your items are lost upon death, it's still more challenging than 95% of RPGs out there. (I should mention, though, that it's never challenging in a frustrating way. There's always a drive to go right back into that dungeon you just died in and try again.) No two dungeon trips are ever the same, so the game looks to be endlessly replayable.

I believe Chunsoft have accomplished what they probably sought out to do: Satisfy the hardcore roguelike faction while also opening doors to the general RPG fan. Wii owners don't have much of a selection when it comes to any sort of RPG, especially those of the turn-based type. Thankfully, we now have at least one excellent title in the genre to cherish.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truely a Wii Gem., March 6, 2010

By 

S. White (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shiren The Wanderer (Video Game)

Easily one of my favorite Wii games. The Shiren series and roguelikes in general usually isn't easy for everyone to pick up. This one can easily be picked up and played by anyone to get a feel for the series, however. The alternate difficulty levels are a nice addition even though I play it 'classically'.

The graphics and story are wonderful. The music is top notch and catchy like all Shiren games. If you're a fan of Roguelikes this title simply must not be missed.

Thanks, Atlus for bringing this one to NA. This and Baroque have been such blessings.