Hey, jerks, thanks for not buying this game when it came out on DS, or its sequel on Wii, even though they’re both really great. Now we’ll never see another legitimate English release of a Shiren game. I’m sorry. I don’t think we can be friends anymore.
Hey, I would have if I wasn’t perpetually penniless. You made a darn good case for it then, and now, and the LP Brickroad’s doing lately makes it look pretty nice.
And I would have gotten it on Wii, if SEGA had bothered to release it in Europe. Stupid Region-Lock…
Unlike these other jokers (I’m sure you’re nice people), I *did* buy it, on the strength of your adulation. It was the first console roguelike I’d played since Dragon Crystal on the Game Gear.
I enjoyed it, but honestly, I felt like many of the areas were just too wide open. I think roguelikes are at their best when they’re tight and tactical. Exploiting enemy AIs with creative uses of doorways and corridors is where a lot of the fun is for me. Maybe I just didn’t play it enough to see the potential for tactical creativity in the open fields (I only played through to two deaths).
It’s a game I still think about though, and one I know I’ll come back to, so those are strong points in its favor.
My friend bought it per my recommendation, at least!
I’ve given roguelikes a few chances in the padt but they’re the only style of RPG I know I will never enjoy. I suspect this goes for most people.
Shiren the Wanderer is still a game I play on a weekly basis! It’s the perfect pick-up-and-play size and just going into the adventure with no expectations is a thrill. I always regret making it past the half-way point. The anxiety from that Janus Valley forward is nauseating. Prior to that, it’s kind of like Animal Crossing for me, but with a bit more strategy.
I always love it with reviewers trot out the “you didn’t buy this game therefore it failed” line. 9 out of 10 times I did indeed buy it as is the case here.
I can’t honestly say I played it that much however – but it is languishing in my backlog along with dozens of other titles I allegedly didn’t buy.
And clearly my comment was meant 100% seriously and not all tongue-in-cheek.
I bought both games, and enjoyed the DS version way more than the Wii one. I still play it every once in a while, to see how far I can get in that final dungeon. Good stuff!
The genre is the epitome of niche. You’d think if any game would have the ability to break through in the series, it would have been the Pokemon Dungeon games. Even my nephew hated that one, and he breathes Pokemon.
This game gets filed away with stuff like Disgea strictly for the Dungeons and Dragons set. Too hardcore for me. : (
Don’t pick on me, I bought the DS version, but they never brought out the Wii version to the UK. I think you need to apologies!
I acknowledge your Blade of the Immortal reference.
Someday I will bring my game in the 1000 floor dungeon in Shiren Wii to an end. I’m somewhere around floor 700 and it should be smooth sailing from here on out, but it just takes so long. Complacency is the greatest foe in any roguelike, and that dungeon has made it the primary challenge.
Out of all the DS games that have come and gone from my collection, Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer’s been the only game I’ve kept consistently. For a mystery dungeon game, it hits all the right notes.
And don’t blame people for not buying it, that hideous “We didn’t learn anything from the 80s” US boxart didn’t do it any favors. If anyone’s to blame, it’s SEGA for not marketing it. People are more likely to buy your game if they know it exists!
As for Wii’s Atlus release, it’s a challenge to actually find a copy if you don’t shop online.
I don’t know, rogue-likes are such a small audience. More than that, the rogue-like community of fans is more than adequately served by a dozen or more top shelf designs, most of which are free on the PC, which also happens to be the home for most rogue-like fans.