I skipped playing Shiren 3 on the Wii, because somehow I can’t wrap my mind around playing a rogue-like on a console. The earlier games have spoiled me. Besides, it doesn’t matter which one I play or what I play it on, my play style is simple: go out there and die until I’m tired of dying. My Fuurai no Shiren 4
My highest level is 23 and 23 is also the highest floor I’ve made it to so far. Part of me wants to try for 30 while part of me wants to quit while I still have happy memories of this game. I’ll wrestle with myself a little longer, but even if I do go back I don’t think I’ll have anything new to add, which is why I’m writing this now.
Chunsoft made a few changes this time to make things both easier and more interesting. Or maybe they were in the other games all along and I never noticed because I never got far.
– Night and day system. This definitely wasn’t in the earlier games. Daylight enemies are your regular fellows that respond to regular attacks. Night time enemies hit like cement trucks and can only be affected by special attacks. You also need torches or scrolls to even see them.
The special attacks usually OHKO the enemies (otherwise they OHKO you), and any skills you learn from leveling up or NPCs are saved even if you die. I wish there was a way to use more than 8 attacks per floor, but there’s a certain masochistic thrill you get from desperately avoiding enemies while waiting and praying for dawn to break. When an NPC first explained the system to me, it sounded incredibly tough and complicated, but it’s simple enough to switch back and forth between the different modes of play once you get the hang of it.
– Helpful party members. I never got any in Sabaku no Majou, and I don’t remember Pekeji or Oryu being much use in Shiren the Wanderer. This time you get three party members very early on who are very proactive about fighting enemies and helping you level up. Milly has ranged attacks that keep monsters from even approaching, Edna buffs you and one-shots night-time enemies and Galwin runs all over the map taking the fight to the bad guys. Their assistance makes it possible for me to go faster and further than I otherwise could, which is probably while I stuck this game out so long.
– Lots and lots of items. Maybe too many, because by the time I quit I was almost out of storage space everywhere. I’ve been lucky to find several ‘Do over’ grasses that either revive you or send you home with no penalty if you fall in battle. There are also scrolls that warp you home and pots that send items straight to your warehouse. They dropped a lot more often before I got to Monkey Village, but I still chance upon them once in a while. To be honest I’m relieved they don’t show up so much any more. I don’t need my hand held, but at the same time I can’t deny these features make it easier to keep playing.
– A tagging system for your favorite items. It costs a whopping 3,000 gold per tag (2,000 in dungeons) but if you lose an item to death or theft, someone will find it and deliver it to the tag shop. I tagged about two or three items, though I have yet to retrieve any because I can’t be bothered.
– The occasional lucky break. Sometimes your weapons and armor wash up on the beach left of Borunga village. I got a really good shield back just before I quit playing.
– The sunny, tropical island theme is a nice change from the doom and gloom that was Shiren 2. Bright sun, blue sea, green leaves, vicious enemies lurking in every limpid pool of water. Business as usual in Shiren land. Instead of rice balls, bananas are your main source of nutrition. They start out green and ripen as you climb through the floors. They even rot if you leave them too long, though you can still eat them and take your chances.
– NPCs in dungeons. This was in the first game, but not in the second (unless it happened after I quit). Apart from shopkeepers, you’ll find wandering blacksmiths, delivery boys, healers and assorted purveyors of all kinds of goods and services just walking around. Some of them can be a real help in times of trouble – the girl who refills you special attacks comes to mind. Some of them need help instead, though I have yet to be rewarded for doing any of these quests.
– As with its predecessors, Fuurai no Shiren 4 has a simple story that is told quickly, allowing the player to focus on gameplay without unnecessary updates and interruptions (I’m looking at you, Zettai Hero Project). The god’s eye (kami no hitomi) in the title refers to an artifact that Shiren and Koppa are tricked into retrieving. It frees a sealed evil god who promptly makes his home in the area known as the devil’s navel (akuma no heso). Shiren has to defeat him before he can gain his full strength, but this being an RPG we can take all year and he’ll still never regain that full power. I feel a little bad about quitting here because it’s Shiren who caused all this trouble for the islanders, so by rights he should really stick around until he cleans up his own mess.
Put all these together and you have 14 hours of entertainment for me. Finding different items, running into different NPCs and watching my party react in different ways makes for a lot more variety than the previous games offered. I can’t think of any serious flaws apart from the stereotypical “gullible thick-lipped savage” portrayal of the South Sea islanders. Even the music is nice. I think I’ll play a tiny little bit more before putting it away for good.
i’m a big fan of shiren the wanderer,in fact i was pretty sad to see you didn’t like the original… if you ever decide to go back to it ask me anything because i know everything about it
You know, I think if I went back and played the first one again I might have a slightly better opinion. It was my first in the series, I had NO clue what I was doing and I wasn’t willing to learn, so of course things didn’t go so well. It got me to play the later games though, so I’m grateful for that. I’m going to fumble around with 4 for a bit longer, maybe try my hand at 5 and then give the original another go.
Have you tried Furai no Shiren 3 on the PSP? From what I’ve understood, it seems to be a direct port of the Wii game, only with slightly easier difficulty.
Haven’t tried it, but I will someday. Despite what I said, I might get the Wii one just to see how Shiren plays out on the big screen.
Your review really makes me want to play Shiren 4!^^
Having useful allies would really be a lovely change, because the original Shiren really lacks in this department. The worst of the bunch has to be Pekeji, the good-for-nothing brother: after I wasted 1000 gitans on him instead of upgreading my weapon, he finally joined me… Only to kill me in two blows in the next dungeon floor because he couldn’t aim his punches properly. Back to Canyon Hamlet, thank you very much!! I managed to stay calm and not smash my DS on the floor in anger, but I doubt I will accept him by my side next time our paths cross…
I still find it hard to believe Peke is “my” brother. He’s so useless (in fact, “peke” means useless).
Shiren 2 might have allies too. I don’t know because I didn’t get very far. 4 is a cool game though, very fun, and I love the tropical setting.