Baby’s first real rogue-like! I’ve played it for 4 hours total and gotten killed 14 times! That’s, uhh, my math is failing me right now… 3.5 times per hour! In the beginning getting killed was fun. I thought “Okay, I’ve figured it out, next time I’m gonna go for it!” and other encouraging thoughts along that line. And in truth I did go a little further almost every time. I’ve made it all the way to level 14, reached the bottom of Table Mountain. I’ve taken Naoki to Mountaintop Town and paid him 3000g, and Oryu the Blinder has joined my party. For a rogue-like newbie, I’m not doing too terribly right now.
However, playing the same stages and fighting the same enemies 14 times in a row would take a toll on anyone. I’ve never been the most patient gamer in the world either, and I’m always ready to admit it when I suck at something, so it seems now would be a good time to say goodbye to Shiren the Wanderer
Story is not the strong point of any rogue-like, and this one is no exception. As far as I can tell, Shiren and his weasel (ferret? mink?) companion Koppa are on their way to El Dorado to find the Golden Condor who can make their wishes come true. I’m probably wrong on this score, but anyway it goes something like that. Why does Shiren want to get there? What does he want to wish for? In the beginning I was a little curious, but now I’m like “Whatever it is, it’s not worth 30 hours of my life to find out.”
Of course, as I said, the story is not the point. The point should be the planning, the exploration, the thrill of success, the heart-pounding close escapes, feeling the disappointment of failure only to get up, dust yourself off and try again. And again. If you can enjoy those elements in a game and you don’t mind a whole lot of repetitiveness then you might just like this. For me after a while it was just too dull and too punishing. They weren’t kidding when they said the game was unforgiving! Back to Canyon Hamlet again. Back to level 1 again, back to 0 money again, it’s like “Ouch, someone must really hate me!”
Prior to Shiren the Wanderer, the only similar games I’d played were Grandia Xtreme and Recettear, and neither of those were that hard or that unforgiving. Plus they both had interesting characters, something of a story, a permanent level up system and item fusion, all of which I really like in a game. Not to mention Grandia Xtreme had an awesome battle system. I’m glad I tried Shiren though, if only so I can say I did it. Oh, and I really liked the soundtrack, that’s always a plus.
[…] Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 2. I have very fond memories of the first game, even though I died 14 times in 4 hours and concluded it just wasn’t for me. I’m […]
I’ve been toying with the idea of purchasing that game for quite some time. On one hand, it costs only a handful of euros, so that’s definitely an encouragement; but on the other hand, I’m not exactly sure this is the right game for me. What could tip the scale would be the fighting system. Is it action-based or turn-based, or some kind of mix of the two?
Turn-based with a twist. The enemy makes a move whenever you make a move. If you don’t move, they don’t move. Get it if it’s cheap. I wasn’t too crazy about this game (though I’ve agreed to give it another try) but I quite enjoyed the sequels.
Thanks for the answer! I think I’m going to buy it, if only out of sheer curiosity. I’ve heard so much about how hardcore this game is that I really want to see it for myself. If I like it even a tiny bit, I may consider buying the sequels, especially if they improve on the original formula.
Nnn…I don’t know if I would describe it as ‘hardcore.’ It’s just hard because there’s a lot of luck involved due to the randomness of the dungeon layouts and item drops. That and the smallest mistake will cost you dearly. You can beat it if you’re patient enough, though.
I bought the game and started playing it a few days ago. And boy, don’t I regret that purchase. I LOVE that game!!^^ It feels like a true adventure, with a delicious old-school flavour reminding me of my 8 and 16-bit gaming years. The fact that you can die at any moment adds just the right mix of tension and excitement to the dungeon crawling, and I totally dig the idea of patiently restarting over and over and slowly improving your strategies every time. I can’t say for sure if I will ever finish it, but for now, I definitely enjoy playing it. And I’m totally planning on buying the full series. Thanks for your review that helped me discover this great game!^^
You’re welcome! I didn’t like the first game all that much, but I had a lot of fun with 2 and 4 and I’m already planning to play 5 (play, not finish. I’ve never finished even a single one). The basic mechanism is the same for all the games, so you can pick them up even with very little Japanese.
And after playing it myself, I agree with you that it’s quite a strech to call this game “hardcore”. In fact, it’s not even as punishing as I had expected: sure, you restart from Canyon Hamlet at Lv 1 with no money when you die, but any sidequest you started is saved, along with items in warehouses, and the dungeons are full of items again!^^ I think I’ve actually played platformers that were more brutal and unforgiving than Shiren back in the days… =D Here, it’s really just a matter of being patient, clever, well-organized and quite lucky.^^
Yup. And since I lack patience, cleverness, organization and luck I’ve never finished a rogue-like before, but I do quite enjoy them. You might want to try Zettai Hero Project once you’re done with the Shiren series.
Thanks for the advice!^_^ I checked it, and it seems to be the kind of game I could enjoy— plus I never, ever could resist the combination of beautiful bright colours and isometric view. If I manage to find a copy, I will definitely give it a try.^_^
I’m also planning to play Izuna 1 and 2. The addition of humour to your classic brutal roguelike dungeon crawling sounds like an interesting idea, and I’m really curious to see how it will turn out.
Izuna is on my to-play list too. It has been ever since her guest spot in Rondo of Swords, but I just haven’t gotten round to it. One of these days, I hope.
I love this game! I have played for over 75 hours and died at least 180 times. The game has an awesome story and the items are creative and thought-provoking. There is not much else to say, it’s just a great game. I conclude that this game is definitely worth buying.
I picked it up again and played (and died) almost a hundred times, but I never managed to find the Golden Condor ;___; It was still a fun experience, but all things considered I prefer the slightly-easier second DS game to the first. Alas, that never got licensed, so if you’re looking for a tough roguelike on the DS, Shiren is your best choice.