Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer

 DS
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Mar 4, 2008
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 24 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 24
  3. Negative: 3 out of 24
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  1. Brandis17
    Nov 23, 2012
    10
    A wonderful roguelike! This masterpiece is filled with various enemies with intriguing and sometimes hilarious (turned into a riceball!) abilities. An old-fashioned roguelike, yet with good and pleasant graphics!
    I have beaten the game, finished the kitchen god's shrine and the scroll cave (two bonus dungeons)
    and I am still trying to win fay's final puzzle (a 99 floor dungeon of awful    A wonderful roguelike! This masterpiece is filled with various enemies with intriguing and sometimes hilarious (turned into a riceball!) abilities. An old-fashioned roguelike, yet with good and pleasant graphics!
    I have beaten the game, finished the kitchen god's shrine and the scroll cave (two bonus dungeons)
    and I am still trying to win fay's final puzzle (a 99 floor dungeon of awful difficulty), and so far so good!!!!
    My favorite game. If you hate difficult games and permanent death though, then stay away!    … Expand
  2. soes757
    Aug 21, 2011
    9
    Holy crap!
    This is amazing!
    Sooooo amazing. Graphics: On my way in from Angband the graphics are heavenly. They aren't to much and they're not shiny or anything. They're simple sprite sheets and they work for the type of game. Gameplay: The controls are simple A: attacks. Y: open inventory. Crosskeys/ touch screen: Move shiren. You think its all easy then you die lose everything and have    Holy crap!
    This is amazing!
    Sooooo amazing.
    Graphics: On my way in from Angband the graphics are heavenly. They aren't to much and they're not shiny or anything.
    They're simple sprite sheets and they work for the type of game.
    Gameplay: The controls are simple
    A: attacks.
    Y: open inventory.
    Crosskeys/ touch screen: Move shiren.
    You think its all easy then you die lose everything and have to navigate the dungeon with no weapons shields or healing items.
    Sound: The music and sounds work but nothing flashy and over the top.
    The game gets a nine out of ten for effort and succeeding in making a new Rougelike game for the DS.
    If you enjoy Rouglikes go buy it.
    Go buy it now.
    You were supposed to have bought it tree lines ago stop reading.    … Expand
  3. JVT
    Apr 4, 2008
    10
    I don't usually vote but this game deserves your attention - its a wonderful, aesthetically pleasing, and tightly designed game - perhaps the most carefully designed game I've played in years.

    If you don't like difficult games, its not for you, but if you love to be engaged by your entertainment, Shiren will provide, and in quantity.
  4. jeffkocan
    Apr 9, 2008
    9
    It's a shame that so many "professional" reviewers completely missed the point of this game, although it's kind of understandable since roguelikes are a pretty niche-y genre. If you have some patience and enjoy a challenge, Shiren is easily one of the most enjoyable games you'll find on the DS. Give it a chance before it's out of print - you probably won't be disappointed.
  5. DJT
    Aug 7, 2008
    10
    Don't let the reviews fool you. This is an awesome adventure game for casual and hardcore gamers alike.
    For those of you unfamiliar with the 1983 game Rogue, here is the link on some information about the original: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_%28computer_game%29
    Anyway, as a young nerd, I found this game ridiculously addictive (although primitive) because of it's    Don't let the reviews fool you. This is an awesome adventure game for casual and hardcore gamers alike.
    For those of you unfamiliar with the 1983 game Rogue, here is the link on some information about the original: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_%28computer_game%29

    Anyway, as a young nerd, I found this game ridiculously addictive (although primitive) because of it's random item/monster/dungeon mechanics. It was a different adventure EVERYTIME! It was perfect for the A.D.D gamer in me! Although there was an actual goal to the adventure, I found myself playing just to try and accumulate as much gold as I could for a high score!

    Mystery Dungeon offers the same classic mechanics in a wonderfully dressed up adventure game. It's hard, it's addictive, but most of all, it's FUN! Lots of replay so you don't have to trade it in to gamestop in a week. I've played izuna and although that is fun, Mystery Dungeon is the closest to the classic Rogue experience from the 80's. Hardcore RPG fans are going to need to adjust to the type of game Mystery Dungeon is, and while there isn't a huge final fantasy 5000 dramatic story, there's a lot of hacking and leveling up to do!

    PICK THIS UP.    … Expand
  6. AnonymousMC
    Mar 20, 2008
    9
    This is an excellent roguelike game. Most elements have been simplified (compared to classic roguelikes) but there are still tons of monsters, items, spells, NPCs, towns, and plenty to keep an RPG fan happy.
    Reviews of this game will probably be wildly different, as it is quite hard, and you are likely to be eaten by a grue. Fans of nethack and angband will be delighted to have this    This is an excellent roguelike game. Most elements have been simplified (compared to classic roguelikes) but there are still tons of monsters, items, spells, NPCs, towns, and plenty to keep an RPG fan happy.
    Reviews of this game will probably be wildly different, as it is quite hard, and you are likely to be eaten by a grue. Fans of nethack and angband will be delighted to have this in their pocket, and I suspect many newer gamers will learn what they've been missing. Others will be discouraged after they are killed twice, and walk away. If you want an easier experience, I would suggest the excellent pokemon games for the DS. Shiren is unforgiving, and therefore extremely rewarding.

    To surmise: Madden08 doesn't have an AK-47, because that's not what madden does.
    Roguelikes aren't easy, because that's not what they do, either. :)    … Expand
  7. IshmoksA.
    Jul 11, 2008
    10
    This game is the most satisfying game I have ever played. This game is all about tactics and strategy will snappy game play. Its like diablo but deeper and not about whacking creatures. this game is where the real life XP counts and not just in game XP. I've been playing Nethack for about 9 years, Shiren is the only game that is at par with it. No wonder the japanese have aThis game is the most satisfying game I have ever played. This game is all about tactics and strategy will snappy game play. Its like diablo but deeper and not about whacking creatures. this game is where the real life XP counts and not just in game XP. I've been playing Nethack for about 9 years, Shiren is the only game that is at par with it. No wonder the japanese have a fascination for roguelike games on consoles....its all because of Shiren. If I could get all the versions of this game, (Wii, N64, DS, SNES, etc.) This is the game that you will play over and over, and will definitely come back to after getting sick of the latest game in the market. Game play rules them all!!!… Expand
  8. EricRyan
    Mar 26, 2008
    10
    This is simply the best rogue-like game ever made. I've spent over 20 hours and haven't gotten past the 3 Trials area of the game (about dungeon level 20). Yes, you die, but you learn from your deaths and the NPCs grow and change over time - so the game is constantly changing.
  9. Luigibarqs
    Nov 25, 2012
    8
    Mystery Dungeon: Shiren The Wanderer is a DS game that is a remake and translation to a japan exclusive Super Famicom version of the game. The game is a retro Roguelike Strategy RPG, and an extremely difficult and unforgiving one at that. Its a genre that is not for everyone. Trust me, you will die FREQUENTLY! The point of the game is to learn from your mistakes, replan accordingly and tryMystery Dungeon: Shiren The Wanderer is a DS game that is a remake and translation to a japan exclusive Super Famicom version of the game. The game is a retro Roguelike Strategy RPG, and an extremely difficult and unforgiving one at that. Its a genre that is not for everyone. Trust me, you will die FREQUENTLY! The point of the game is to learn from your mistakes, replan accordingly and try again to get a little bit farther the next time, it feels extremely rewarding to finally pass an area you where struggling with earlier. For the people who are into these kind of games will find a fun, difficult and replayable Strategy RPG experience. The music and graphics are absolutely beautiful and fit the atmosphere of the game perfectly. and a large variety of different items and enemies for you to learn about and find a way to get as far as possible with the knowledge you gain. I'm not sure if this is a problem with my specific copy of the game, or all of them, but it appears the online server for doing Wifi rescues seems to no longer exist or function which is somewhat of a disappointment. Overall, its a fun yet difficult experience. If you have ever played a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game and want to play a much harder variation of the game, try taking a chance with this game. It seems to be fairly cheap as I had bought it in used condition for 5 dollars in Canada.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Best DS Game of 2008
27
#27 Most Discussed DS Game of 2008
21
#21 Most Shared DS Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Nintendo Power
    65
    Starting from scratch every time you have bad luck will be frustrating, but if you can get past the setbacks, you'll enjoy a solid DS adventure. [Mar 2008, p.86]
  2. IGN
    65
    The random dungeons are oftentimes poorly laid out, and the turn based gameplay can lead to a slow, jerky experience. Still, Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer is a game that will certainly give players a run for their money, if only due to the fact that it takes forever to beat.
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  3. 1UP
    83
    It's far more demanding than its fellow DS-based roguelikes, lacking, say, the cuddly mascots of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon or the cumulative experience-building of Izuna. But it's remarkably well crafted, with streamlined gameplay that belies its impressive substance.
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