mystery-dungeon
Latest
Etrian Odyssey's next crossover maps out Mystery Dungeon
Just as Persona Q hits the West, Atlus revealed that another Etrian Odyssey crossover is speeding rather than crawling its way onto 3DS. Etrian Odyssey and the Mystery Dungeon sees the map-making dungeon crawler series mix it up with Spike Chunsoft's long-running roguelike, best known in the West for the recent Pokemon spinoffs. The portable mash-up will be in Japanese hands in just a few months' time, starting March 5, 2015 to be specific. As Tiny Cartridge notes, the last time Mystery Dungeon broke out of its Pokeball was some six years ago, when Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon trotted onto Wii. As per the recently-unveiled Etrian Odyssey 5, details are scant at the moment beyond a new trailer, which you can check out below the break. That includes word of a Western release, but both series have traditionally found their way abroad in recent years. Plus, there's some English text right at the end of the video: "Dungeon RPG is forever. This is the new origin."
New screens and story details for Shiren the Wanderer
In a developer blog post, Atlus editor Clayton S. Chan ("the "S" does not stand for 'Shiren'") described the upcoming Wii release of Shiren the Wanderer as a game in which "story plays a huge role," contrasting with previous Shiren games in which just enough story was presented to justify the gameplay. In addition to exploring the mysterious Karakuri Mansion, Chan said, players can expect to "learn a bit about Shiren's relationship with [characters from his past], and you'll also learn quite a bit about Shiren's father and the ancestors of both Shiren and Koppa." Several post-game side stories will also help expand the storyline. Shiren will be out on February 9. In addition to the new info posted on Atlus's site, we have screenshots in our gallery which prove that despite the emphasis on story, Shiren is still a traditional roguelike. %Gallery-78562%
Rumor: McDonalds reveals Pokemon Mystery Dungeon on WiiWare
According to what has been identified as a pamphlet from a McDonalds location in Japan, Nintendo is preparing to launch three new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games -- on WiiWare. A detail from the pamphlet shows an announcement of the WiiWare release of the three games, along with logos for Mystery Dungeon games called Susume! Hono no Boukendan, Ikuzo! Arashi no Boukendan, and Mezase! Hikari no Boukendan, which translate to Advance! Fire Adventure Team, Go! Storm Adventure Team, and Aim! Light Adventure Group!, respectively.Since we don't even know if the pamphlet, presumably distributed as a promotion for the Mac de DS program, is real, obviously we don't have any more details about the games, like whether Mystery Dungeon series creator Chunsoft is creating them or if they are all variants of the same base game.
DS Daily: Chocobo vs. chocobo
With two chocobo-centric games heading to the DS, cash-poor gamers may have to make a terrible decision: chocobo, or chocobo? Oh, the horror! They're both adorable, but one is packed with mini-games based on familiar stories, and the other is based on familiar (as in, old school) gameplay packed with aspects that will kick your ass. Similar in some ways, they are, but in the end? Very different.If forced to choose, which would be your one chocobo game to rule them all: Cid and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon: Maze of Time DS+ or Chocobo and the Magic Storybook: The Witch and the Girl and the Five Heroes.
Castlevania, Chocobo, and Valkyrie coming in October ... to Japan
The Japanese release date for Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia might not seem like useful information to you readers out west, but the desperate, Castlevania-starved gamers among you will at least now know the exact day their import copy will begin its trans-Pacific journey towards their hands -- October 23rd, 2008.Furthermore, considering that the US release for Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin was only three weeks after Japan's, we also now have a general idea of when Order of Ecclesia will see its stateside release -- mid-November.Square Enix also has two titles scheduled to hit Japan during the tenth month, Valkyrie Profile: The Accused One (October 2nd) and Cid and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon: Labyrinth of Time DS+ (October 30th), the latter being a roguelike remake of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon.Perhaps the publisher will keep the promise it made back in March to aim for simultaneous worldwide releases with its new titles? It's unlikely, but we can dream ...%Gallery-22992%%Gallery-27055%
Wark! Two Chocobo trailers waddle into view
Making sure that you get the message -- the message being "Chocobos are really cute; buy our Chocobo games" -- Square Enix has posted trailers for its two recently revealed fall-bound Chocobo titles, Cid and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon: Maze of Time DS+ and Chocobo and the Magic Storybook: The Witch and the Girl and the Five Heroes.As you might be able to tell in the promotional clip and the game's title, Cid and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon is an enhanced port of Chocobo's Dungeon (released in the U.S. for the Wii this week) with more focus on Final Fantasy regular Cid. Given the nature of roguelikes, this DS release doesn't look like that much of a "downgraded" experience compared to the Wii version!The Chocobo and the Magic Storybook clip isn't nearly as epic, but if you're enough of a Chocobo fan to have read this far into the post, you'll likely want to watch it anyway. Jump past the break for more of the flightless, chubby bird.%Gallery-27055%
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/16-6/22
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Well, except for the PSP, that is. Sony's handheld is still as mighty as ever. Even so, the Wii toppled all the other home consoles once again last week, reclaiming its second-place spot: The new Wii kid on the block in the charts is Mario Super Sluggers, which didn't sell as well as we thought it would, considering that it's a baseball game -- one published by Nintendo, no less. That's why we love Japanese sales so much, though. Just when we think we have the country all figured out, it goes and surprises us again.Everything else Wii related is pretty much just business as usual, but check past the break to see where the games ranked in the top thirty and how much the top tenners sold.
New Shiren 2 screens are all that and a bag of Shiren chips
We couldn't decide which was more awesome -- these new screenshots for Shiren the Wanderer DS 2: Demon Castle in the Desert, or the fact that Chunsoft went out of its way in 2001 to promote the original Game Boy Color title, Shiren the Wanderer GB2, with bags of steak-flavored chips (In case you're late to the party, STW DS 2 is a roguelike remake of STW GB2).So, we went ahead and featured both the crisps and an image of Shiren's long-lost and perpetually hungry brother, Pekeji, in our article image. Hopefuly, publisher Sega will have a similar potato chip promotion with STW DS 2! Even better, maybe they'll eventually localize the chips along with the game? See also: Shiren GB2, Shiren DS 2 compared%Gallery-26136%[via Inside Games]
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/2-6/8
The top Wii game last week wasn't Mario Kart, or even Wii Fit. Rather, beloved roguelike Shiren got the coveted title, as Shiren the Wanderer 3 debuted in second behind the PS3's new Dragon Ball Z. The previously mentioned Nintendo games did show up in the top ten, though, along with Family Trainer. We're happy to see both Smash Bros. Brawl and Battalion Wars 2 hanging tough in the top thirty; the previous week had us a bit worried. In hardware, though, the Wii remains sandwiched between the PSP and the DS:Just click on past the break if you'd like to see how Wii software fared.
Price Drop: Shiren the Bargainer
If our constant championing of the genre has you ready and willing to try out a roguelike as soon as a cheap one comes along, then here's that discount dungeon crawl you've been waiting for!In what looks to be a permanent price drop, retailers such as Amazon and GameStop have marked down their copies of Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer to $19.99, in-store and and online. Now you don't have to feel guilty about spending money on such a throwback game (with throwback graphics to match).If you won't buy it for the fun of the game, buy it so that Sega will bring its sequel to the states!%Gallery-11488%[Via NeoGAF]
Shiren GB2, Shiren DS 2 compared
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Shiren_GB2_Shiren_DS_2_compared'; No more than a week after Shiren 3 for the Wii shipped in Japan, Chunsoft already has a teaser site and screenshots out for its next Shiren the Wanderer game for the Nintendo DS -- Fushigi no Dungeon: Furai no Shiren DS 2: Sabaku no Majou (Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer DS 2: Demon Castle in the Desert). It's a long title!Seeing that this roguelike is a remake of a Game Boy Color title, we thought that this batch of new images would make for a great opportunity to compare the updated game's visuals to the original's. While we expected Shiren DS 2 to look pretty much exactly like the first Shiren DS game released in March, we're surprised by how similar Shiren DS 2 and Shiren GB2 (GBC) look based on the shots released so far.Jump into our comparison gallery to see what we mean!%Gallery-24748%[Via Famitsu]
Promotional Consideration: Fushigi no Commercials, revisited
We're aware that we write about the Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer games much too much, especially considering that it's a niche series representing such a hardcore genre. But after playing Shiren the Wanderer DS, Chunsoft's remake of the original Super Famicom game and the first Shiren game brought stateside, it's hard for us to think of anything else but the other five Shiren titles that've yet to touch soil outside of Japan. Chunsoft's recent announcement for Shiren the Wanderer DS 2, another remake, this time porting Furai no Shiren GB2: Sabaku no Majou (Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Demon Castle in the Desert), originally a Game Boy Color title, has only stoked the flames of our yearning. Though it's reckless to assume Sega will eventually localize the game as it did with the SFC remake, we've thrown caution to the wind, blinded by our optimistic heart's promises.With that explained, hopefully you'll forgive us for featuring another piece on roguelike commercials less than two months after our installment on Pokemon Mystery Dungeon ads. Bring your talking weasel past the post break for two Japanese commercials from Shiren the Wanderer GB2's original 2005 release.
Shiren the Wanderer DS 2 no longer a mystery
The latest issue of Famitsu confirms the rumored DS sequel to Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer. Shiren the Wanderer DS 2 is actually based on the second Game Boy game, Sabaku no Majou (Magic Castle of the Desert). It appears to be built on the same engine as the first DS game. The scans don't disappoint, featuring a ton of screens and character art of the new roguelike.This new DS game will interact with the Wii Shiren the Wanderer 3 in some way, allowing players to "lend a hand." We believe this means that Shiren DS 2 players will be able to "rescue" Shiren 3 players over Wi-Fi, much like Shiren DS players can rescue each other.
Shiren 3's clockwork bosses
Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 3's setting, the Clockwork Palace, has given developer Chunsoft license to pit Shiren against some supremely freaky-looking mechanical monsters. Just the very existence of monsters in a Mystery Dungeon game is cause enough for fear, as any single one of them can kill you and erase all your progress. It almost seems like overkill, then, to design enemies that actually look creepy at all.Famitsu has revealed some of the boss creatures found in the dungeon, including the five Ikusa Oni, a sort of Power Rangers-type organization, but made of monstrous samurai, and the Clockwork Kasha, a flaming cart with a Noh mask.The Clockwork Giants aren't particularly frightening, but they're certainly weird. Both are mechanical heads with one pair of appendages each; one has hands and the other feet, and both have totally metal eyebrows.
Three things to get you excited about Shiren 3
First reason to be hyped about Shiren the Wanderer: The Sleeping Princess in the Clockwork Palace's release, even though no one has announced a U.S. localization yet -- Famitsu's review score: 35/40 (9 / 9 / 8 / 9). Though many consider Famitsu to be too forgiving with its reviews for highly advertised, big-budget games, the Shiren series doesn't seem to fit that description. For such a niche game to receive a high score like this, Chunsoft must have done something right!Second reason -- See Asuka model pictured above (and past the break). We're not the type to leave figures of female anime characters posed around our rooms, giving women even more reason to run away from the mess we've made of our lives, but as we demonstrated with the Koppa remote stand preorder bonus, we have a weakness to Shiren merchandise. As for our third reason, swing your sword to check for traps, and step past the break for a new Shiren 3 commercial. It features a collection of player deaths set to Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 -- what's not to like?
Two videos for third Shiren
Usually with these niche and traditionally Japan-only titles, we spend the post complaining about missing out on another potentially great game, as we did with our last Shiren the Wanderer post. But with Sega's recent localization for the Shiren the Wanderer DS remake and with the Wii game's U.S.-friendly title -- Shiren the Wanderer 3: Karakuri Yashiki no Nemuri Hime (Shiren the Wanderer: The Sleeping Princess in the Clockwork Palace) -- this game has a relatively good chance of making it to the states!The clip above is from the Wii game's opening movie, one of two videos posted at Sega's official Shiren the Wanderer site. It's got airships, the titular Clockwork Palace, and everyone's favorite white weasel, Koppa. The other video, a four-minute promotional trailer, has all that and shots exploring the roguelike's dungeons, including their new enemies. Take a diagonal step past the post break to watch it!
DS Daily: Mystery Genre
Roguelikes, specifically the Mystery Dungeon variety of the kind made by Chunsoft (and roguelikes made in the style of Chunsoft's Mystery Dungeon game), are booming. The list currently includes three DS Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, two Izunas, Shiren the Wanderer, Tao's Adventure, and homebrew games including Powder and Nethack. That's a lot of random dungeons.Roguelikes are a very strange genre: death as an essential part of gameplay, and extreme difficulty in general, are unusual for the DS, and things like random dungeons seem archaic at first. If you've gotten into one of these, were you always a Mystery Dungeon fan? Or did the explosion of Mystery Dungeon games on the DS get you interested?
European dates for Etrian Odyssey, LOL, Pokemon Explorers
News of a European release date for Super Smash Bros. Brawl has dominated coverage of Nintendo's latest European release schedule, but there are a number of tasty morsels on the list for DS owners.For a start, the continent will finally be getting Atlus roguelike Etrian Odyssey, and it's about time -- lest we forget, the title made its U.S. debut last May! Notably, there are also dates (of varying specificity) for Race Driver: GRID (May), the new Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games (July 4th), New International Track & Field (Q2 2008), and Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What to Eat? (June), the European version of Cooking Navi. "ArchimDS" appears on the list as well, though we presume this refers to LOL, or Bakushow as it'll be known in Euroland.Add all of those to this morning's Final Fantasy IV announcement, and Europe has quite the line-up of games to look forward to. Check past the break for the full list!
Promotional Consideration: Fushigi no Commercials
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out. In advance of this coming week's Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 releases, Nintendo has commissioned two commercials to herald the dungeon crawlers, one for each edition, Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness. Once again, this sequel adopts Chunsoft's Fushigi no Dungeon (Mystery Dungeon) design to allow gamers to play as a Pokemon. It's a solid set of titles, by most reports, but many genre veterans consider them inferior to games like The Nightmare of Druaga and Shiren the Wanderer. Nevertheless, kids are crazy for the Pokemon branding, and the original GBA/DS Pokemon Mystery Dungeon releases went on to sell over 5.5 million copies worldwide. And that's why we now have a major publisher supporting an extremely niche genre with two separate commercials.
Big in Japan: DS coasts to fiscal 2007 victory
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Nintendo_dominates_fiscal_year_2007_in_Japan'; Been keeping up with sales figures from Japan recently? If so, you'll have noticed something unusual: for the first time in years, the DS isn't absolutely creaming the competition. Whether the PSP's resurgence will last is another debate for another post, but it hasn't been able to prevent Nintendo's handheld from taking top spot in fiscal year 2007.The DS won in style as well, selling 6.34 million units (that's one DS sold every five seconds, FYI) and comfortably beating the Wii (3.74m sales) into second place. In case you're wondering, that sound you can hear is Iwata, Reggie, and Shiggy clinking champagne glasses on board their yacht of solid gold.The gap between the Wii and PSP is considerably smaller, while the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 occupy fourth and fifth place respectively (mystifyingly, the PlayStation 2 wasn't counted). And it wasn't only hardware sales that Nintendo dominated -- the five best-selling games were all from the Nintendo stable, with Wii Fit, Mario Party DS, Wii Sports, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon doing the business. Make like Godzilla and stomp past the break for the charts.
