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Shiren the Wanderer: a primer
While previous Shiren the Wanderer video releases from Atlus have focused on the story, this walkthrough spends more time discussing the basic gameplay of the roguelike -- perfect for those of you who have no idea what we're talking about when we refer to Shiren as a "roguelike" game. Atlus project lead Scott Strichart also introduces the new difficulty settings -- easy mode allows you to keep your items and levels after dying! -- and the methods of control for AI partners, ranging from fully automated to fully player-controlled. Atlus calls this video a "walkthrough," but it's really more of an overview. In any case, might as well start studying up now in preparation for the February 9 release.
Puppets promote Shiren the Wanderer 4 in Japan
Shiren the Wanderer 3 hits North America on February 9, but Chunsoft and publisher Spike are already preparing to release Shiren the Wanderer 4 in Japan. There, the roguelike dungeon crawler is a big enough deal to warrant television advertising! And that's a good thing, because these TV ads for Shiren 4 (after the break) are absolutely wonderful, featuring puppets(!) of Shiren, Koppa, and monsters in the new tropical island setting. Of course, if you were to go into this game based on the sunny commercials, you might be a bit surprised when you're murdered repeatedly by monsters, losing all items and progress each time. We hope someone gets the idea to sell Shiren puppets. [Via GoNintendo]
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%
The key to Shiren the Wanderer's story
A beautiful, atmospheric trailer (after the break) introduces us to the story of the new Shiren the Wanderer ... such as it is. Basically, Shiren's master, knowing that Shiren likes dungeons, gives him the key to the Karakuri Mansion, which is a big dungeon. There's more, like a cursed princess and some time travel stuff, but the essence is that Shiren goes into another dungeon. It's rather lucky for us that Shiren's wanderings are so often directed toward dungeons and dungeon-type environments. Atlus also highlights Shiren's pal Koppa in the trailer, allowing us to hope that the company will choose to bundle the game with Sega's Koppa Wiimote stand. %Gallery-78562%
Shiren the Wanderer turns up in February minus online features
Atlus announced a North American localization of Sega and Chunsoft's Shiren the Wanderer at E3, and hasn't said much about it until now. The company just dated the game for February 9 and released a bunch of screens & art for the punishing roguelike, along with a bit of sad news regarding the online connectivity. "Despite our best efforts, the North American version of Shiren will not include the Rescue, Versus, or Item Transfer online features," Atlus's Aram Jabbari said in the announcement. "However, the downloadable dungeon content from the Japanese version will be included on the disc." Jabbari said that Atlus felt compelled to alert fans because "the absence of these features may influence some fans' decision to purchase the game." The most identifiable feature of any Shiren game -- repeated, unavoidable death -- should remain intact. %Gallery-78562%
Hands-on: Shiren the Wanderer (Wii)
We read Atlus's late night press release announcing plans to localize Sega's Shiren the Wanderer 3 with utter shock. We had long since resigned ourselves to never seeing the console 3D version of Chunsoft's roguelike, and we were afraid that we had merely dreamed that Atlus had picked it up with plans to release it in 2010. But, sure enough, the game was available for play in Atlus's booth, and we were pleased to have the opportunity to check it out. Full disclosure: we didn't die in our play session, which should give fans of Shiren on the DS a rough idea of how long we were able to play.
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 6/9-6/15
Last week in Japan was all about Sony dominance, as Metal Gear Solid 4 rocketed the PS3 into first. The Wii still did pretty well for itself, though, nabbing the third spot in hardware and nine of the top thirty in software:Shiren the Wanderer 3 managed to remain in the top ten despite the Metal Gear bullying, but everything else was as we expected. Just click past the break if you want to check out the software rankings and sales numbers.
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!
Shiren taking another turn on the DS?
According to an unsourced rumor found on the French site wiiz.fr, Sega and Chunsoft are already planning a second Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer game for the DS. Like the current Shiren, Shiren the Wanderer DS 2 is purported to be a remake of a classic Shiren roguelike, this time 1996's Shiren the Wanderer GB for the Game Boy.Seems like a cheap game for Chunsoft to develop: just remake the Shiren GB dungeons in the Shiren DS engine and send it out the door. Shiren fans would no doubt be pleased to have another set of dungeons in which to die!
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?
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.
New screenshots, Koppa stand preorders for Shiren 3
Ever the pessimists, we're having a hard time convincing ourselves that Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 3 will ever make it stateside. Yes, we thought the same about the Shiren game that just hit the DS when localization rumors materialized, but we doubt that sales for the niche title impressed Sega, compelling the publisher into adding the Wii sequel to its North America release schedule.So, until monkeys fly out our butt someone announces a localization deal for Shiren 3, the only way you'll play this revamp of the revered roguelike is an expensive import -- provided that it's compatible with Freeloader. If you're shelling out the big bucks, why not grab the Koppa Wii remote stand, too? NCSX has the stands available to gamers who put down their $65 (plus shipping and handling) for an early preorder. Though Shiren 3 isn't due until June 5th, the import shop has a limited amount of stands, so reserve soon!Those of you who've played the DS remake of the SNES game -- all four of you -- and aren't sure if Shiren 3's additions are enough to warrant a purchase, make sure you check out the new boss characters in the Famitsu link below!Read - Preorder Furai no Shiren 3 at NCSXRead - New Furai no Shiren 3 screenshots
