Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer
Encyclopedia
Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer (不思議のダンジョン２ 風来のシレン Fushigi no Dungeon 2: Fūrai no Shiren) is a graphical roguelike
by Chunsoft
. It is the second videogame in the Mystery Dungeon series, and the first game in the series to feature all original characters. It was originally released for the Super Famicom
in 1995, and has subsequently been ported to the Game Boy
and Nintendo DS
. A sequel, Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren 2: Oni Shūrai! Siren-jō!(不思議のダンジョン 風来のシレン2 鬼襲来シレン城!), is available for the Nintendo 64
. Fushigi no Dungeon: Furai no Shiren Gaiden "Onna Kenshi Asuka Kenzan!"(不思議のダンジョン 風来のシレン外伝 女剣士アスカ見参!) is available for the Dreamcast or Windows. Shiren 3
was released June 5 in Japan for Wii
.
In September 2007 Sega
announced that they would release the DS version in North America. It was then released March 4, 2008.
Although "Shiren" is the name of the primary character, the Japanese title is a pun; while "Shiren the Wanderer" is the official English title for the game, "風来のシレン" can also translate as "The Wanderer's Ordeals".
named Shiren and his companion, a talking weasel
named Koppa, on a quest for the Land of the Golden Condor.
s, the player moves in a turn-based manner through a number of dungeons. While most roguelikes generate dungeons completely randomly, Shiren the Wanderer randomly chooses from a set of static dungeons. Although the player can save the game in various locations, dying resets Shiren's level to 1, sends him back to the first town, and all items not saved in warehouses are lost. The game's dungeons include a variety of settings, like caves and forests, and are randomly filled with monsters, traps, and items.
In the DS version, if Shiren falls, a rescue request can be made through wireless networks or passwords. Another player can then go to the same area that the first player fell at and revive them. The rescuer receives a random item and, once revived, the rescued player can send a "thank-you letter" that may include a reward from the rescued player's own inventory for the rescuer. Once rescued, Shiren will still have his levels and items, and the floor will be clear of enemies, although others will appear as normal as he journeys. Shiren can be rescued up to three times; if he falls a fourth time, he will be reset as usual.
composed by Koichi Sugiyama
. It was released on December 20, 1995 by Kitty Records.
Roguelike
The roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. Most roguelikes feature ASCII graphics, with newer ones increasingly offering tile-based graphics. Games are typically dungeon crawls, with many...
by Chunsoft
Chunsoft
is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix...
. It is the second videogame in the Mystery Dungeon series, and the first game in the series to feature all original characters. It was originally released for the Super Famicom
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
in 1995, and has subsequently been ported to the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
and Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. A sequel, Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren 2: Oni Shūrai! Siren-jō!(不思議のダンジョン 風来のシレン2 鬼襲来シレン城!), is available for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
. Fushigi no Dungeon: Furai no Shiren Gaiden "Onna Kenshi Asuka Kenzan!"(不思議のダンジョン 風来のシレン外伝 女剣士アスカ見参!) is available for the Dreamcast or Windows. Shiren 3
Fushigi no Dungeon - Furai no Shiren 3: Karakuri Yashiki no Nemuri Hime
is a roguelike developed by Chunsoft and published by Sega for Wii. It was released on June 5, 2008 in Japan and on February 9, 2010 in North America....
was released June 5 in Japan for Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
.
In September 2007 Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
announced that they would release the DS version in North America. It was then released March 4, 2008.
Although "Shiren" is the name of the primary character, the Japanese title is a pun; while "Shiren the Wanderer" is the official English title for the game, "風来のシレン" can also translate as "The Wanderer's Ordeals".
Plot
The game takes place in a fantasy version of feudal Japan, and stars a rōninRonin
A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
named Shiren and his companion, a talking weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
named Koppa, on a quest for the Land of the Golden Condor.
Gameplay
As in other roguelikeRoguelike
The roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. Most roguelikes feature ASCII graphics, with newer ones increasingly offering tile-based graphics. Games are typically dungeon crawls, with many...
s, the player moves in a turn-based manner through a number of dungeons. While most roguelikes generate dungeons completely randomly, Shiren the Wanderer randomly chooses from a set of static dungeons. Although the player can save the game in various locations, dying resets Shiren's level to 1, sends him back to the first town, and all items not saved in warehouses are lost. The game's dungeons include a variety of settings, like caves and forests, and are randomly filled with monsters, traps, and items.
In the DS version, if Shiren falls, a rescue request can be made through wireless networks or passwords. Another player can then go to the same area that the first player fell at and revive them. The rescuer receives a random item and, once revived, the rescued player can send a "thank-you letter" that may include a reward from the rescued player's own inventory for the rescuer. Once rescued, Shiren will still have his levels and items, and the floor will be clear of enemies, although others will appear as normal as he journeys. Shiren can be rescued up to three times; if he falls a fourth time, he will be reset as usual.
Audio
is an arranged soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
composed by Koichi Sugiyama
Koichi Sugiyama
is a Japanese music composer, council member of JASRAC , and honorary chairman of the Japanese Backgammon Society...
. It was released on December 20, 1995 by Kitty Records.