A ninja had used water jutsu to rust my sword and shield to -1 stats on one run through the mystery dungeon. I had unintentionally stumbled into a Monster House, an area full with traps and monsters as well as rich loot, and I was low on health. Up until I saw a Blank Scroll in my inventory that I could write into a Windblade Scroll, I was certain that I would die there. With my newly acquired Windblade Scroll, I eliminated every monster within the chamber. Later, I ransacked the location, had a nap till my health returned, ate an onigiri, and proceeded to the next floor, where I ultimately perished at the hands of a lone ninja who had struck it fortunate too many times. I lost all of my gold and treasure, and I was sent back to the starting town. I was even restored to my initial statistics. I returned to the old man nearby, collected my free onigiri, and then made my way back into the Mystery Dungeon.
Playing Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island, the first new Shiren the Wanderer game in thirteen years, is like this. It’s possible that you’ve played Etrian Mystery Dungeon or are familiar with the Mystery Dungeon games featuring Pokémon or Chocobo. All these spin-offs, however, pale in comparison to their creator, the silent traveler with a talking ferret and a cape. The flavor of the Mystery Dungeon itself may vary, but its haphazard design never goes out. There are never any changes to the terms of engagement, and there are never any soft punishments for losing. These games are always addictive, though, provided you can overlook your mistakes. Numerous rogue-likes draw influence from the Mystery Dungeon series, but ultimately, there’s no comparison.
Shiren the Wanderer isn’t really that difficult, therefore the reputation isn’t due to that. If you rush things, you can get rather far. Take out the closest katana and fight your way through every enemy in your path to the stairs like a caveman. It’s not because of the severe penalties either, but you can leave extra goods at any number of warehouses you can locate to offer yourself some safety nets. Shiren the Wanderer is incredibly addictive. It combines creative thinking with enjoyable rewards and a “just one more try!” attitude that leaves you feeling never too dejected after yet another senseless death. Heck, Shiren the Wanderer is aware that you will die frequently. Even if you were lucky enough to finish the game in one sitting, you would still be missing out on a ton of enjoyable things that only become available after you’ve failed a few runs and shared your sorrows with the other Wanderers in town.
In and of itself, exploring the Mystery Dungeon is a reward. The dungeon’s floors are all produced at random, and specific types of monsters—like the several ninjas concealed in the bamboo groves—appear in each “area” of the dungeon. Shiren’s health will gradually recover each turn if he suffers damage. His hunger meter never stops going down, therefore you have to eat onigiri to keep full. There are staves that can release a variety of effects, pots that can affect your other objects, and single-use scrolls that can confer a variety of powers. And lastly, the creatures. Fighting monsters takes more than just brute force; many have special skills that make you utilize all of your resources and think outside the box. Some adversaries are completely unaffected by ranged weapons. After being doused with water, some adversaries lose all of their power. In certain cases, adversaries may even unintentionally help you if you are equipped with the right item for the assault they employ. Not all of the innumerable turns and turns that one encounters when exploring a dungeon originate from the corridors themselves. As you surprise yourself with solutions you didn’t think the game accounted for, you’ll have enjoyable “A-ha!” moments all the time.
Exist any defects? There are, of course. We haven’t seen Shiren the Wanderer in three dimensions in the US for a while. Character models are endearing, but occasionally their appearance on the floor they’re standing on makes them seem inappropriate. Furthermore, even if Shiren the Wanderer offers a lot of cushioning for its high stakes, it’s still very feasible to lose your life in foolish circumstances over which you had no influence. Both the possibility of dying on the first floor to an extremely fortunate Mamel and the possibility of having your fortunate run interrupted later in the dungeon by a series of unrelated minor occurrences culminating in a catastrophic failure exist. Shiren the Wanderer may not point the finger at you or make light of your blunders, but it can still be aggravating when you encounter what die-hard Rogue-like fans refer to as “yet another stupid death.”
Even so, there’s a chance Shiren the Wanderer will continue to follow you. Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is not so much like Solitaire, a game you pick up when you have nothing better to do, as it may end up being someone’s “forever” game. Even if you reach the peak and collect all the riches, even after you’ve explored every inch of Serpentcoil Island, even after you’ve seen the conclusion to everyone’s adventures, maybe you’ll be down for one last run through the dungeon. Consider trying a run without a weapon. Perhaps you should limit your usage to the items you found on the floor. There will always be an abundance of reasons to return to the Mystery Dungeon—after all, why not just peek inside?
