Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer (Nintendo DS, 2008)

My obsession with the Mystery Dungeon series began back in 1995, give or take a few months. I was working in the Product Acquisition department at Nintendo of America (NOA). One day, some gentlemen from Chunsoft came in to pitch their quirky, turn-based RPG for the SNES called Taloon's Mystery Dungeon (Torneko no Daiboken: Fushigi no Dungeon, or Torneko's Great Adventure: Mysterious Dungeon).

I was hooked! It was totally different from mainstream RPGs like Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy. It was turn-based, the dungeons were randomly generated, and if you died, it was back to level 1 with no gear! Perhaps it was the challenge, the all-or-nothing aspect of the game that appealed to me. Anyhow, fast-forward to today. I love the Nintendo DS, so when I saw that Chunsoft had a version of Mystery Dungeon on the DS, of course I had to check it out. As a side note, the fact that it is published by Sega made me chuckle (a long time ago, in a videogame galaxy far, far away, Nintendo and Sega used to be arch-enemies, until Sega eventually bowed out of the console hardware business).

Warning! This game is NOT for the impatient or the easily frustrated. Death is a harsh mistress in Shiren - die, and you lose all your items you are carrying and return to a Level 1 wanderer. That is especially painful if you have a nice sword and shield, etc. And there are so many ways to die: combat, traps, hunger - you need to think ahead and stay on your toes. Of course, since the action is turn-based (the monsters move only after you move) you can always sit and think out your next move before proceeding.

The basic goal is to reach the Golden City. You'll need to reach the 30th floor of the first dungeon and face a dangerous boss before you can unlock additional content in Shiren. You'll be able to rest up in a couple of towns along the way, perhaps buy equipment from random shopkeepers in the dungeons, and upgrade your equipment as you explore each floor and defeat more enemies.

Speaking of equipment, you're only as good as your gear. You start out with nothing, but there's always something to be found in each floor. Treasure can be found on the ground or randomly dropped by monsters you defeat. Bags of gitans (gold) can also be picked up, and you can spend your cash in shops, inns, and at the blacksmith.

You can upgrade your weapons and shield, which is important if you wish to do well deeper into the game. Certain scrolls can increase the power of your weapons and shields, and the blacksmith can also upgrade your weapons for a price. Once you unlock the Melding Jar, you can combine multiple weapons and shields to make truly awesome gear!

There are also arrows, staves, armbands, scrolls, herbs, food, and jars to acquire. Just about everything is useful, so stock up on Jars of Holding to maximize the amount of items you can carry. You'll need loaves of Bread so you don't starve to death, and the various magic items you find can heal you, blast your enemies, or extract you from sticky situations.

Extra items can also be stored in your warehouses. These items do not vanish when you die, which is nice. You can stockpile key items, and store your best weapons and shields there until you are ready to embark on a serious dungeon crawl.

If you die and don't want to lose your best gear, you have three chances to get rescued. A fellow Shiren player can help you via a WiFi request, or a password you can give out. Handy!

Shiren is great if you love a challenge.

Mystery Dungeon is a great Rouge-like title for the DS. If you like Izuna, you'll most likely enjoy Mystery Dungeon. The one warning is that this game is extremely difficult. It is most likely the most difficult game I have ever played on the DS. If you were a fan of the limited lives and few continues of past SNES games you'll feel right at home with Mystery Dungeon. The game offers you plenty of HUD options which is vital to keeping you alive. I never felt like I made it very far in this game but the chance of getting a bit farther each time is compelling. I only wish they allowed the player some advantages after dying. Other than keeping items in a warehouse, you will be dropped back in the starting village at Lv. 1. I can't say what the game needs exactly to be more fare but most gamers will be severely disheartened when they see all of their hard work vanish right before their eyes.

I have always felt that modern games have become too easy and the player no longer feels the threat of genuine loss breathing down their neck. When you fear what comes around every corner you make a stronger connection with the game and it leaves a greater emotional impact.