Shiren the Wanderer is a series that gets attention every few years, and while not the most popular franchise, it maintains a humble following. I’ve dabbled on handheld, but my traditional roguelike itch is best scratched with meaty, decades-old Western titles. That said, Shiren the Wanderer has maintained its identity as a traditional roguelike with no permanent buffs or progression across runs aside from introducing an occasional new gameplay element or item.
Every run is the same but different. Procedural generation’s the name of the game, and for those unaware, this means that every dungeon is different each time with a few constants such as enemy types, the route up the mountain, and Shiren’s level-one start. Most roguelikes (ahem, roguelites) feature a leveling system in which players get stronger over time. You get stronger in traditional roguelikes through knowledge, strategy, and dumb luck. Glorious.
Before we get into the meat of the game design—because that’s what roguelikes are all about—let me gab on briefly about the impetus in Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island. Phew, that’s a mouthful, but the jaw won’t tire discussing this story. A ghost girl begs Shiren for help, and he and Koppa, his animal companion, have to go save her. Wouldn’t ya know it, they get stranded on an island and meet defeat against Jakaku, the Big Bad (™) Monster. Of course, this is a scripted tutorial, and Shiren wakes up in a humble village along a beach. The denizens beg for help in defeating Jakaku, as if saving a phantasmal maiden wasn’t MacGuffin enough.
Mileage in doing so may vary, because, remember, this is all about knowledge, strategy, and luck. For veterans of this turn- and grid-based format, victory may come quickly, as it did me in about five hours and three attempts. While I don’t think the game’s terribly difficult, thoughtful play will certainly help. Roll credits! Wow, I paid for this? Worry not, because this is just the beginning. While trekking up the mountain, Shiren meets all sorts of travelers, pirates, and merchants with their own tales to tell. Each visit features some progression until the story concludes, typically with a new side route or companion that players may come across in their travels to help thwart scorpions, archers, ghosts, etc.
The writing is serviceable enough. As far as anime-style RPGs go, expect youthful, adolescent writing with promises of crushes, heroism, and dramatic sacrifice for one’s principles. While I typically prefer a grittier, darker tale, the bouncy, low-stakes atmosphere has its appeal as a palate cleanser between serious RPG narratives.
Shiren the Wanderer’s vibes are solid, too. Set in a historical Japan, players should expect traditional architecture, ornamentation, and clothing, all with that fashionable flair to make ninja and pirates appealing to the eye. Similarly, the music and sound effects have a centuries-old air with the woodwinds, percussion, and howling one might expect from the era (inaccuracy notwithstanding). This all fits an aesthetic folks will be drawn to and satisfied with, but don’t expect a AAA budget, as the animation and drawings themselves feel dated. Everything looks good, just not modern.
Now onto the important bit: gameplay! Aside from wandering around small villages freely, venturing through dungeons takes place on a grid and is completely turn-based. Players can move diagonally, assuming a rocky corner doesn’t get in the way. Enemies follow the same rules and take a turn after the player action. Most enemies beeline the player if they’re close enough to notice, but some enemies engage in seemingly random patterns or opt to use a ranged attack in place of movement if they have line-of-sight. All enemy attacks seem randomized. While most will bludgeon or stab, others spit fire or shoot an arrow. Some special enemies will steal from Shiren, buff their allies, or catch and fire back a ranged attack if Shiren opts for such a tactic.
Learning the enemies is part of the joy, and while many are different flavors of the same enemy—different kinds of ninja—most families of monsters feel distinct from one another not just in behavior, but look. This helps characterize the journey and makes climbing the mountain more engaging, as if establishing a sense of community. Enemy groups along the floors are predictable, and after a few runs, I already started to intuitively understand what I needed to do and how I needed to do it; this is not a game in which players run headlong into every foe and mash attack. Especially near the summit.
Grizzled veterans of roguelikes are familiar with Yet Another Stupid Death (YASD). This is common in roguelikes because the margin for error can be slim, especially the farther someone gets into a run. This creates a high-intensity trek because losing an hour and a half of progress can be a daunting prospect. Remember, you take nothing with you when you die. Some situations can feel unlucky and therefore unfair, but the game makes it clear what the possibilities are and that players should prepare with their limited 24-item inventory.
Unfortunately, limited inventories are a common hurdle for roguelikes, and Shiren the Wanderer’s no different. While juggling items isn’t the most exciting aspect of any game (I’m looking at you, Resident Evil), this is a big part of the strategy and is crucial to gameplay. If I’m being honest, a part of me enjoys the mental chew of deciding how many healing items I need, how many arrows I should keep in my back pocket, and which magic wands are absolutely necessary to prepare me for any contingency. This is as much part of the strategy as combat and positioning are.
Beyond combat, every run—and especially success or discovering new mechanics through unique play—reveals new story elements, gameplay features, and opportunities to prepare for future runs. Winning a run resets everything except for items. A savvy player will recognize that they don’t need all of their super powerful end-game equipment for a new run, so stashing some goodies at a warehouse at the starting village is a shrewd prospect. This way, if a run goes south, players can take something nice with them. Players also unlock training modes, challenge missions, and the ability to save players who go down. If anyone goes down after a few runs, they unlock the ability to be rescued three times per journey. This is a low-stakes way of helping out another player. I quite enjoyed this element, because it gave me another reason to play well: simply helping another person. Take that, Dark Souls.
The various systems and opportunities to engage in the game differently keep Shiren fresh. Several unique dungeons sprout up along the way and are sprinkled into each run. I adore the pacing and rate for introducing new elements: enough to keep the game interesting without inundating the player. Discovery’s a huge draw in roguelikes, and Shiren the Wanderer nails that in this latest iteration.
All is not rosy, though. Serpentcoil Island, for all its systems and quality-of-life features, can feel stale after a while. At the end of the day, this is a roguelike on the simpler side. If you’re like me and love meaty, dense, and complex systems in your roguelikes, this isn’t it. That said, it’s still fun and engaging when played in spurts. I praise the developers for making an accessible yet strategic roguelike because this subgenre often has a steep learning curve and barrier for entry. While I’ve beaten the game, I can tell that I’m going to do my routine 90% completion on this game, even after investing 20 hours. The post-game is the game.
