Punishing difficulty and undeniable old school charm help fuel what is possibly one of the best Roguelikes ever made.
1. A gamer who likes Rogue-likes
2. A gamer who imported Super Famicom games in the past
3. A gamer who likes there games on the side of masochistic
4. A gamer who is thoroughly old-school
5. A gamer who finds tackling a game with a punishing difficulty satisfying.
If you are any of these five types of gamers, you have already purchased and been going through Shiren the Wanderer for the past month.
For the roguelike lover, this has the most in-depth system that has been released on the DS. Warping enemies to another part of the map, turning enemies into weaker animals by throwing food at them: the overwhelming depth with the items and spells is drenched throughout the game itself.
Gamers who imported old Super Famicom games remember how hard this game was to find, so this is a particularly great US release.
Masochistic gamers will love how unforgiving this game can be. In Shiren, you go through level after level collecting items and defeating enemies. However, like other roguelikes, you lose all the items in your bag if you die. Also, you will also lose all the experience you made and be stuck at Level 1 when you restart the game. Leaving weapons at a Storehouse keeps them for next reload, but it is definitely heartbreaking to buildup a great set of weapons, only to die in a dungeon and lose it all.
Shiren is also deeply rooted in its old school roots. Very little was updated graphically, but that really is a testament to its charm. Plus, the excellent/horrible cover art is very reminiscent of box art of yore.
Lastly, if you don't mind the difficulty (or if you prefer games on the side of challenging), Shiren the Wanderer will keep you occupied for a while. If you are interested in a starting roguelike, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon should be the one you start with. If you are looking for one to sink your teeth into, Shiren the Wanderer will definitely give you a full amount of old-school love.