| 1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shiren_5.png]] |
| 2 | The flagship RPG series of [[Creator/SpikeChunsoft Chunsoft]], the Japanese publisher/developer who created the ''VideoGame/MysteryDungeon'' franchise. ''Shiren the Wanderer'' features {{roguelike}} gameplay set against a fantasy version of feudal Japan. Most of the games have you control Shiren, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a wandering adventurer]] who wears a distinct kasa hat. Only four games in the series have been released to Western audiences. |
| 3 | |
| 4 | The series so far: |
| 5 | * ''Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer'' (1995, [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]]) (2006, [[Platform/NintendoDS DS]]) (2019, [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]][=/=]Platform/{{Android|Games}}) (titled ''Mystery Dungeon 2'' in Japan; ''Mystery Dungeon 1'' was the Super Famicom game based around Torneko from ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'') -- Shiren journeys to the Golden City on Table Mountain, where the Golden Condor resides. |
| 6 | * ''Shiren the Wanderer 2: Oni Invasion! Shiren Castle!'' (2000, [[Platform/Nintendo64 N64]]) -- Natane Village keeps getting invaded by [[{{Youkai}} Onis]], and the townfolk beseech Shiren to build them a fortress. |
| 7 | * ''Shiren the Wanderer 3: The Sleeping Princess of the Karakuri Mansion'' (2008, Platform/{{Wii}}) (2010, [[Platform/PlayStationPortable PSP]]) -- Shiren and friends seek the Karakuri Mansion. [[GambitRoulette Things get complicated.]] |
| 8 | * ''Shiren the Wanderer 4: The Deity's Eye and the Devil's Navel'' (2010, DS) (2012, PSP) -- An island adventure, complete with monkeys and bananas and tiger people. |
| 9 | * ''Shiren the Wanderer 5: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate'' (2010, DS) -- Utilizing the ''Shiren 4'' engine, the game tasks Shiren with climbing a deadly tower in the hopes of changing the fate of a girl who has a terminal illness. |
| 10 | ** ''Shiren the Wanderer 5+'' (2015 (JP) 2016 (US), [[Platform/PlaystationVita Vita]]) (2020, [[Platform/NintendoSwitch Switch]], Platform/{{Steam}}) (2022, iOS[=/=]Android) -- An enhanced remake of ''Shiren 5'', and the first game in the series to be released in the U.S. since ''Shiren 3''. |
| 11 | * ''Shiren the Wanderer 6: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island'' (2024, Switch) -- When rumors of a powerful demon deep beneath Serpentcoil Island hoarding exquisite treasure spread across the land, adventurers flock to the island in pursuit of ultimate fame and fortune. After Shiren and Koppa see ominous visions of a maiden in need of rescue, they head to the island themselves in pursuit of this new mystery. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | Along with the main installments, there have been a few [[GaidenGame gaiden games]]: |
| 14 | * ''BS Shiren the Wanderer: Save Surara'' (1996, Platform/{{Satellaview}}) -- A direct sequel to the first game that was broadcasted over four weeks from April to May 1996, and rerun once in June 1996. It was also the first game to have voice acting (for Koppa). |
| 15 | * ''Shiren the Wanderer GB: The Monsters of Moonlight Village'' (1996, [[Platform/GameBoy GB]]) (1999, 2002, PC) (2011, Android) -- Shiren encounters the Dragon's Maw and a seemingly quaint village. [[spoiler:The villagers transform into monsters at night.]] |
| 16 | * ''Shiren the Wanderer [=GB2=]: The Magic Castle of the Desert'' (2000, [[Platform/GameBoyColor GBC]]) (2008, DS) -- This time, there's a creepy desert castle and some kind of SealedEvilInACan. |
| 17 | * ''Shiren the Wanderer Gaiden: The Swordswoman Asuka Arrives!'' (2002, [[Platform/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]], PC) -- Asuka from ''Shiren 2'' has her own little adventure with Koppa in Tenrin County, where they encounter ninjas and some sort of plant demon. Also, there's a massive postgame. This is the only ''Shiren'' game where he isn't the player avatar. |
| 18 | * ''Shiren the Wanderer: Princess Suzune and the Tower of Slumber'' (2013, Pachinko) -- A pachinko game that's notable for being set after ''Shiren 3'', making it the most recent story in the franchise's timeline. It's also the only game where Shiren, Asuka, and Sensei have voiced lines. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | One notable detail about this series is that it's the only ''Mystery Dungeon'' subseries that uses original Chunsoft characters, as opposed to characters from ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'', ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', or ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey''. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | For the first game in the series, only the DS version has been released outside Japan. The Wii version of ''Shiren 3'' and the PS Vita, Switch, and Steam versions of ''Shiren 5'' also had overseas releases. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | Masato Kato is the scenario writer for ''Shiren 3'', and he was also involved in ''Shiren 4''. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | ---- |
| 27 | !!The games provide examples of: |
| 28 | |
| 29 | * ActionBomb: Spike Bombs and their higher-level forms. If a Spike Bomb's health goes low enough, it explodes. Items adjacent to it are destroyed, and if you're next to it you'll be knocked down to 1 HP, unless you have a Blast Shield equipped. It doesn't even give you experience points if it blows up. In the case of regular Spike Bombs, they stop moving when they're down to 23 HP or less (out of 50), and they go boom at 10 HP or less. |
| 30 | * AerithAndBob: In ''Shiren 3'', one of the villagers is named Catherine. [[spoiler:Justified because her father was a foreigner.]] A postgame boss battle against Carl, who [[IdenticalStranger resembles Eagle and even fights like him]], also reveals that Eagle's name was Johnny. |
| 31 | * AnachronicOrder: Chronologically, ''Shiren 2'' is the first game and ''Shiren 3'' is the last (unless you count the pachinko game). All other ''Shiren'' games take place somewhere in the interim, with their timeline placements being implied via dialogue lines. |
| 32 | * AntiFrustrationFeatures: |
| 33 | ** In exchange for having ''mandatory'' allies in ''Shiren 3'', you're given 10 extra inventory slots (for a maximum of 30). This applies even when the story makes you continue alone. [[spoiler:Once you complete the postgame tournament arc and unlock the option to play without allies, ''you lose those extra slots'' if you do so, even if it's a dungeon that forces you to go solo.]] |
| 34 | ** In ''Shiren 6'', beating Serpentcoil Island twice unlocks the Wagoneer, a [[WarpWhistle fast travel]] service that can take you to any checkpoint location in the map. This allows you to progress story events, retrieve items from Warehouses and access shops without needing to replay Serpentcoil Island. Because you will usually do so at Level 1, the game will warn you against attempting to proceed to Serpentcoil Island dungeon and offers the ability to warp back to Shukuba Beach from the world map. |
| 35 | ** Also in ''6'', beating the game for the first time unlocks the Unsuspicious Shop in Shukuba Beach. The Unsuspicious Shop sells back weapons and shields that have been equipped and lost in the dungeon, ensuring they aren't permanently lost even if something unfortunate happens to them. |
| 36 | * AntiGrinding: The Winds of Kron will blow you back to the starting town if you take too long to complete a floor, which is effectively the same as manually restarting to get back to the starting town. |
| 37 | * ArtisticLicenseBiology: In ''Shiren 6'', [[spoiler:everyone on Serpentcoil Island apparently doesn't have trouble breathing while said Island is ''flying a significant altitude over the mainland'']]. |
| 38 | * ArtisticLicenseGeology: In ''Shiren 6'', [[spoiler:Tatsumi claims that Serpentcoil Island formed atop her body during a 1000-year slumber, despite 1000 years being a cosmically insigificant amount of time for an entire landmass to appear from nowhere without the interference of extreme volcanic activity, much less on top of a living being.]] |
| 39 | * ArtisticLicensePhysics: In ''Shiren 3'', [[spoiler:considering the setting is EarthAllAlong, ''the Moon becoming shattered into countless Moon Bits'' apparently doesn't affect the planet's tides, especially since the postgame quest to restore it happens one year later]]. |
| 40 | * AwesomeButTemporary: In ''Shiren 3'', Shiren has permanent Juggernaut status during his first journey through Yomotsu Hirasaka (which lets him NoSell direct attacks), but it disappears after the first of the two boss fights at the end. He's still vulnerable to StatusEffects, hunger, and the Winds of Kron, but you'd have to be actively putting him in danger. |
| 41 | * BananaPeel: Bananas replace riceballs as food in ''Shiren 4''. When Shiren eats a banana, it gets replaced by a banana peel in your inventory. Guess what you can do with them. |
| 42 | * BizarreSexualDimorphism: Male moon people are {{Moon Rabbit}}s, and female ones are PlayboyBunnies. |
| 43 | * BonusDungeon: |
| 44 | ** The first game has the Kitchen God Shrine, the Scroll Cave, and Fei's Final Problem. The DS version adds the Ravine of the Dead, the Ceremonial Cave, and an extension to the main dungeon beyond the original 30 floors. |
| 45 | ** The postgame of ''Shiren 3'' has ten of these, including a dungeon with ''1,000 floors''! |
| 46 | ** ''Shiren 5'' has several bonus dungeons, over half of which aren't even restricted to the postgame. The Switch/Steam port adds three more dungeons on top of that, the most notable of which is [[ArrangeMode a remixed version of the Tower of Fortune]]. |
| 47 | * BoyfriendBluff: In ''Shiren 6'', Hibiki suddenly declares Shiren her fiancé in a moment of panic when her nemesis Tugai considers marrying her. You have the option to ''affirm it'', and if you talk to Koppa right after the scene he snarks that he knew you've always been a sucker for women. |
| 48 | * CanonDiscontinuity: In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWcnteR5Mco this teaser trailer]] for ''Shiren 6'', it's notable that ''[=GB=]'' and ''[=GB2=]'' were the only spinoffs officially acknowledged by Spike Chunsoft themselves. ''Save Surara'' was only ever available as TemporaryOnlineContent on a now-defunct console, ''Asuka Arrives!'' is a licensing nightmare, and ''Princess Suzune'' is a pachinko game (aka gambling with bells and whistles). |
| 49 | * CannotSpitItOut: The denoument to the pirate subplot in the post-game of ''Shiren 6''. The Red Orcas and Black Sharks are diametrically opposed types of pirates; Hibiki hates Tugai for his greed and generally pirate-y ways while Tugai is romantically interested in Hibiki. [[spoiler:After Tugai reunites Mick and Hibiki in Mt. Jatou, Hibiki discovering that Tugai values her happiness causes her to fall in love with him, but because they're rivals she has trouble approaching him face-to-face. Meanwhile, Tugai starts dejectedly loitering around Serpentcoil Island under the impression that he's hurt Hibiki. It falls upon Shiren and Koppa to reunite the duo, but the reunion goes bottoms up and Tugai runs off to Kiki Island in pursuit of treasure, causing Hibiki to follow him to rescue him and confess her love. When Hibiki also doesn't return, Shiren and Koppa are forced to head to Kiki Island to save both of them.]] |
| 50 | * TheCavalry: In ''Shiren 3'', [[spoiler:Kaguya and her guardians rescue Shiren's party during the FinalBattle]]. |
| 51 | * ChainmailBikini: While Oboro's body is quite covered, her getup does a lot to show off her assets. [[spoiler:This also applies to her twin sister, Soboro.]] |
| 52 | * TheChessmaster: In ''Shiren 3'', [[spoiler:Jofuku (also known as the historical Xu Fu) conducted a 2,000-year-old plan to destroy the Moon by manipulating countless people. Sensei mentions that he was a fortune-teller, implying he could avoid any unwanted outcomes]]. |
| 53 | * {{Cliffhanger}}: In ''Shiren 6'', defeating Jakaku leaves more questions than answers: [[spoiler:Serpentcoil Island is now flying in the sky over the mainland and raining water and ''money'', the fate of the girl who contacted Shiren and Koppa isn't revealed, and Shiren and Koppa are ''blasted out of the summit of Mount Jatou'' by a fireball from somewhere]]. The "ending" says that this is where the ''true'' Mystery Dungeon begins. |
| 54 | * ClimaxBoss: ''Shiren 6'' sets up Jakaku as the FinalBoss of the main story. [[spoiler:It's just the DiscOneFinalBoss; the postgame introduces Kokatsu, the God of Sunlight, as the BigBad who attacked Shiren and Koppa via a fireball from the sky after they defeated Jakaku]]. |
| 55 | * ContinuingIsPainful: |
| 56 | ** Everything except for the stuff you put into warehouses is lost once you return to the starting town, unless you fully complete the dungeon. Even then, your level, stats, and cash are reset. Keep in mind that this is considered ''nice'' for [[{{Roguelike}} the genre]]. |
| 57 | ** ''Shiren 3'' has a start-of-file Easy mode that lets you backtrack to a recent save instead of losing everything. |
| 58 | ** ''Shiren 4'' also introduces an insurance system for gear and items. |
| 59 | * ContinuityNod: |
| 60 | ** Pekeji and Oryu debuted in the first game, and reappear in ''[=GB2=]''. |
| 61 | ** ''Shiren 3'' has the reappearance of Asuka (from ''2'') and the Hyottoko Gang (from ''Asuka Arrives!''). [[spoiler:Curas (from [=GB2=]), Ragoon (from ''Asuka Arrives!''), and the Tainted Insect (from the first game) all fight you at once in the postgame arc.]] |
| 62 | ** The item descriptions for the "Old Mallet" group of items in ''Shiren 5'' is narrated by Picotan, a character from ''2''. He spends most of the item description [[LampshadeHanging complaining about how nobody knows who he is because he only appeared in that one game]]. |
| 63 | ** One of the unlockable shortcuts in ''6'' is the Golden Highway, a reference to the Golden Interval mechanic from ''2'' and featuring a similar gold-plated aesthetic. |
| 64 | * DevelopersForesight: ''Shiren 6'' actually has a unique version of some scenes if Jakaku was beaten during the HopelessBossFight ActionPrologue. |
| 65 | * DivineConflict: The post-game of ''6'' reveals [[spoiler:the Sun God Kokatsu attacked the Water God Suiryu in times past, forcing Suiryu to retreat to the seas where she slumbered for 1000 years to recover. While she slept, Serpentcoil Island formed atop her and became her main body, whereupon Kokatsu created the spider demon Jakaku to imprison Suiryu's spirit and prevent her from leaving, causing the nearby mainland to suffer from an eternal drought. Shiren and Koppa are called to the island to defeat Jakaku, release her from Kokatsu's hold and bring rain to the lands once more]]. |
| 66 | * DualBoss: ''Shiren 3'' has quite the number of these. |
| 67 | * DualWielding: In ''Shiren 3'', Shiren and Sensei can do this. Shiren would usually be better off equipping a shield, but Sensei is unable to do so. |
| 68 | * DuelBoss: In ''Shiren 3'', [[spoiler:Asuka prompts a fight against Shiren at the Tomb of Kaguya, unable to accept waking up Kaguya if it would put the world in danger (with Sensei sitting this one out). Doubles as DuelingPlayerCharacters, since she uses whatever she was still equipped with and even exploits her access to your shared inventory!]] |
| 69 | * EarthAllAlong: The setting of the first games in the series could reasonably be described as a {{Jidaigeki}}[=-styled=] ConstructedWorld where people worship the Eight Rivanian Beast Gods. Then Sensei in ''Shiren 3'' references ''Literature/TheTaleOfTheBambooCutter'' and mentions not only Taoism (a word of Chinese origin) and "the land of Japan" but also the CreationMyth of Myth/JapaneseMythology. |
| 70 | * EarlyGameHell: In ''6'', the Escape Scroll is a post-game unlockable, unlike previous games. This means that you will be punished far more extensively for mistakes for quite a while as you do not have a way to restart with all of the items in your inventory, making matchup knowledge and sheer tenacity that much more important until you can unlock other features that make the climb to Mt. Jatou substantially easier. |
| 71 | * EasyAmnesia: At the start of ''Shiren 6'', Shiren and Koppa's first encounter with Jakaku opens with Shiren apparently suffering amnesia after a heavy blow by Jakaku. Narratively, this gives newbies to the series the option to treat Shiren as an AudienceSurrogate. |
| 72 | * EasyLevelTrick: One boss fight in ''Shiren 3'' can be hilariously cheesed, if you know in advance. [[spoiler:As a boss, Asuka wields the items equipped to her and uses any item that isn't contained in a Holding Jar (this includes not only Jars that have effects when pushed but also ''Revival Herbs''). You can make the fight an absolute joke if you unequip her gear before starting her fight and then drop every item she can access on the floor during the fight... but she may have the last laugh if you [[HoistByHisOwnPetard went out of your way to max out her Strength stat]].]] |
| 73 | * EscortMission: |
| 74 | ** Every single game in the series seems to have a reward for escorting someone through a Mystery Dungeon, whether it be a storage area, a rare item, or even a BonusDungeon. |
| 75 | ** In the first game, one side quest requires you to locate a small girl and get her to the next resting point alive before you can use the warehouse there. |
| 76 | ** At the end of ''Shiren GB'', you have to escort a girl through ''the entire dungeon'' back to the starting village. |
| 77 | ** The main story of ''Shiren 5'' involves escorting Jirokichi through the Tower of Fortune so that he can save his childhood friend Oyu. [[spoiler:This subsequently turns into escorting him through the Tower of Miracles so that he can undo her death.]] |
| 78 | ** In ''Shiren 6'', part of the sidequest to unlock the Golden Highway is to escort Kawasaku from the summit of Firespew Mountain all the way to Icewall Village. |
| 79 | * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: An odd example in ''Shiren 3'': the bamboo harvester, Taketori, is always referred to by the townspeople as Old Man Taketori; whenever you actually meet him, the game itself calls him Bamboo Harvester. |
| 80 | * ExcusePlot: In the first game, all you need to know is that you have to get through 30 levels of the dungeon. Complete mastery of the game is another matter... |
| 81 | * {{Fartillery}}: Consuming a Sweet Potato restores 50 Fullness but also causes Shiren to fart, causing all entities in the room (both hostile and friendly) to immediately warp due to the stench. |
| 82 | * FightingYourFriend: |
| 83 | ** In ''Shiren 3'', [[spoiler:Asuka is the boss fight at the Tomb of Kaguya, and a Jofuku-possessed Sensei is the second boss fight at Yomotsu Hirasaka]]. |
| 84 | ** In ''Shiren 6'', [[spoiler:the bodyguard Kantenbo orders to kill you is Asuka, but [[SubvertedTrope she refuses the order and nullifies the contract]]]]. |
| 85 | * FireBreathingDiner: Dragon Herbs will let you breathe fire. Also, Dragon meat will allow you to turn into a dragon and [[BreathWeapon breathe fire on command]]. |
| 86 | * FloatingContinent: At the end of ''6'', [[spoiler:the defeat of Jakaku allows Tatsumi to raise the entirety of Serpentcoil Island from the ground atop a giant rain cloud. It then passes over the mainland, bringing rain (and gold coins from pirate's treasure) to the peoples suffering from Kokatsu's drought]]. |
| 87 | * FlunkyBoss: The last floor of the Ceremonial Cave in the DS remake of the first game has the Kigny Chief, who starts out surrounded by EliteMooks. There's also a MookMaker in the center of the room for good measure. |
| 88 | * ForcedTransformation: |
| 89 | ** If you step on a Riceball Trap or get breathed on by a Rice Boss, you'll turn into a riceball. In this form your equipment has no effect, you can't use items, and a Rotten Trap can outright kill you. |
| 90 | ** By throwing meat at an enemy, they will transform into the enemy the meat is named after. In the first game only, this even works on bosses. |
| 91 | ** The Change Staff transforms the target into a random monster on that floor. The Skull Wizard family can do this to you as well, but you can choose to revert at any time. |
| 92 | ** In ''Shiren 3'', a shield with the "Chef" seal can turn almost any attacking enemy into a riceball (except the Rice monsters, which levels them up instead)! |
| 93 | * FriendInTheBlackMarket: Tao, the part-time guide in ''Shiren 5''. Whenever you find yourself in any kind of trouble (strength down, zero food meter, etc.) with her in the party, talk to her and she'll sell you the proper recovery item. Just be prepared to shell out 3x-5x the standard price. |
| 94 | * FriendlyPirate: The Red Orcas in ''6'' are a crew of seafaring philantropists who travel the seas to help others and protect the innocent. They are fierce rivals with the Black Sharks, a crew of bog-standard pirates. |
| 95 | * FusionDance: In ''Shiren 3'', Kotodama + Kodama = Kotodamakodama. |
| 96 | * GameplayAndStoryIntegration: In ''Shiren 6'', the context of Asuka joining your current adventure without the Peach Club she acquired after your shared first meeting with the Heavenly Maiden is that she "got bored" of it. |
| 97 | * GameplayAndStorySegregation: In ''Shiren 6'', if you manage to defeat Jakaku during either the ActionPrologue or your very first run, [[spoiler:the Black Sharks somehow made it to Serpentcoil Island ''while it's floating in the sky'']]. |
| 98 | * GimmickLevel: |
| 99 | ** The bonus dungeons can work this way whether it be from only gaining experience by using traps, having the dungeon set in permanent night, etc. |
| 100 | ** The post-game Caven of Suiryu dungeon in ''Shiren 6'' has a unique gameplay effect where [[spoiler:Shiren fuses with Kokatsu, transforming into Kokatsu Shiren. Kokatsu Shiren cannot use equipment or throwable items, but has numerous special abilities such as an EvolvingAttack and multiple special skills that use Fullness to bestow powerful effects, such as magically generating items or hitting an entire room for heavy damage]]. |
| 101 | * GuideDangIt: |
| 102 | ** In the first game, the Scrolls of [[spoiler:Sanctuary and Destruction]] can only be obtained by writing them on Blank Scrolls. Since they can't be found as items, the game gives you alternate methods of unlocking access to them. [[spoiler:Sanctuary]] is simple enough: just [[spoiler:free the Golden Condor]]. You don't know that it unlocks anything even after you've accomplished it, but it's something you're pretty much guaranteed to do eventually. But [[spoiler:Destruction]]? You have to [[spoiler:get from Canyon Hamlet to the Golden Condor's room without entering any storehouses, putting anything in a storehouse jar, or talking to any storehouse guys]]. You get ''one'' hint that accomplishing this ''does anything at all'', in the form of an NPC proclaiming his intention to do it himself. |
| 103 | ** In ''Shiren 3'', better clear those solo dungeons before completing the postgame! [[spoiler:Otherwise, you have to clear those dungeons with ''10 less inventory slots''.]] |
| 104 | * {{Hammerspace}}: In the ending of ''Shiren 3'', Sensei and Asuka somehow smuggled out ''piles'' of loot from the Karakuri Palace's Treasury. {{Lampshaded}} by Sensei: |
| 105 | -->'''Sensei''': When you've been a Wanderer for as long as I have, you learn some tricks. |
| 106 | * HaveANiceDeath: The game records your stats and what you had equipped at the time of your death, as well as the cause of death. In some games, you can also earn "achievements" for dying in unique or stupid ways. |
| 107 | * HeroicMime: Koppa does all the talking in Shiren's stead. One scene in ''Shiren 3'' appears to subvert this, but [[spoiler:that's because a dragon god is possessing Shiren and speaking through him]]. Later on, in the game-loading postgame narration, Koppa tries to get Shiren to talk, fails, and then pretends Shiren is talking and complimenting him. |
| 108 | * HighlyVisibleNinja: However, Oboro makes up for it by transforming into someone you would never expect, like a shopkeeper. Of course, when she's not disguising herself, she is ''quite'' visible. |
| 109 | * HistoryRepeats: Asuka's intro scene in ''Shiren 6'' mirrors her debut in ''Shiren 2'': Shiren and Koppa see a trio of Kengo disarm her, but Shiren throws her sword back to her, allowing her to swiftly cut down the Kengo. |
| 110 | * HopelessBossFight: Subverted by the ActionPrologue of ''Shiren 6''. It starts with Shiren fighting Jakaku, with Koppa giving a brief recap of events leading to the confrontation after he knocks his head and suffers from EasyAmnesia. Shiren proceeds to fight Jakaku and its lackeys, but he is woefully underequipped and is expected to perish within a few turns, after which the story picks up in a nearby town. However, experienced players can actually eke out a win if ''[[LuckBasedMission the game is still generous enough to give them the tools]]'': two examples are the status-inducing Empathetic Staff to kill Jakaku via reflected damage, and a combination of Invincible Grass and Swift Grass to rush Jakaku down. This unlocks the postgame right there and then. |
| 111 | * HopelessSuitor: In ''Shiren 6'', [[spoiler:Shiren ironically becomes this if he affirms Hibiki's BoyfriendBluff since she later develops a crush on Tugai after he enables her reunion with her long-lost companion Mick]]. |
| 112 | * HPToOne: The Double Strike BonusDungeon in ''Shiren 5'' works this way for both Shiren and all monsters though unlike the monsters, Shiren can walk to regain health. As such, [[EmptyLevels levels]] have basically zero meaning as strength is a non-issue here. On the other hand, if you get surrounded by monsters, you can't use health to soak up damage since you'll die in two hits anyway if you can't move. |
| 113 | * HulkingOut: A new mechanic in ''6'' is Sumo, which is triggered when Shiren's Fullness reaches 150, either by repeatedly expanding Fullness via consuming Onigiri and Bellyexpand Grass or eating a Sumo Onigiri. Upon reaching the Fullness threshold, Shiren's Sumo status activates, causing him to grow to twice his size (and noticeably pudgier). This confers multiple effects, including boosting Shiren's Max HP and attack power, allowing him to dig through walls regardless of the equipped weapon, granting the ability to negate and destroy any Trap that he walks over, and granting permanent immunity to warping and forced movement effects. As a downside, it doubles his Fullness consumption, and if his Fullness drops to 120 or below, he will return to normal and his Max Fullness will decrease by 5. |
| 114 | * HypocriticalHumor: In ''Shiren 3'', Sensei lectures Koppa not to take any treasure from the Karakuri Treasury lest they become corrupted [[spoiler:like Jurouta and the Hyottoko Gang]]. The ending reveals that Sensei ''and'' Asuka took a bunch of treasure. |
| 115 | * InconsistentDub: The three games that were released overseas before ''Shiren 6'' were all handled by different publishers, leading to different names for some items and monsters across the series. Notably, most items in older games featured the naming scheme "[noun] of [adjective]", while the current official translation simplifies this to "[adjective] [noun]". |
| 116 | ** The DS version of the first game was handled by {{Creator/Sega}}. |
| 117 | ** The Wii version of ''Shiren 3'' was handled by {{Creator/Atlus}}. |
| 118 | ** The Vita version of ''Shiren 5'' was handled by Creator/AksysGames. Spike Chunsoft themselves is the primary publisher for the Switch and Steam versions, but it still uses Aksys Games' translation. |
| 119 | ** Averted with ''Shiren 6'', which Spike Chunsoft developed ''and'' translated. These translations are considered the primary ones for the entire series. |
| 120 | * InfinityPlusOneSword: |
| 121 | ** In the first game, there are two swords and a shield that must be upgraded to their maximum possible level before you can upgrade them ''again'' to create the better equipment. Only one of the swords is derived from a common weapon, and that one is the PenultimateWeapon. Also, there is a special pot that can combine items together to get a new item that has the properties of all the items put into it. The best possible weapon in the first game is a [[spoiler:[[LongList [gold] [dragon] [crit] [sickle] [homing] [x3] [cyclops] [drain] [meat] [*] [air] [kigny] [=[unbreakable dig]=]]] Kabra Reborn+99]]. The best possible shield is a [[spoiler:[gold] [dragon] [hide] [spiked] [evade] [*] [walrus] [prism] [gaze] [kigny] Stormward+99]]. It takes some doing to get all that, and there's nothing you can do to prevent it from being turned into a riceball or thrown into an unreachable place while or even ''after'' making it. |
| 122 | * ItemCrafting: Synthesis is a major recurring mechanic in the series. When two pieces of equipment or two Staves are inserted into a Synthesis Pot, they fuse together, combining the Runes installed on them into a singular item for equipment or combining their charges for Staves. There are also enemies called Mixers, who will eat any item thrown at them; if slain after consuming at least two compatible items, they will drop a fusion item. Unlike the Pots, Mixers can combine equipment and certain non-equipment items, allowing you to generate special Runes. |
| 123 | * {{Interquel}}: The games released after ''Shiren [=GB=]'' jump around the timeline, and four of them fall under this: |
| 124 | ** ''The Swordswoman Asuka Arrives!'' is set one year after ''Shiren 2'' (Shiren's first known adventure in the timeline), and seven years before the first game. |
| 125 | ** ''Shiren 4'' is set between ''[=GB=]'' and ''[=GB2=]''. |
| 126 | ** ''Shiren 5'' is set shortly after ''[=GB2=]'', and one year before ''3''. |
| 127 | ** Averted with ''Princess Suzune and the Tower of Slumber'': since it's set after ''3'', it's currently Shiren's last known adventure in the timeline. |
| 128 | ** In ''Shiren 6'', Koppa mentions that it's been several months since he and Shiren left Tsukikage Village (the events of ''GB''). |
| 129 | * ItsAllUpstairsFromHere: |
| 130 | ** In the first game, the final part of the main dungeon is the climb up Table Mountain, since falling down a Pit undoes some of your progress. |
| 131 | ** In ''Shiren 5'', it's the entire point of the Tower of Fortune [[spoiler:and the Tower of Miracles]]. |
| 132 | ** In ''Shiren 6'', the final part of the main dungeon is the climb up Mount Jatou Island. |
| 133 | * KabukiSounds: They're everywhere! Most notably, it's heard when you or an enemy level up. |
| 134 | * KillerRabbit: In ''Shiren 3'', Mobile Mamel ZZ tells literal sleep-inducing {{Pun}}s until you fall asleep, after which it fires nanoparticle cannons at you. [[spoiler:It's really a MoonRabbit in disguise.]] |
| 135 | * {{Kunoichi}}: Oboro in ''Shiren 3'', [[spoiler:as well as her older sister Soboro]]. |
| 136 | * LawOfChromaticSuperiority: Several monster families (e.g., the Tanks, the Reapers, the Bandits, and the Dragons) follow a green, blue, red color scheme for Level 1, 2, and 3, respectively, though others (e.g., the Rice monsters) will mix it up (e.g., green, red, blue). Following this pattern, the DS remake of the first game allows monsters to reach Level 4, which tends to be color-coded [[PurpleIsPowerful purple]]. |
| 137 | * LevelDrain: The Bitter Herb, the Seed of Misfortune, the Staff of Misfortune, and the Seed of Ill Luck can delevel Shiren, allies, and enemies alike. The last item only appears in the second half of the [[MarathonLevel 99-floor]] BonusDungeon and resets you to your ''starting values'' of Level 1 and 15 HP. Ironically, it's one of the rarest items in the game: it only appears rarely in shops, and eating one of them unlocks an entry in the Adventure Log [[LastLousyPoint widely considered to be the hardest one to achieve]]. |
| 138 | * LoopholeAbuse: The above-mentioned GuideDangIt for unlocking [[spoiler:the ability to write Scrolls of Destruction]]? In the DS remake, you can circumvent it by [[spoiler:grabbing your InfinityPlusOne equipment from the storehouse, leaving Canyon Hamlet, and then going right back in before starting your no-storehouse run]]. |
| 139 | * LoyalAnimalCompanion: In ''6'', it is revealed that [[spoiler:Hibiki is actually looking for a baby Mixer named "Mick" whom she befriended in her childhood but subsequently went missing. She believed that tracking down the Pot of Synthetic Expansion could provide a clue to Mick's whereabouts, thus the Red Orca's arrival on Serpentcoil Island. Tugai manages to not only find the Pot first but also Mick, but upon realizing that Hibiki would be happier with Mick he lets Mick go, allowing Hibiki and Mick to finally reunite.]] |
| 140 | * {{Macrogame}}: Although ''Shiren'' is a purer roguelike experience than most, story beats will still offer ways to unlock new features that make subsequent attempts easier, such as unlocking new side paths/dungeons, items, and companions. |
| 141 | * MoneyMauling: If you hold the B button while stepping on a Gitan bag, you can put the Gitan in your inventory as an item instead of putting it in your wallet by exchanging it with a different item in your inventory. Gitan bags picked up this way can be thrown at enemies, dealing an amount of damage proportionate to the amount of Gitan in the bag. Some enemies will also use this technique against you. |
| 142 | * MonsterArena: The postgame of ''Shiren 3'' has this as the Battle Arena. |
| 143 | * MookPromotion: Most monsters you will find have [[UndergroundMonkey different-level versions]]. When they level up (either by killing another monster, throwing a Happiness Herb/using a Staff of Happiness at them, or having a Ghost Musha/Dead Soldier possess them), they get promoted to a stronger variant. This might be useful if you're farming for monster meat or exp. |
| 144 | * MoonRabbit: Usakichi. |
| 145 | * {{Nerf}}: |
| 146 | ** If removing something from the game entirely counts as a nerf, the pot that duplicates any item put into it and the scroll that enlarges pots were nerfed in the DS remake of the first game, almost certainly because they could be used together (with two Extraction Scrolls and a Melding Jar, which were left untouched) in an infinite loop. Another removed item was the Wizard Shield, which reflected the Skull Mage family's StatusEffects attacks. It was instead replaced with the Prism Shield, which converts the attack to 10 HP damage and can only be found in the deepest floors of one of the postgame dungeons beyond the floor required to clear it. In general, the DS remake is mixed. On one hand, the more dangerous enemies were moved to later in the game; on the other hand, the most powerful items became [[RareRandomDrop extremely rare]] outside the postgame dungeons. |
| 147 | ** Bufu's Cleaver in ''Shiren 3'' was nerfed to have a chance of breaking outside of Bufu Cave, which ends in BonusFeatureFailure after you meld it to your InfinityPlusOneSword (at least until you discover that the Sturdy seal from the Adamant Pickaxe and Iron Hammer can be used to fix this as well). Several aspects of the game, like the Gitan Mamel and Ultra Gaze's Gitan yields, were nerfed in the PSP version. |
| 148 | * NintendoHard: Especially if you're more used to [[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon its grandchild series]]. Traps are far more numerous and damaging, enemies hit ''much'' harder and ramp up quite quickly, [[ContinuingIsPainful you lose all your items if you die]], and most damningly, [[LevelDrain Shiren's level resets to 1 after every major story beat]]. Overall, you have to be a ''lot'' more careful when traversing dungeons in this series compared to the spin-offs in the ''Mystery Dungeon'' brand. |
| 149 | * NotEvilJustMisunderstood: [[spoiler:Kokatsu, the antagonist of ''Shiren 6'', is revealed to be Tatsumi's younger brother. He also happens to be a child and was under the impression that the sun made people happy and that rain made people sad, which is why he brought drought to the land, unwittingly dooming the populace. Once Koppa helps clear up the misconception, he becomes friendly and assists in helping Shiren and Koppa calm Tatsumi after his defeat causes Tatsumi's power to rage out of control.]] |
| 150 | * OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:In ''Shiren 3'', there's the fake Princess Kaguya, Jofuku and his dragon monster form Ikazuchikami, and Izanami Complete.]] |
| 151 | * PaintingTheMedium: [[spoiler:Tainted Insect in ''Shiren 3'' makes a note to itself to "fire the [[TranslationConvention insect translator]]" after being beaten. Koppa also notices when the music in Karakuri Inn changes.]] |
| 152 | * PaperThinDisguise: In the postgame of ''Shiren 3'', the only difference between Master X and Sensei is a "ridiculous mask", as Koppa calls it, calling him drunk. [[spoiler:A later event subverts this by making him and the real Sensei appear at the same time, but that's ultimately a DoubleSubversion: the "Master X" that appeared in that event was someone that Sensei used a Change Staff on.]] |
| 153 | * PeninsulaOfPowerLeveling: |
| 154 | ** In ''Shiren 3'', Sanuki Thicket and Ochimizu Pass get longer postgame, and have great items that you can now actually keep. The only downside is that you have to get to the end, but that can be easily circumvented if you befriend the Jizo, find him, and ask him to help you escape. Perhaps the best part is that you can access them as soon as you beat the game. |
| 155 | ** Floors with Dragon Orbs are designed to be these as they can upgrade your items and you can map floors with them. Not surprisingly, there is an entire postgame dungeon filled with Dragon Orbs: Dragon Veins. In other dungeons you had to use Dragon Orbs sparingly because of the Fullness meter and the Winds of Kron; in the Dragon Veins dungeon, you can ''backtrack to earlier floors''. The wisest strategy to use Dragon Orbs is a room with as many exits as you have party members. This was {{Nerf}}ed in the PSP version so that the Winds of Kron blow sooner when Dragon Orbs are present. |
| 156 | * PlayboyBunny: In ''Shiren 3'', Ichi-Bunny is the only reason that Sensei decided to help the {{Moon Rabbit}}s. Apparently she can use "Bunny Wave Fist Motion"... |
| 157 | * PuzzleBoss: The battle against Jurouta's group at the top of Karakuri Mansion. Shiren must have all of the special tiles pressed, and one of them has to be pressed by a fainted Hyottoko Bandit. Jurouta will revive them with a Kiai Kick if he's close enough to them, however. |
| 158 | * RareCandy: Life Herbs, Power Herbs, Expansion Herbs, and Happy Herbs. You could also probably find some way to turn a Happy Staff on yourself, though this would require the assistance of certain monsters (specifically, Air Devils, invisible ghosts that reflect staff magic). Since this is a Roguelike, expect to see the [[LevelDrain negative versions]] as well. |
| 159 | * RefugeInAudacity: If you break a Bottomless Jar in a dungeon shop, you can jump down the Pitfall Traps it creates to steal effortlessly. At no point will any shopkeeper attempt to stop you from doing this, or even yell at you for having done it in the past. The same goes for standing outside the shop and grabbing their merch with a Walrus Jar. The former no longer works as of ''Shiren 3''. |
| 160 | * RememberTheNewGuy: Inverted; on a repeat visit to Small Harbor in ''6'', Shiren and Koppa bump into Asuka fending off attacking monsters from the dungeon. She heartily greets them like old friends, but Shiren and Koppa haven't seen her for so long that they have completely forgotten about her, requiring her to brush them up on their relationship. Shiren's case can be excused by his EasyAmnesia in the ActionPrologue. |
| 161 | * RevisitingTheRoots: ''Shiren 6'' seems to have taken most of its mechanics from the first game and ''2'', as the more experimental ones from ''3'' onward (especially the day/night system from ''4'' and equipment EXP from ''5'') don't reappear. |
| 162 | * ReviveKillsZombie: Certain enemy types take damage from certain recovery items and staves. |
| 163 | * {{Roguelike}}: This series began as one of the earliest console ones on record. |
| 164 | * RunningGag: In ''Shiren 6'', Porko the Pirate throwing rocks at Koppa whenever they meet. |
| 165 | * SelfDestructMechanism: According to [[MoonRabbit Usakichi]], "A real man puts a self-destruct button on their inventions!" [[spoiler:Including the Moon Recombobulator...]] |
| 166 | * ShopliftAndDie: If you steal from the shopkeepers, you'll have super-tough sheriffs and watchdogs on your back until you leave the floor. Even the shopkeepers themselves can kill you in one hit. You're not even safe at max level. And Escape Scrolls won't work while you've stealing stuff. Having Asuka and/or Sensei as allies in ''Shiren 3'' makes this even worse, because you'll be locked out of Full Control (to stop you from simply switching to a different character and immediately taking the stairs) and if any of you die it's considered a TotalPartyKill. |
| 167 | * SimulationGame: Most of ''Shiren 2'' is spent gathering building materials from Shyuuten Mountain, to build a fortress. The fort also gets invaded periodically. Parts built from low-grade materials break easily during invasions. |
| 168 | * SmashToBlack: The main story of ''Shiren 6'' ends with [[spoiler:Shiren and Koppa falling from Mt. Jatou after being blasted by a seemingly random fireball, with the game cutting immediately to the credits as the duo plummet towards the camera.]] |
| 169 | * SocializationBonus: The Rescue system in ''Shiren 6'' has been vastly expanded from its previous incarnations. In addition to now supporting direct online rescues in addition to passwords, participating in any Rescue that isn't your own rewards you with Rescue Points (even if you fail to clear). Rescue Points can be spent on Rescue Aid on subsequent Rescues (including your own) to grant yourself powerful buffs, such as starting bonuses like more HP/Fullness, Strength or Levels, or permanent bonuses such as instant item identification, permanent double Action Speed, permanent floating, perfect accuracy, or a starting equipment package. |
| 170 | * StoppedNumberingSequels: An unusual case; while the main series games have always been numbered in their Japanese releases, they have never been numbered in their non-Japanese releases. ''Shiren 3'' is just called ''Shiren the Wanderer'' in the West, while ''Shiren 5'' and ''Shiren 6'' both have the original Japanese name minus the number. Amusingly, ''Shiren 6'' still has the number "6" on its logo in the Western release, but the English title refuses to acknowledge it. |
| 171 | * StrongFamilyResemblance: Shiren and his same-name ancestor in ''Shiren 3''. [[spoiler:Oboro and her older sister Soboro also look exactly alike. They even wear the same ChainmailBikini!]] |
| 172 | * TakeThat: Koppa makes one to ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'': after beating Mobile Mamel ZZ he goes on to state that NewMediaAreEvil, but [[OrphanedEtymology the new media in question doesn't even exist in their setting yet]], [[HypocriticalHumor and this is a video game...]] |
| 173 | * TalkingAnimal: Koppa is a talking weasel/ferret. |
| 174 | * ThatsNoMoon: A repeat ascent of Mt. Jatou in ''6'' reveals that [[spoiler:the mysterious girl from the visions is the goddess of water Tatsumi and the entirety of Serpentcoil Island is her actual body]]. |
| 175 | * ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: It does the same amount of damage as swinging it, at the cost of ''destroying it forever''. Best saved for extreme emergencies where you don't have a Scroll of Need. The Kappa enemies will abuse this if they find a sword on the ground. Some games allow you to meld your weapon with a Throwing Sword, preventing it from breaking when thrown/disarmed. |
| 176 | * TimeTravel: In ''Shiren 3'', Shiren goes back in time and is in his ancestor's body. Koppa is a raccoon, much to his chagrin. [[spoiler:Turns out it's not really time travel, but just the memories of the Karakuri Mansion. But in the postgame, Otsutsuki Village's well lets you actually time travel.]] |
| 177 | * TooAwesomeToUse: Generally averted; trying to save up that [[InvincibilityPowerUp Herb of Victory]] usually ends with you losing it and all your other items anyway. However, there are two items that qualify in the first game. The aforementioned [[RareCandy Happiness Herb]] is usually only given out during a random event that triggers when you try to eat your last riceball, but most players will rarely find an opportune time to trigger that intentionally; leveling up is easy in the earlygame, and one level barely makes a difference in the lategame. The Herb of Invisibility, which grants you just that for 14 turns, is a rare item only found in shops located in the second half of the hardest bonus dungeon in the game, and its effect is only marginally better than the relatively more common Herb of Victory. Plus, outside that dungeon it's outclassed by the more common Air Devil meat which makes you invisible indefinitely for the floor. But this trope is subverted even in both cases, since [[spoiler:the Borg Mamel companion requires one of each to level up]]. |
| 178 | * TournamentArc: The postgame of ''Shiren 3'' kicks off with this. |
| 179 | * UnexpectedGameplayChange: |
| 180 | ** ''Shiren 2'': A lot of importers get thrown off by the fortress-building aspect. |
| 181 | ** ''Shiren 4'': There's a day/night system. Weapons become practically useless at night, so you either have to rely on skills/magic or avoid monsters completely. One Famitsu reviewer described this mechanic as a "cat and mouse game". |
| 182 | * UnidentifiedItems: |
| 183 | ** The game has Scrolls of Identify (which have a small chance to identify every item in your inventory) as well as ''Jars'' of Identify which can identify any item put into them. These become especially valuable in the dungeons that start with ''nothing'' automatically identified beyond their general categories. |
| 184 | ** The post-game of ''6'' introduces a special mechanic called Inference, which is only applied to specific dungeons. In these dungeons, all items start unidentified, but Inference narrows down the possibilities to three potential items. The player must then use their skills, knowledge and wit to determine which of the three possibilities is correct and use the item to their advantage. |
| 185 | * VideoGame3DLeap: Shiren made the jump to 3D with ''Shiren 2'' on the Nintendo 64, although this is largely just a visual upgrade. The series has since jumped back and forth between 2D and 3D depending on the specific console, with ''Shiren 3'' and ''6'' being in 3D (on the Wii and Switch respectively) while ''Shiren 4'' and ''5'' are in 2D (both on the DS). |
| 186 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: |
| 187 | ** In some games, you can eat monster meat to turn into the monster that the meat comes from, and gain access to their special abilities. |
| 188 | ** Okon and Koharu in ''Shiren 5'' are shapeshifters. The former can turn into an assortment of monsters, while the latter can turn herself into either a weapon or a shield. |
| 189 | ** In ''Shiren 6'', this is accomplished with Peach Buns, a gift from the Heavenly Maiden. Using a Peach Club or Peach Staff on a target will [[BalefulPolymorph transform it into a Peach Bun]], and if consumed by Shiren, he will transform into that enemy and gain its abilities. The Heavenly Maiden later opens a Peach Bun Shop in town, where Shiren can peruse a random selection of Peach Buns and use Gitan to buy them before setting off. |
| 190 | * WeBuyAnything: Shopkeepers will take anything you leave in their rooms, but worthless items like Poison Herbs will sell for little cash. Even things that are cursed will still net you some cash. |
| 191 | * WeaselMascot: Koppa does most of Shiren's talking for him, and often narrates. |
| 192 | * WeirdMoon: ''Shiren 3'' reveals that the moon is [[spoiler:the Rock of Chibiki, a barrier that separates the living and spirit worlds. After the events of the game, it looks like it has a bite taken out of it. The {{Moon Rabbit}}s are not pleased and have Shiren's group embark on a sidequest to find 99 moon bits]]. |
| 193 | * WhoNamesTheirKidDude: Master X and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ Mobile Mamel ZZ]], according to Koppa. |
| 194 | * WizardNeedsFoodBadly: If your Fullness meter drops to 0%, you will lose a bit of health every turn. |
| 195 | * WolfpackBoss: In ''Shiren 3'', Shiren and Asuka fight the Battle Spirits, a group of six ghosts encountered in the Exterior of the Karakuri Mansion. |
| 196 | * YouAllMeetInAnInn: In ''Shiren 3'', it is revealed that in a random coincidence, [[spoiler:Curas, Ragoon, and Tainted Insect met in a teahouse in Yomi]]. |
| 197 | * YouCantFightFate: What most people believe in ''Shiren 5'' concerning the god of destiny, Reeva, and the Tower of Fate, and that it's pointless to try and change anything, even if a young girl, who has already had an awful life, is going to die. [[ChildhoodFriends Jirokichi]] [[ScrewDestiny begs to differ.]] |
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FollowingContext VideoGame / ShirenTheWanderer
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