I hate Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island. I hate it not because it is bad but because it has consumed so much of my life since I was given a copy for review and am still unable to put it down. The Mystery Dungeon mega series of games has never been one I have been particularly drawn to, but Shiren the Wanderer has always had a certain charm for me that has kept me coming back to it whenever an entry has gotten a Western release.
For those unaware, Mystery Dungeon games are roguelike RPGs that see a protagonist enter into a dungeon which changes every time it is entered, hence a mystery dungeon, in search of treasure and other goals. Shiren The Wandered stars a wandering samurai named Shiren and his ferret companion Koppa as they go about their journeys, with this latest entry bringing them to the eponymous Serpentcoil Island. After a brief prologue battle to set up the story, you take control of Shiren once more as he sets out to make his way to the top of the dungeon and solve a mystery.
The Shiren the Wanderer games have constantly introduced new elements with each entry, but The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island hearkens back to the older games in the series and does away with some of the additions of the last two games. No more day and night cycle for instance, what we have instead is a dungeon crawler roguelike that feels true to the series’ roots and what made it a success, to begin with. That is not to say there is nothing new here, but what The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island adds is simply more in line with the spirit of the older games, which is something I can appreciate a great deal.
As with all Shiren the Wanderer mystery dungeon games, a journey through the dungeon sees you take on a set of stages that change each time you enter, but some aspects will always be the same for certain stages. You will need to keep an eye on your inventory, and food because as Shiren moves tile by tile through the dungeon, your fullness meter will gradually decrease and if Shiren gets too hungry, you will start taking damage. Having a good amount of onigiri on you is key and if you have the right amount on you, you can eat some when you are full to expand your fullness meter and give yourself more time.
As mentioned above, Shiren moves tile by tile through the stages, and for each movement you make, so do the monsters and NPCs you can come across. You must consider each step, so you do not see yourself end up in a dangerous spot and take damage from an enemy when you move. Fortunately, you can change Shiren’s direction with the press of a button and the right input, so you will not have to worry about needing to position yourself too close to an enemy.
One downside of the random nature of the stages is that you are at the complete mercy of the randomness, and you can easily be overwhelmed by enemies as early as stage 1. That being said, you can also find weapons, shields, and bracelets as early as stage 1 which will give you a big advantage as you make your way through. You will still die multiple times though and will lose your inventory each time unless you send an item to the warehouse, but Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island has that addictive feel in its gameplay loop that just makes you want to keep playing every time you die.
And it is not a bad thing to die over and over again in The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island, because the more times you go through the dungeon, the more of the story is gradually revealed. New characters will appear, new gameplay features will become available and new milestones will be reached. This is not a game you play one time and finish, but a game you will want to keep coming back to, even if it consumes most of your time.
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island adds a few new features to the series as mentioned above. This game sees the UI get an overhaul to now show the inventory’s capacity as well as two semi-transparent dialogue boxes that are reserved for the Adventure Log and the Notebook. There are new monsters now, and new types of existing monsters, and the i-Dash from the second game returns in a reworked form that, if I am being honest, does not really add too much to the game but is helpful at times.
What is a welcome addition is Sumo Status, where if Shiren’s fullness expands enough, you gain new abilities including increased Max HP and Attack Power, being able to destroy traps by just walking over them, and being able to dig through walls no matter what weapon you have. Speaking of weapons, The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island brings in the addition of Sacred Weapons, which are rare pieces of equipment that have random enhanced abilities and come in two types: Blue and Golden. There are also Natural Runes, which are runes that have unique effects that cannot be found elsewhere.
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island has excellent visuals and the cutscenes are some of the best in the entire series. The music is not quite as good as Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate but still holds its own well, and some stages have excellent audio effects. Audio/Visual has never been a selling point for the Shiren the Wanderer games, but The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island does an admirable job in both aspects.
Combat can be a bit frustrating if you lack proper equipment, but you can train yourself well in Monster Dojo, to get the feel for how to fight certain enemies. This comes in handy if you go for an alternate route, which is more challenging than the main routes but do offer more rewards at the cost of not being able to ask for a rescue. If you are downed in the main routes, you may ask for a rescue up to three times, and try to rescue others in need, or you can try a self-rescue if you do not want to wait for other players.
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is what I have wanted for the series as a fan; a game that cuts out elements fans didn’t like and keeps what worked with some well thought out additions. This is one of the best roguelikes I have played in years, and I plan to keep playing it for some time to come. If you like roguelike dungeon-crawling RPGs or want to give one a try, then Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is an absolute must-play. Now if only I could find a way to stop playing for just a few minutes.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
