Image from IGN.com

Note: from here on out, I'm changing my format for reviews. Instead of grades or scores, I simply intend to write about the game for a bit. Hopefully these impressions help without leaving the bias of a "grade..." after all, haven't we all played a "C-" game that was prefectly good fun?

I was hipped to the genre of Shiren The Wanderer by a friend at school. The premise of the game is something called a "Roguelike" RPG, which means it is based on a game called Rogue, a text only RPG played in college mainframes. You can play a java version of Rogue here.

In a Roguelike, you move in randomly generated dungeons (with randomly generated enemies and items, as well as traps) in "turns." You move a space, and monsters and NPCs move as well. Your character advances in levels like in most RPGs. You collect loot and try to make it to the "bottom" of the dungeon to get some mystical foozle, then fight your way back.

So how's this different form any other RPG?

Oh yeah: When you die, you lose all your experience, all your gold, and all of your items. You start back at the beginning, too.

When I told one of my friends about this, I got quite a loud expletive in return!

So how can a game like this be enjoyable at all?

Because in Shiren, you are rewarded for multiple attempts at clearing the dungeons. New shops appear, and side quests with NPCs advance. Weapons can be upgraded and stored in warehouses for later use. In other words, you can plan out long term strategies that take several attempts to pan out.

I also give Chunsoft credit for creating some nice, vivid characters. Oryu the Blinder, for instance, is a seductress who offers to "make you feel special" (eh, yeah). Well, let's just say that taking her up on her offer might lead to an unexpected result! Yet, if you play your cards right, she'll join your party and help you on your quest. There are other interesting folks around, like Naoki the cook, and the crazy jar maker.

In this area, though, I wish the game had gone the extra mile. Oryu's character just stops developing after a certain point, and that's too bad. She's interesting, I want to know more! I also wish the fellow wanderers you meet had more to say than default "Hint" dialogue.

Still, this gives way to the highly strategic and nerve wracking dungeon play. Shiren the Wanderer takes you through a number of fairly easy dungeons before getting to the focus of the game: Table Mountain. And you will die there. A lot. In fact, as of this writing, I haven't even made it past a few floors of the place!

Yet I'm still having fun, because the game design allows me to build slow strategies over time, even as I try and fail and fail. I'm currently slowly upgrading a katana, for example, by taking it to a blacksmith, having it upgraded, and putting it back in storage. The inclusion of free warehouses to use for item storage is invaluable, and a crucial balancing point to the pain of a restarted adventure.

There is no doubt that some gamers may still find this genre too tough for their tastes. I'd give it a try though: This is one Mystery Dungeon that I want to solve.