Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island
Release Date: February 27, 2024
RPG, fantasy, turn-based, roguelike, dungeon-crawler, jRPG, singleplayer
OpenCritic
Steam
The sixth main installment in a series of jRPG with roguelike elements, originating from 1995. Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island tasks the player with traversing a dark dungeon and rescue the prisoner held inside by a horrible monster.
Videos and Screens
[3:04] Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island trailer #2
[2:02] Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island trailer #1
TheSixthAxis: 9 / 10 by Miguel Moran
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is the gold standard for mystery dungeon games. Every system, item, and mechanic come together in endlessly dynamic ways, reaching levels of emergent and exciting gameplay that I've never experienced in the world of roguelikes.
RPG Site: 9 / 10 by James Galizio
Shiren's latest adventure proves that game sequels can benefit just as much from what they remove as well as what they add.
Nintendo Life: 8 / 10 by Mitch Vogel
It may have taken over ten years to finally come out, but Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is a new high-water mark for the storied roguelike franchise. Its masterful blend of uncompromising difficulty with a wealth of content to overcome makes for a game that'll easily keep you satisfied for dozens of hours as you learn its tricks. Combine that with some cool online features and a charming art style, and you've got a game that's an easy recommendation for any roguelike fans out there. This is a tough nut to crack, but the experience is well worth it.
The main pros of the game
- Challenging Gameplay: The game is praised for its difficulty, providing a rewarding experience for both new and veteran players of the roguelike genre.
- High Replay Value: Users mention the extensive amount of content available, including numerous dungeons and unique mechanics that encourage multiple playthroughs, with some players logging hundreds of hours.
- Quality of Life Improvements: The game includes several updates that enhance inventory management and gameplay smoothness, making it more accessible for beginners.
- Visuals and Music: The art style is described as beautiful, and the music is highly praised for its quality, contributing to an immersive experience.
- Engaging Story and Characters: Players appreciate the charming characters and the unfolding main story that adds depth to the gameplay.
The main cons of the game
- Difficulty Balance: Some players feel the game can be unfair or unbalanced at times, leading to frustrating experiences, especially for newcomers.
- Cumbersome Menu Navigation: A few reviews mention that the menu system can be awkward to navigate, particularly when using controller controls.
- Lack of Co-op Mode: One user expressed disappointment about the absence of cooperative gameplay, feeling that it would have enhanced the experience.
The features or elements that are missing from the game according to users
- Demo Version: Players expressed a desire for a demo to try the game before purchasing, as some found it a risky investment without prior experience.
- More Detailed Rescue Mechanics: Users suggested improvements in the rescue system, particularly regarding clarity on the starting gear of rescued characters.
- Additional Visual Styles: Some players preferred the pixel graphics from earlier titles in the series over the new 3D style, indicating a desire for more visual options.
Summary
- Overall, Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is well-received for its challenging and rewarding gameplay, beautiful presentation, and extensive content, despite some criticisms regarding difficulty balance and navigation.
Summary generated on:
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island Description
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is the sixth main installment in a series of jRPGs with roguelike elements originating from 1995. It was developed by the Spike Chunsoft.
Plot
The protagonist of Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is the titular Shiren. One day he sees a vision of an unknown girl held captive by a horrible monster and decides to save her. His adventure leads him to the Serpentcoil Island, rumored to be a hiding place for immensely valuable pirate treasures. Shiren is not alone on his journey, as he's accompanied by his faithful ferret Koppa and other allies with their own goals.
Mechanics
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island makes use of the top-down perspective. The player must traverse the titular dungeon, search for loot, useful items, avoid traps and fight enemies. Combat is turn-based, requiring skillful use of the party's abilities and their equipment. As we progress through the game, we upgrade our characters, acquire better gear and face greater challenges.
As in all previous installments, death means permanently losing all our belongings and experience. Each time we start the game anew, the procedurally generated dungeon changes, and so do the enemies, traps and items. We can still be saved and revived by another player... if they happen to stumble upon our corpse.
Technical aspects
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island features simple, though colorful manga-like visuals.
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island Summary
Platforms:
PC / Windows December 11, 2024
Switch February 27, 2024
Developer: Spike Chunsoft
Publisher: Spike Chunsoft
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Intel Core i3-3220 / AMD Ryzen 3 1300X, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB GeForce GTX 750 Ti / 2 GB Radeon RX 560, 8 GB HDD, Windows 10 64-bit
Recommended: Intel Core i7-4770 / AMD Ryzen 5 1600X, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 6 GB GeForce GTX 1660 Super / 8 GB Radeon RX 570, 8 GB HDD, Windows 10/11 64-bit