Suggest me a DS roguelike

Nerdtendo

Title says it all. Planning to take advantage of the buy two, get one special at gamestop when I get off work. I hope to get a copy of Disgaea, something for a friend, and a roguelike.

Just for reference:

I'm a huge fan of roguelikes. I love IVAN, Angband, Elona, and of course, Dwarf Fortress. I love the difficulty and the permadeath. I also love the fact that you've got so many different methods of handleing a situation, and you're expected to utilize those.

Everyone has an opinion. I want yours! What's your favorite, and why?

Right now, I'm leaning towards Shiren the Wanderer or Izuna. Shiren sounds awesome, and Atlus just makes pure gold.

Thanks!

lowlylowlycook

I think Shiren is considered the best one. I don't know how common it is to find used copies at Gamestops though.

joshofalltrades

I've never seen a copy of it anywhere, used or new. And this is Abilene, where you could walk into any GameStop in town and buy a Wii or 360 on launch day without a preorder.

Drake

Sounds like you want Shiren The Wanderer.

The Izuna games are fun, but not quite as punishing. No perma death, but if you die, you do lose all everything you are carrying. They are a fun and lighthearted take on roguelikes, but don't mistake that for easy. Big emphasis on customizing your gear and the second one has a vastly expanded world, with around a dozen playable characters, a tag team system that includes unique combo attacks depending on who you team up and generally a lot more polish than the first one. If you like boob jokes, you'll find a lot to love in the story.

Nerdtendo

Really? I had seen it in Walmart a few months back, but my wallet was pretty much empty at the time. Figured I'd just nab it later.

How are the mystery dungeon games? They sounded nifty, but like they may be a RL in super easy kiddy wading pool with floaty wings mode.

Edit:

Mystery dungeon, as in Pokemon and Chocobo.

Bartholamue

Fire Emblem DS?

METAzraeL

Shiren may be hard to find at GS. Make sure you know what the cover art looks like - I almost missed my copy when I got it because I skipped over the terrible art. It is, however, the perfect game for what you want. I think Best Buy usually has it for 10 or 15 these days if you can't find it for this deal.

Falstaff

Shiren? Shiren!


So yeah, you want Shiren. My local EB always seems to have at least one copy, which is odd because their DS selection generally sucks (I've been looking for Rondo of Swords since the week after it launched with no luck).

MinionOfCthulhu

Bartholamue wrote: »

Fire Emblem DS?

is not a roguelike.

inthegray

Nerdtendo wrote: »

Really? I had seen it in Walmart a few months back, but my wallet was pretty much empty at the time. Figured I'd just nab it later.

How are the mystery dungeon games? They sounded nifty, but like they may be a RL in super easy kiddy wading pool with floaty wings mode.

Edit:

Mystery dungeon, as in Pokemon and Chocobo.

the pokemon mystery dungeon games are watered down versions of shiren, made by the same developer. what you want (and what every "core" ds player should want) is shiren .

Drake

inthegray wrote: »

Nerdtendo wrote: »

Really? I had seen it in Walmart a few months back, but my wallet was pretty much empty at the time. Figured I'd just nab it later.

How are the mystery dungeon games? They sounded nifty, but like they may be a RL in super easy kiddy wading pool with floaty wings mode.

Edit:

Mystery dungeon, as in Pokemon and Chocobo.

the pokemon mystery dungeon games are watered down versions of shiren, made by the same developer. what you want (and what every "core" ds player should want) is shiren .

Unless you like boob jokes. Then you want Izuna.

SlayerVin

Shiren!!

You should be able to find it in bargain bins at Best Buy (holy alliteration!) for $15.

IdolNinja

Shiren all the way.

Izuna may be prettier on the surface, but the core gameplay and systems don't seem to be well thought out and kind of grindy. Shiren is a perfect harmony of gameplay and also deeply rewarding. I loved every second of the 200+ hours I sunk into it.

Bartholamue

Izuna got a sequel that came out earlier this year, if that matters.

Slicer

Tossing in another Shiren recommendation. The gameplay is good and the graphics are great at telling you what's going on (one thing that bugs me about many roguelikes on the PC). Definitely get it if you can.

Glal

Nerdtendo wrote: »

Really? I had seen it in Walmart a few months back, but my wallet was pretty much empty at the time. Figured I'd just nab it later.
How are the mystery dungeon games? They sounded nifty, but like they may be a RL in super easy kiddy wading pool with floaty wings mode.
Edit:
Mystery dungeon, as in Pokemon and Chocobo.

They're Roguelites. If you're familiar with the genre and looking for a challenge look past, but they're good for new players and those that may enjoy the genre but don't consider the "die, restart" nature of it appealing.

Drake

Bartholamue wrote: »

Izuna got a sequel that came out earlier this year, if that matters.

Yeah, that's the one I've been detailing. It's superior to the first one in every way. As far as comparing it to Shiren goes, they both may be roguelikes, but everything I've heard about Shiren tells me that they are two different games, with common roots. Trust me, Izuna 2 is worthwhile and fun, and if you make a mistake, you'll get punished like any other good roguelike. That said, everything I've heard about Shiren makes me believe it's a purer roguelike, and that I should get it. Stupid monies. Why do things have to be paid for with monies. Why can't love buy things?

Boobs.

Nerdtendo

I picked up Disgaea, Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced 2 (there may be a super or an alpha somewhere in that title), and Bomberman DS. They didn't have Shiren used, those bastards. There's another Gamestop down the road that had it, but I had already walked two miles to this one, and still had two miles to get home. I wasn't going to tack on an additional three to get to Willow Lawn, then five back home.

They did have it new, though. For twenty bucks. After picking it up and putting it back about four times, I finally decided to get it. Played it for about an hour. It's exactly what I could want in a DS roguelike.

Thanks for the peer pressure guys.

Tremblay

POWDER is really fun, but you need a flashcard adapter...

Alistair Hutton

Shiren!

Pre-limed.

METAzraeL

Nerdtendo wrote: »

I picked up Disgaea, Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced 2 (there may be a super or an alpha somewhere in that title), and Bomberman DS. They didn't have Shiren used, those bastards. There's another Gamestop down the road that had it, but I had already walked two miles to this one, and still had two miles to get home. I wasn't going to tack on an additional three to get to Willow Lawn, then five back home.

They did have it new, though. For twenty bucks. After picking it up and putting it back about four times, I finally decided to get it. Played it for about an hour. It's exactly what I could want in a DS roguelike.

Thanks for the peer pressure guys.

My pleasure. Shiren was my favourite game of last year and one that pretty much everyone should own. The thread has been pretty dead in recent times, but it has some great tips in it and you can probably rustle up some people to rescue you when you need it.
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=52525

Falstaff

For those getting started with Shiren, I'd suggest taking a look at this wiki after a few attempts. As far as I remember, the site is full of useful little tips and tricks that will help to refine your strategy.

Most noteworthy are the pointers on robbing shopkeepers and the technique by which you can farm rare items from the various bonus dungeons after completing the game's primary mission.

projectmayhem

Off Topic but, Abilene Texas?

UncleSam

If anyone is in the Fort Worth, Texas area, the Lake Worth GameStop has at least one used copy, $10. I picked up a copy today, and so far I think it's well worth the money.