If you play around with the puzzle house (in the starting town) a bit, you'll see some uses for odd items. But it's mostly about experimentation. During the main adventure, most of the items you find will have some use, even if only somewhat situational. It sounds like you're on the right track, just take your time and learn from each attempt.
Yeah, one of the best ways to understand the intricacies of this game is to do all the scenarios in Fey's puzzle dungeon in the starting town. Aside from learning important combinations, like using a blastwave scroll after a power-up scroll, you get a random item for completing each one (even if you already beat it), which you can stockpile in your warehouse to start out with a better arsenal on future attempts. Also, don't forget to always grab a rice ball from the left-most building each time you start.
METAzraeL on
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
Dammit, I wanted to contribute but everyone already said pretty much everything important about the game...
My two cents are if you want to continue having fun with the game, don't get too attached to any of your items. Kind of like inthegray said, it's really not an rpg, so try not to approach it like one. I liked to think of it as being similar to Contra. You're going to die. A lot. But everytime you make it a little bit further, you learn a little bit more about the game, and can apply that knowledge to the next playthrough. On and on until you finally manage to finish the game. It's an immensely rewarding experience when it finally happens.
I know this is a Shiren Thread, but has anyone played Izuna? The only roguelike I've played before is PMD >.> Shiren seems to be impossible to find near me, but Izuna looks interesting and I've been in the mood for a roguelike. Is Izuna worth picking up?
I know this is a Shiren Thread, but has anyone played Izuna? The only roguelike I've played before is PMD >.> Shiren seems to be impossible to find near me, but Izuna looks interesting and I've been in the mood for a roguelike. Is Izuna worth picking up?
Izuna has great characters and a charming story, but I found the gameplay itself really boring compared to Shiren. Shiren's system of items, monsters, and environments all worked together with a kind of beautiful synergy. Izuna was just kind of... grindy. I would advise you to continue to seek out Shiren.
echoing idolninja's thoughts on izuna. i've only played the first game, but it felt way grindy, and the mechanics weren't nearly as solid, nor the creatures half as interesting as shiren's. the caltrops are a kind of cool idea, though.
I know this is a Shiren Thread, but has anyone played Izuna? The only roguelike I've played before is PMD >.> Shiren seems to be impossible to find near me, but Izuna looks interesting and I've been in the mood for a roguelike. Is Izuna worth picking up?
Check Best Buy, I always see copies of Shiren still in their bargain bin at the Best Buys around here.
Oh hi, Shiren addiction! How've you been? It's been quite some time since you showed your face around here. I hope you realize that you were the sole cause of my lack of sleep, lack of free time, and lack of sunlight for a few grueling months.
I'm sad that they took the online features out of Shiren Wii. That means no rescues. Dudes in this thread saved me so many times, it was nice knowing I had a posse out there to back me up if shit went bad. I'm going to feel way too alone in the Wii version.
But I'll buy it and play the hell out of it anyway. Shiren is stil my favourite DS game.
I'm sad that they took the online features out of Shiren Wii. That means no rescues. Dudes in this thread saved me so many times, it was nice knowing I had a posse out there to back me up if shit went bad. I'm going to feel way too alone in the Wii version.
But I'll buy it and play the hell out of it anyway. Shiren is stil my favourite DS game.
yeah the no online sucks but we DO get a 1000 level dungeon
Wii version sounds alright but I'd rather see another DS game. I probably wouldn't have played the DS version as much as I did if it wasn't portable.
I'm of the same opinion. I don't spend a lot of time with my console outside of multiplayer game sessions, and somehow the thought of playing Shiren at home doesn't appeal to me at all.
I consider Shiren the Wanderer to be the best game on the DS, by the way. And I fucking love my DS.
I've been getting really hyped on Roguelikes lately so when I saw "DS roguelike" I was super excited. I've been playing alot of Dungeoncrawl Stonesoup (or whatever it's called) and I love it to death. Not to mention Demon's Souls which, while not technically a roguelike, shares enough of their qualities to be considered a sister-genre, maybe. Plus it's awesome.
So, thanks to this thread popping on the front page I went to the game store on my lunch break and picked up Mystery Dungeon Shiren Whatever for DS for $20. Still at work though, and haven't had a chance to check it out yet.
If it sucks, I am holding all of you personally responsible.
I played Shiren for almost 4 months straight, and still played it off and on for the year after I got it. I would go back, but I'm scared of the dungeon I was in.
Play through at least some of the puzzle dungeon that's in the town you start at, should give you an idea of how things work. The bartender in the left-most building will give you a rice ball each time you start over/die, very essential. Then go and die a lot in the dungeons. You can save your items from permadeath if you have them in storage, so pack away anything awesome you find (which you won't really be finding for a while). Also, talk to the people in the towns - while most of them will do the same thing every time, there are some that will change events each time you play. Also, Pekiji is secretly your best friend, keep giving him rice balls.
Also, have fun dying as a confused riceball surrounded by reapers.
METAzraeL on
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
I've been wanting to bust out the DS again. I've also wanted to play an SNES-looking RPG. Maybe I'll play some Shiren again and die a whole lot. It's been about 6 months, the stale taste from the 26 hours I spent without making any progress in the post-game dungeons has just about worn off.
I stopped playing this when (spoiled for those who haven't played it yet)
Pekiji went into the Ravine, I was scared to go in after him. I keep meaning to pick it up again and head in there, since I still haven't beat the Kingy dungeon either, but there are too many other games wanting my time right now.
Coming off of demon soul's I've got a big roguelike shaped hole in my heart that really needs filling and lo and behold this thread pops up and everyone is saying this is the best roguelike ever so I guess I'd better buy it.
One question though I notice a lot of people here discussing an online component regarding rescues? I try not to read much to avoid spoilers but I'd like to know how important that is? I figure a niche game so old probably has seen a decline in it's online community. Will I still love the game despite this?
Unlike the DS title, which is remake of the original SNES Shiren, this Wii game is a new 3D entry introducing features such as an online multiplayer versus mode:
Edit: Nevermind, just found Atlus' statement saying theyre not brining any off the online features over in the port.
Coming off of demon soul's I've got a big roguelike shaped hole in my heart that really needs filling and lo and behold this thread pops up and everyone is saying this is the best roguelike ever so I guess I'd better buy it.
One question though I notice a lot of people here discussing an online component regarding rescues? I try not to read much to avoid spoilers but I'd like to know how important that is? I figure a niche game so old probably has seen a decline in it's online community. Will I still love the game despite this?
I never used it so in my opinion it's not that important. As long as you think out your moves and use items conservatively you should be fine.
pro-tip: every item in this game is valuable is some way
Coming off of demon soul's I've got a big roguelike shaped hole in my heart that really needs filling and lo and behold this thread pops up and everyone is saying this is the best roguelike ever so I guess I'd better buy it.
One question though I notice a lot of people here discussing an online component regarding rescues? I try not to read much to avoid spoilers but I'd like to know how important that is? I figure a niche game so old probably has seen a decline in it's online community. Will I still love the game despite this?
I never used it so in my opinion it's not that important. As long as you think out your moves and use items conservatively you should be fine.
pro-tip: every item in this game is valuable is some way
Manly men don't use rescues anyways. They exploit shops and the final dungeon to make ultra gear and then lose it all because they get turned into a goddamned riceball.
Edit: I managed to rescue Pekeji, defeat the Kigny King and kill the Tainted Queen with a super juiced up firebrand and shield (we're talking the works here; I think the only buff I was missing on the brand was air slayer) but then I gave my precious game away in the hopes that a friend would share in my passion for wandering. That was a mistake
I stopped playing this when (spoiled for those who haven't played it yet)
Pekiji went into the Ravine, I was scared to go in after him. I keep meaning to pick it up again and head in there, since I still haven't beat the Kingy dungeon either, but there are too many other games wanting my time right now.
That's very similar to me - I don't remember if I had Pekeji, but I had died far down in the Kigny dungeon and got traumatized by the Final dungeon. Although, I think I was exploiting it at the end for items.
Coming off of demon soul's I've got a big roguelike shaped hole in my heart that really needs filling and lo and behold this thread pops up and everyone is saying this is the best roguelike ever so I guess I'd better buy it.
One question though I notice a lot of people here discussing an online component regarding rescues? I try not to read much to avoid spoilers but I'd like to know how important that is? I figure a niche game so old probably has seen a decline in it's online community. Will I still love the game despite this?
I never used it so in my opinion it's not that important. As long as you think out your moves and use items conservatively you should be fine.
pro-tip: every item in this game is valuable is some way
Manly men don't use rescues anyways. They exploit shops and the final dungeon to make ultra gear and then lose it all because they get turned into a goddamned riceball.
Rescues aren't necessary at all, it's just a bit of a failsafe if you really don't want to lose something. They are good, though, if you want to run a little mini-mission or stock up on items for your starting warehouse.
METAzraeL on
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
I died on the bloody Dragon Trials after I made a series of hilariously poor decisions when faced with two Death Angles ( I forgot that they could go through walls). I was just running the top of the dungeon to get extra phat loot to buff my equipment after my previous hilarious fail on the Tainted Path (Enchanted Modded Firebrand + Jar of Change == FAIL.
If I was to dig out the rscue code would anyone take a crack at saving me?
Actually, if you still need a rescue let me know. I got Shiren about two months ago, and have been *quite* engrossed with it. Been getting all "wiki-happy" and editing The Webs and stuff. Post your code and I'll see what I can do.
Posts
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
My two cents are if you want to continue having fun with the game, don't get too attached to any of your items. Kind of like inthegray said, it's really not an rpg, so try not to approach it like one. I liked to think of it as being similar to Contra. You're going to die. A lot. But everytime you make it a little bit further, you learn a little bit more about the game, and can apply that knowledge to the next playthrough. On and on until you finally manage to finish the game. It's an immensely rewarding experience when it finally happens.
The Pipe Vault|Twitter|Steam|Backloggery|3DS:1332-7703-1083
Izuna has great characters and a charming story, but I found the gameplay itself really boring compared to Shiren. Shiren's system of items, monsters, and environments all worked together with a kind of beautiful synergy. Izuna was just kind of... grindy. I would advise you to continue to seek out Shiren.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/idolninja
Check Best Buy, I always see copies of Shiren still in their bargain bin at the Best Buys around here.
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
http://steamcommunity.com/id/idolninja
But I'll buy it and play the hell out of it anyway. Shiren is stil my favourite DS game.
XBL |Steam | PSN | last.fm
yeah the no online sucks but we DO get a 1000 level dungeon
For reference: the official site has opened.
1000-level dungeon That's going to be so hard!
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
Fixed that for ya.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/idolninja
I'm of the same opinion. I don't spend a lot of time with my console outside of multiplayer game sessions, and somehow the thought of playing Shiren at home doesn't appeal to me at all.
I consider Shiren the Wanderer to be the best game on the DS, by the way. And I fucking love my DS.
So, thanks to this thread popping on the front page I went to the game store on my lunch break and picked up Mystery Dungeon Shiren Whatever for DS for $20. Still at work though, and haven't had a chance to check it out yet.
If it sucks, I am holding all of you personally responsible.
I never play games on the go anyways, so I don't mind it being on the Wii. I have no objection to another DS game, though.
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
Crawl Stonesoup-ite game for the DS? Sold.
Christ, between this and the Etrian Oddessy games, I'll be spending more time on the DS than my consoles.
Yes, that's what I like to hear!
Now I'm really looking forward to getting home and checking it out.
Play through at least some of the puzzle dungeon that's in the town you start at, should give you an idea of how things work. The bartender in the left-most building will give you a rice ball each time you start over/die, very essential. Then go and die a lot in the dungeons. You can save your items from permadeath if you have them in storage, so pack away anything awesome you find (which you won't really be finding for a while). Also, talk to the people in the towns - while most of them will do the same thing every time, there are some that will change events each time you play. Also, Pekiji is secretly your best friend, keep giving him rice balls.
Also, have fun dying as a confused riceball surrounded by reapers.
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
XBL |Steam | PSN | last.fm
any bets on how long till I lose it?
One question though I notice a lot of people here discussing an online component regarding rescues? I try not to read much to avoid spoilers but I'd like to know how important that is? I figure a niche game so old probably has seen a decline in it's online community. Will I still love the game despite this?
Relevant quote below
Edit: Nevermind, just found Atlus' statement saying theyre not brining any off the online features over in the port.
I never used it so in my opinion it's not that important. As long as you think out your moves and use items conservatively you should be fine.
pro-tip: every item in this game is valuable is some way
Manly men don't use rescues anyways. They exploit shops and the final dungeon to make ultra gear and then lose it all because they get turned into a goddamned riceball.
Edit: I managed to rescue Pekeji, defeat the Kigny King and kill the Tainted Queen with a super juiced up firebrand and shield (we're talking the works here; I think the only buff I was missing on the brand was air slayer) but then I gave my precious game away in the hopes that a friend would share in my passion for wandering. That was a mistake
So yeah, Shiren DS 2 please.
That's very similar to me - I don't remember if I had Pekeji, but I had died far down in the Kigny dungeon and got traumatized by the Final dungeon. Although, I think I was exploiting it at the end for items.
Rescues aren't necessary at all, it's just a bit of a failsafe if you really don't want to lose something. They are good, though, if you want to run a little mini-mission or stock up on items for your starting warehouse.
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
If I was to dig out the rscue code would anyone take a crack at saving me?
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
TylerJ on League of Legends (it's free and fun!)
MI-5 dvd
Stargate Atlantis