Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer

Review from Cav - Thursday, 19 June 2008 @ 10:17pm

*Cue ambient music*



*Imagine Monkey Magic Voice-Over Guy*

A long time ago, when the controller was still connected to the console, the Role Play Game was ever popular with both men and happy lady. Many moons were spent gaining XP and gold in order to defeat enemy and reach one’s destiny.

Amazing story would unfold and gamer would lose sight of the visible parallel that lies between the dimensions of reality and fantasy.

To be lost in the fantasy dimension was an honourable task among one’s fellow gamers, but this could only be achieved if the doors to the mind could be opened by a story of true brilliance. Should story not contain such magical qualities, ones journey into the fantasy dimension could fall into the void.

The story of Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer has not the brilliance to guide gamer to RPG Nirvana. One struggles to comprehend why this Eastern setting houses the fabled land of El Dorado, a mystical land from the West.

Shiren and ferret companion walk many miles and have the ability do just what the titled bestowed upon him implies: Wander. One could often find themselves asking if this journey has meaning at all. Many levels are discovered before refuge can be taken at towns that segment journey and no one area remains familiar to the eye, as the surround has the ability to be ever changing.

A mind unchallenged is invited to obtain inner peace within the towns when confronted with challenges in return for gifts. He has no possessions will acquire treasure as the long path is travelled, with food and weapons granting sustenance and protection.

Travels to the great El Dorado will also unveil enemies of Shiren. These foul opponents can be faced in many direction at once, making task of prevailing against such evil one of much difficulty. Should our hero fail to defeat enemies in battle, one needs to seek the help of another gamer who has embarked of the same adventure.

A connection can only be made when two players are aligned with the north star, a WiFi connection and possess the matching cartridge. Should you not know of a like soul on the same astral plane, your efforts could be lost.

Once this connection has bonded three times, it will no longer be able to intertwine and salvation is no longer possible.

Please pay heed to the final words of wise bald man with goatee beard:

When the morning sun rises in the East, Shiren will not be there. When the evening sun sets in the West, Shiren will not be there. May the Gods watch over Shiren as his fruitless quest leads him into vacant, infinite sadness.




and now...........

Please accept the following complimentary translation from AustralianGamer.com

So did any of that make sense? Well now you know how I feel after playing this game. It’s not very often I given a game a big thumbs down, but I wasn’t impressed with Mystery Dungeon at all. So many RPGs miss their mark and this is certainly one of them. They seem like mindless zombies in a horror movie: they are there but they don’t crack a mention in the credits. I tried hard so many times to come back to the game, only to turn it off an hour later. The Rescue System seems to be a good idea, with the possibility of retrieving your progress via WiFi, but the real question is: How many people are actually playing this? Basically I think the word 'generic' is a little too gentle to be used as a descriptive word for Mystery Dungeon.

Summary

Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer will struggle to ever come close to occupying the slot in my DS again. If you replaced repetition with excitement it might just have the slimmest of chances. This isn’t the first RPG I have attempted on a portable console and I am still not convinced that the hand held market is the best place for them.

Pros

Some good uses of the stylus. Nice music. I have always liked an environment that changes everytime you play. Puzzles keep you if nothing else.

Cons

‘Are We There Yet’ syndrome. No friends? No rescuing! Start from scratch sucker!