Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate Reviews
Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate sticks to the roots of the rogue-like genre completely. It is no-nonsense, and gets to the action right away, and, from managing the depleting health, the random floors, and ever present death wipe-out, fans will feel right at home. It does not do anything new to soften the blow for players that are not familiar with the genre, and for that reason will only have a niche appeal. However, those that do enjoy all this will find it to be an above average romp which will give them many hours of enjoyment trying to beat it.
For fans of both the series and the genre, this game is not a disappointment even with its seemingly hefty $39.99 price tag. Randomly generated dungeons, loveable (though shallow) characters, various minigames, and seemingly endless replayability make this a title that should find its home in your Vita library at one time or another. If you’re a gamer that craves a challenge, or someone that might even be new to the risk-it-all gameplay style of roguelikes, this is equally a great game to find yourself at home or find your footing in. Although the game is not perfect, it works in short five to ten-minute gaming spurts but could also hold you down for a few hours on end as you struggle to beat just one more floor.
This may be an entry in a highly specialized and generally unfriendly genre, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a better example of the type. Heartless, demanding, infuriating, yet seemingly boundless in the depth of its content and mechanics, the latest Shiren the Wanderer adventure wraps taxing game design in just-one-more replay appeal. Think of it as the Wolverine of console roguelikes: It's the best there is at what it does, and what it does isn't very nice.
Been yearning for something a little more challenging and unforgiving than usual? Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate might just satisfy your craving. Polishing up the Mystery Dungeon formula, Spike Chunsoft’s latest entry in the roguelike series has all the procedurally-generated dungeons, randomly-dropped loot and tough monsters you could ask for. You might not want to play it for long sessions, but that makes its place on Sony’s portable all the more appropriate, and the appealing simplicity of its game design makes it perfect to pop out whenever you’ve got some free time.
Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is an excellent starting point for players looking to get into rogue-likes. Its grueling difficulty combined with the satisfying gameplay hook loop of failing and getting up to fail again is addicting (oddly enough).
An exceptional roguelike with a great artstyle and synergy between gameplay systems, Shiren the Wanderer stands tall among its peers.