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 is ranked in the 71st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8.5 / 10.0
Nov 30, 2020

I have a real feeling of regret knowing there is a lot of content here that I will never see. There are numerous aspects of Shiren the Wanderer that I couldn't find a way to jam into this review like how allies function, the over 100 optional sokoban puzzles, the Minesweeper-like dungeon, creating new items at the Tanuki lottery house, fusing items together for new effects, and much more. For anyone wanting to dive into a game with real depth, this is a great one.

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GameSpew
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Dec 1, 2020

Despite its age and its retro style that may not be to everyone’s taste, Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate has a charm that’s hard to deny. Its simple gameplay loop is endlessly rewarding, luring players back again and again, even after multiple deaths. The constant promise of loot helps, as does the speed in which Shiren levels up. Success is always just around the corner; you just need to survive long enough to get there.

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Unscored
Aug 14, 2017

Shiren is super charming and a delight to play. The story is interesting, the characters were awesome, and the gameplay is super addicting and fun. However, the game has limited accessibility to those who want to just experience the story with its unforgiving saving/progress methods. It is gameplay heavy and does require dedication to complete.

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7 / 10.0
Jul 31, 2016

Those looking for an interesting Roguelike that focuses on RPG mechanics alone will love Tower of Fortune, while those who need more substance in their RPGs will find moments of boredom and confusion.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 6, 2016

Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is a must buy for roguelike fans that own a Vita.

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4.5 / 5.0
Jul 31, 2016

Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is one of those games that has a built-in audience.

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5 / 10.0
Aug 9, 2016

If you love grinding for hours in dungeon crawlers after doing a three-hour long tutorial, this is the game for you.

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4 / 5.0
Nov 30, 2020

Although Shiren the Wanderer isn't a long title, it's hard to stop going back in and taking on the next challenge that's offered.

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90%
Aug 14, 2016

One of the best games you can own on the Vita.

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RPG Site
Top Critic
8 / 10
Jul 25, 2016

An exceptional roguelike with a great artstyle and synergy between gameplay systems, Shiren the Wanderer stands tall among its peers.

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Aug 3, 2016

Shiren's latest adventure is a rewarding one. It offers up an enjoyable dungeon crawl, one that is not only challenging but also surprisingly inviting. Just don't expect it to feature constant progression, as players will fail far more times than they succeed.

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4 / 5.0
Jul 27, 2016

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).

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8 / 10.0
Jul 27, 2016

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.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 30, 2016

Thanks to a dynamic and challenging play experience, there are plenty of reasons to get back up after you meet your untimely end in Shiren the Wanderer. Fans of this genre know exactly what they’re getting into and fans of RPGs in general may find the formula fresh, fast, easy to pick up and exciting to play. The lack of online support may render the co-op useless for many, but even without it the game’s rather enjoyable.

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4 / 5.0
Sep 8, 2016

“Shiren the Wanderer: Tower of Fortune and Dice of Fate,” is a classic either-or proposition. You either get it or you don’t, with rarely any middle ground in between. Folks who don’t like retro roguelike gameplay will find the dungeon crawling tedious, outdated and unforgiving. Gamers who appreciate old-school roguelikes, however, will love its sprite art and the diverse challenge the game provides. If you have a soft spot for classic dungeon crawling, you’ll be quite pleased after rolling the dice on Shiren.

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7 / 10
Dec 6, 2020

Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is one of those releases that could really go either way. If you don't mind repetition and you're not afraid of some tough difficulty spikes, there's a lot of depth and content here to keep you busy for quite some time. If those caveats do raise concerns for you, there are a couple of other Mystery Dungeon titles on Switch that may offer a more palatable experience. Wherever you may fall, Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is certainly worth your time, and we'd encourage you to give it a look.

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ZTGD
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Aug 9, 2016

What I was hoping for when I booted up Shiren the Wanderer was another anomaly – a title in the roguelike genre that I would enjoy, and that wasn’t what I found. Instead, what I got was a fairly standard entry in the genre- crafted well by a developer that’s been making these kinds of games for years, and even though I did not find the title to my tastes, I could easily see why someone else might.

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6 / 10.0
Aug 2, 2016

Shiren wandered into my life ready to take me on a grand adventure, but instead all we did was go camping in his backyard.

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Wccftech
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jul 28, 2016

For those willing to put their life on the line and set foot in the mysterious dungeons, Shiren the Wanderer marks one of the finest entries to date.

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7 / 10
Dec 4, 2020

Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is an interesting game. It does a lot of things right and is the prototypical mystery dungeon title. And if that's all you want, then look no further. But I suspect most people are going to find the dungeons frustrating and the permanent death mechanic infuriating. This is an acquired taste that you'll either love or hate. Unfortunately, my personal feelings fall closer to the latter.

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