Roguelikes have a long history in gaming dating back to the game that started it all with Rogue: Exploring the Dungeons of Doom way back in 1980. While not typically a genre associated with Japanese developers there is one Japanese roguelike series with a long history, that being Spike Chunsoft’s Mystery Dungeon. Now one classic entry is being re-envisioned for the modern age with Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate.

 

 

Originally released as Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 5: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate (And I thought the new title was mouthful.) on the Nintendo DS in 2010, and later for the PlayStation Vita in 2015. This newest version will be an enhanced port of the Vita version featuring new features such as additional dungeons, and an interesting Live Display mode intended for use when streaming, displaying your current equipment, abilities and statistics. It also includes online features such as the Wanderer Rescue system, where other players can help you when you fall in a dungeon so your run doesn’t end, and a ranking system acting as a leaderboard.

The Mystery Dungeon series as a whole dates back to Torneko’s Great Adventure released for the Super Famicom in 1993. Players these days likely know the series best for it’s Pokémon spinoff series in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, which itself has grown into a very sizable series of games with it’s own dedicated following.

You can expect Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate to hit a Switch and PC near you on December 2nd of this year. And if you’re feeling so inclined you can pre-order the game digitally right now on the Nintendo eShop. There are plans for a physical edition of the game as well through Limited Run Games, but no additional information on that is available on that at this time. Checkout the press release below for more information:


LONG BEACH, Nov 10 , 2020 — The classic roguelike wanders onto the Nintendo Switch™ and Steam® with Shiren The Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate.

Digital pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch™ version are now available on the Nintendo eShop. A physical version will be produced by Limited Run Games. Please look forward to details about the physical release in the near future!

This installment marks the fifth entry into the mainline Shiren The Wanderer series, known for its beautiful retro style graphics and classic rougelike game play. Originally released on the PlayStation®Vita, this port has been enhanced with exclusive new dungeons and features.

NEW BONUS DUNGEONS

Bladeless Wasteland
As the name implies, there are no weapon drops in this dungeon! Physical attacks do minimal damage, so use arrows, rocks and other ranged attacks to fight your way through.

Cloister of Certain Doom
Challenge yourself by setting a target number of turns to clear the dungeon within. Fail, and get booted back to the surface. How low can you go?

Garden of Destiny
Defeating a monster in one attack nets a huge experience boost, but the more attacks it takes, the less experience you earn!
*Unlocked by clearing the main game.

NEW FEATURES

Music Collection
Encountered a melody during your adventures that you can’t get out of your head? Listen to it anytime you like!

Live Display
Designed for live streaming, this optional UI displays your status, items, equipment, abilities, gameplay time, and turns spent in the dungeon.

Wanderer Rescue and Rankings Go Global
The Wanderer Rescue system lets you request help from other players when you collapse in a dungeon, while the Ranking system tracks top dungeon scores and rescue attempts.
This time around, the system connects all adventurers around the world, regardless of language or region settings.
*There is an option to filter/limit these features by player language settings.

Story of Shiren The Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate

Shiren The Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is the latest installment in the storied franchise. Legend has it that Reeva, god of Destiny, holds sway over the past, present, and future. Said to dwell in the mysterious Tower of Fortune, Reeva decides the fates of all mankind with a trio of magic dice…

Lead Shiren The Wanderer and his sidekick Koppa in their quest to conquer the Tower of Fortune!

©Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Licensed to and Published by Spike Chunsoft, Inc.
Aaron Evangelisti
Aaron is a lifelong video games enthusiast who's been playing since the days of the NES. He enjoys just about all types of games from RPGs, to platformers, to strategy. He also fancies himself a bit of a writer so writing about video games makes sense, right?