Shiren the Wanderer The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island Review (Steam)

Rating: 8
Author: Jim Smale

by Jim Smale · Published December 10, 2024 · Updated December 2, 2024

Shiren the Wanderer The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island Review, Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island for Steam includes the same free feature updates released for Nintendo Switch. You can use the new playable characters Kokatsu Shiren and Tatsumi Shiren, as well as 6 new dungeons from the beginning. The paid DLC, Plus Pack, lets you play as the characters Koppa and Asuka and adds 10 new dungeons for an even deeper dungeon-crawling experience.

Side note: At the time there was only a Nintendo Switch Trailer available.

Shiren the Wanderer The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island Review Pros:

Decent graphics.
4GB download size.
Steam Achievements.
Full controller support.
Steam trading card drops.
Five save slots.
Roguelike gameplay.
Tutorial pop-ups as you play the game.
You can set up controller shortcuts.
Grid-based locations can be turned on and off.
Can remap controls.
Internet functions are an option.
Can skip and fast-forward cutscenes and interactions.
Decent loading times.
Set camera angle.
Third-person view.
A great group of characters with a couple of stand-out memorable ones.
Beautiful art and drawings in the game.
It really is a good-looking game.
A dungeon location has multiple sections.
A world map that fills in as you explore and play.
A destination has a cool mechanic where you can view the completion level of the selected destination and you can see info on other online players.
Enchanting soundtrack.
Mystery dungeons are randomized on every run.
Enemies move one step every time you take one step.
In-depth how-to-play manual broken down into parts.
Dungeon mini maps uncover as you move around.
It’s scary looking but the menus and Hud are very easy to read and understand.
End of run/life breakdown.
The adventure log is what fills in enemies and items encountered.
After dying you go back to your house and lose all accumulated items and coins.
You make progress even if you fail over and over.
Shukuba Beach is your village where you live and you can unlock new items and talk with people.
Turn-based combat.
A really cool level-up sound plays.
Full running commentary (text-based) of your actions and this can be reread at any time.
Earn exp and level up to heal and get start increases.
Unidentified items can be found, you have to get an identification scroll or pot.
Easy to use inventory system.
Fullness is the only real thing you need to keep an eye on outside of HP. You get hungry as you move around and eating will refill it and once full it can slowly heal you.
It is possible to farm in areas and level up a ton.
The game gets very moreish and just eats time.
Buy and sell items at markets and vendors.
A cool thing is you can still wear and use unidentified objects and maybe they work and maybe they are cursed and are stuck on you until you identify it.
Blacksmiths will let you upgrade equipment for a cost.
The adventure log has an almost Pokedex feel and look about it.
Your level is only valid in the current dungeon and resets after leaving/dying.
The monster dojo is where you can go and try out scenarios by placing enemies and traps, it’s like a training sandbox.
Warehouse – find them in dungeons or use warehouse pots to store items in the warehouse. Anything in the warehouse is safe until you take it out and die.
Encounter other wanderers in a dungeon to trade items.

Shiren the Wanderer The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island Review Cons:

Very story-heavy at the start from cutscenes to interactions and text.
Cannot skip all text and cutscenes.
A lot to take in.
No real voice work.
Tutorial pop-ups are not always well-timed.
Takes a little bit of failed runs to get into it all.
The dungeon timer doesn’t seem to stop as you have no actual pause button.
Maps are not always easy to read.
The game does take a while to feel like you are making progress.
More for early on but traps are invisible and hitting them is so random and annoying.
The game doesn’t do an amazing job of describing the full extent and features of the completion mechanics.

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Shiren the Wanderer The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island:

Official website.

Developer: Spike Chunsoft

Publisher: Spike Chunsoft

Store Links –

Steam

8/10

Graphics - 8/10
8/10

Sound - 8/10
8/10

Accessibility - 8/10
8/10

Length - 8/10
8/10

Fun Factor - 8/10

8/10

Summary

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is a visually appealing game with decent graphics and beautiful art. The game is a 1.5GB download and offers five save slots. It features roguelike gameplay with turn-based combat, and the mystery dungeons are randomized on every run. The game provides an in-depth how-to-play manual broken down into parts, and tutorial pop-ups appear as you play the game.

The game allows for controller shortcuts and remapping of controls. It also offers internet functions and the ability to skip and fast-forward cutscenes and interactions. The game has a third-person view with a set camera angle and decent loading times. The grid-based locations can be turned on and off according to player preference.

The game features a great group of characters, with a couple of stand-out memorable ones. Each dungeon location has multiple sections, and a world map fills in as you explore and play. A unique mechanic allows you to view the completion level of the selected destination and see info on other online players. The game also features an enchanting soundtrack.

The game mechanics include enemies moving one step every time you take one step, and dungeon mini maps that uncover as you move around. After dying, you return to your house and lose all accumulated items and coins, but you make progress even if you fail repeatedly. Your home is Shukuba Beach, where you can unlock new items and interact with people.

The game features an easy-to-use inventory system. Unidentified items can be found, and you need to get an identification scroll or pot to identify them. You can still wear and use unidentified objects, which may work or may be cursed and stuck on you until you identify them. The game also includes a fullness mechanic, where you get hungry as you move around, and eating refills it. Once full, it can slowly heal you.

The game allows you to buy and sell items at markets and vendors, and blacksmiths will let you upgrade equipment for a cost. The adventure log, which fills in enemies and items encountered, has an almost Pokedex feel and look about it. Your level is only valid in the current dungeon and resets after leaving or dying.

The game also features a monster dojo, where you can try out scenarios by placing enemies and traps, like a training sandbox. You can find warehouses in dungeons or use warehouse pots to store items in the warehouse. Anything in the warehouse is safe until you take it out and die. You can encounter other wanderers in a dungeon to trade items.

The game is very story-heavy at the start, with many cutscenes, interactions, and text. However, not all text and cutscenes can be skipped. The game takes a while to feel like you are making progress, and it takes a bit of failed runs to get into it all. The dungeon timer doesn’t seem to stop as there is no actual pause button. Maps are not always easy to read, traps are invisible, and hitting them can be random and annoying. The game doesn’t do an amazing job of describing the full extent and features of the completion mechanics. Despite these challenges, the game gets very moreish and just eats time, making it a captivating experience and a very addictive and fun roguelike RPG hybrid.