Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate will release on December 2nd on the Nintendo Switch.

Yeah, of all the mystery dungeon series this is the challenging one. No front of adapting other franchises, no beating around the bush, it’s Shiren

What Zearo298 said is correct.

I'd like to add that if this is like the DS Shiren it gets easier the more you try and fail. You have bank buildings where you can drop off extra gear for future attempts. So while you are learning and getting smarter at minimizing risk and maximizing reward you have access to better gear or companions.

The game is amazing IMO. You get destroyed so often until you have that special run where everything clicks and you are an unstoppable killing machine. Then you either reach the next step in the story... or you get too greedy/unlucky and lose it all.

REALLY hard. Completed it on PS Vita. Really dependend on luck.

The game emphasizes learning mechanics and growing as a player, and it's more like a strategy/tactics game rather than an action RPG. Beginners usually try to play the game like a typical RPG hacking and slashing away, and then blame it on bad luck when they inevitably hit a wall.

In fact, the game is balanced in a way where you can generally clear most dungeons without carrying in any items (excluding some post-game dungeons which expect OP equipment) if you have the skill. It often comes down to weighing different options and managing risk, and knowing when to hurry to the next floor vs. checking each room for items.

A small example: Say you step on a poison arrow trap and lose 1 strength. Usually newer players just go "ugh, just bad luck like usual!" and keep walking. But what happens if you throw an item or stone onto the trap? You'll quickly see that you can collect poison arrows by doing so, giving you an advantage in 1-on-1 fights. Or maybe you notice that the arrow always flies from a certain direction when you step on the trap, so you make use of that to weaken approaching enemies, etc.

There are countless little scenarios like that, and when the knowledge starts to add up, you'll be able to progress further and further into the dungeons without getting lucky finding powerful items early on. Some players go as far as imposing restrictions like no shields/bracelets, no synthesis, etc. when they play to keep things fresh too.

So yeah, it's challenging, but if you stick to it, I find that it's one of the most rewarding gameplay experiences I've ever played - not something to say lightly.

Played the DS version for a few years because its such a great pick up and play game. As a vet on roguelikes and more modern genres, this is more on the purer side of rogue like minus all the incremental progression you get by reaching new floors, and banking. The game play itself is the core of every Super Mystery Dungeon spinoff and its quite fun.

Either that, or a completely new pmd with the dx artstyle. That would be sweet not gonna lie.

Same. I'm not seeing one mentioned anywhere though.

I think they're adding a couple more post game dungeons but it should be pretty much the same. The Vita version certainly does not lack in content, you will be fine.

It appears to be a discount title. In Japan it's 4,000 yen for the physical version and only 2,700 yen for the digital. So I'm guessing 20 or 25 dollars for the digital version in the US

It's just such a great game to play on the go, in bed, etc. And I love the 2D graphics. I loved Shiren on the Wii, and while I absolutely loved Pokemon Mystery Dungeon I haven't gotten the Switch one. I like the Shiren setting. Japanese settings help a video game feel like a video game sometimes.

Retronauts is a great podcast

They're adding 3 new dungeons for the PC/NS versions plus a streaming UI layout option, and rescues are worldwide instead of being region-locked.

There is a story but it's essentially just the tutorial of the game. Once you beat that the game opens up post game dungeons and that's where the real meat it.

Those dungeons also do have some story lines here and there but it's really not the focus. It'd just there to give it all a bit more flavor and charm (and it works, imo).

Tl;dr: It's 95% gameplay.

Also, as far as roguelikes on consoles go, Shiren is THE console roguelike. It's the first of its kind.

It's a mystery dungeon type of tb roguelike. So it would be more similar to games like tangledeep or even the mystery dungeon pokemon series. I don't remember much about the story, or if it had much of one, but I really enjoyed playing the game on the vita. So, because of that, I'd say it's more about the gameplay than the story!

I've picked up a ton of mystery dungeon games after playing Shiren, because I really loved the game style and had to have more. It's a different style compared to the three games you've mentioned. I think the new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon has a demo, and the game play is a bit similar. But I felt it was much easier, and the maps smaller with less random loot. The exploration of the dungeons, movement, wands, etc is close enough tho, I'd recommend trying it to see if Shiren might be a game you'd enjoy.

It's very systems/mechanics heavy. There are people to talk to but you will spend 99% of your time in dungeons. There are no cutscenes that I saw in about ten hours of playing this on Vita, just regular RPG style dialog.

If you like roguelike RPGs, you should check out Battle Brothers. I think that game is coming out this year too for the switch. It's pretty brutal just like Shiren.