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Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert

A roguelike sequel introducing password-based rescue mechanics.

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The player navigates randomly generated dungeons filled with enemies, items, and weapons, with turn-based movement where enemies move after each player action.[1] If the player dies, they must restart from the beginning or be rescued by another player via a password or Game Link Cable.[1][2] Chunsoft published the roguelike title Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert for the Game Boy Color on July 19, 2001.[3]

Key facts and history

The game begins with Shiren and his companion Koppa collapsing in a desert, after which guards chain them in a fortress.[4] Due to Game Boy Color hardware limits, the developers focused on traditional dungeon types rather than the original features created for the Nintendo 64 version.[5] The rescue system using passwords was chosen because few players owned the Game Link Cable when the internet emerged in late-1990s Japan.[6] Sega shut down the DS version's online servers on October 31, 2011.[3]

After a princess unchains Shiren, he flees while guards pursue him.[7] Shiren encounters Pekeji, who introduces himself as Shiren's brother, and together they go into a dungeon during nighttime; Pekeji then gets caught in a trap.[7][8] Chunsoft developed the game, with Seiichirō Nagahata as director, Kaoru Hasegawa handling character designs, and Shin-ichiro Tomie writing the scenario.[5] Sega put out a remake, Shiren the Wanderer DS2, for the Nintendo DS in November 2008; it featured online leaderboards and the ability to trade items.[3]

To advertise the game, potato chips with a Shiren the Wanderer GB2 theme were sold, each bag including cards that displayed artwork from the game.[3] Geimin data shows that by December 2001, 172,578 copies of the Game Boy Color version had been sold, and by January 2010, 103,299 copies of the DS version had been sold.[9]

What the cited sources add

Jeremy Parish at 1UP.com stated that the DS remake's graphical overhaul made it look better than the original Nintendo DS Shiren the Wanderer.[10][11] Parish also said based on a preview that there was "little doubt" the game would match the quality of the first Shiren the Wanderer, which he called a "top-notch dungeon crawler"[10][11] Spencer valued that the narrative and the variety of dungeons gave a stronger sense of advancement compared to the "endless journey" feel of the original game.[10][11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Spencer, "Hands-On Shiren DS 2… Is It Easier Than The First DS Remake?", Siliconera, 2008-10-14 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "風来救助隊とは！"; Spencer, "Sega Shutting Down Shiren The Wanderer DS & Wii Servers In Japan", Siliconera, 2011-07-27; Parish, Jeremy, "Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 2 Preview", 1UP.com, 2008-10-09 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "「風来のシレン」がゲームボーイに帰ってくる！", ITmedia, 2000-09-27; "不思議のダンジョン 風来のシレンGB2 〜砂漠の魔城〜 まとめ (ゲームボーイ)"; Fletcher, JC, "Shiren the Wanderer DS 2 no longer a mystery", Engadget, 2008-06-04; "不思議のダンジョン 風来のシレンDS2 〜砂漠の魔城〜 まとめ (DS)"; Spencer, "Sega Shutting Down Shiren The Wanderer DS & Wii Servers In Japan", Siliconera, 2011-07-27; "「風来のシレンGB2」チップス第2弾絶賛発売中！", ITmedia, 2001-09-11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "「風来のシレンGB2」の続報を入手！", ITmedia, 2000-09-29 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lee, WooJin, "Interview with Chunsoft Over Development of New N64 Action RPG!", RPGFan, 1999-10-04; "シレンGB2制作スタッフからの激励のお言葉"; Lee, WooJin, "Interview with Chunsoft Over Development of New N64 Action RPG!", RPGFan, 1999-10-04 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kohama, "Interview with Koichi Nakamura, Director, Shiren the Wanderer 3", p. 98 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Spencer, "Shiren DS 2 Starts With A Dungeon Escape", Siliconera, 2008-12-08; "砂漠にそびえる魔城に挑む 『不思議のダンジョン 風来のシレンDS2 ～砂漠の魔城～』", 2008-06-08 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Spencer, "Shiren DS 2 Starts With A Dungeon Escape", Siliconera, 2008-12-08 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "2001年テレビゲームソフト売り上げTOP300", Geimin.net; "2009年テレビゲームソフト売り上げTOP1000（メディアクリエイト版）", Geimin.net (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Parish, Jeremy, "Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 2 Preview", 1UP.com, 2008-10-09. facts only, no text reused. 1up.com
  11. Wikipedia, "Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Spencer, "Shiren DS 2 Starts With A Dungeon Escape", Siliconera, 2008-12-08; Spencer, "Hands-On Shiren DS 2… Is It Easier Than The First DS Remake?", Siliconera, 2008-10-14; Parish, Jeremy, "Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 2 Preview", 1UP.com, 2008-10-09 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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