Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate
A roguelike RPG with randomized dungeons and a fate-changing tower.
Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is a roguelike role-playing game from Chunsoft. It is the fourth main installment in the Shiren the Wanderer series, itself part of the larger Mystery Dungeon franchise. The game first launched for the Nintendo DS in Japan in 2010. An expanded version arrived on the PlayStation Vita in Japan in 2015, with a North American and European release following in 2016. A further expanded version, adding new dungeons, came to the Nintendo Switch and Windows in 2020, and a smartphone port of that version launched in Japan in 2022.
In gameplay, the player explores randomized dungeons, fighting monsters and collecting treasures, items, and equipment. Death resets the player's level to one, strips their items, and rearranges both the dungeon layout and monster positions. The game features a day-and-night system from Shiren the Wanderer 4, where vision shrinks as the sun sets, hiding distant enemies. Some dungeon sections require puzzle-solving.
The story takes place between Shiren the Wanderer 4 and Shiren the Wanderer 3. It follows Shiren, a silent wanderer, and his talking ferret companion Koppa as they climb the Tower of Fortune, drawn by legends of a god who can alter fate. The plot begins when a young girl named Oyu falls ill, and her childhood friend Jirokichi heads to the tower to change her destiny. They are guided by Tao, a girl in a panda suit, and meet characters like Okon and Koharu, Gen, and Kojirouta. Shiren and Jirokichi eventually ascend the tower to confront Reeva, a powerful being, but the true ruler of fate is the God of Fortune, also known as Fate's Ruler.
The Nintendo DS version was directed by Yoriki Daigo, who also directed Shiren the Wanderer 4. It was first teased in August 2010 as part of Sega's exhibition lineup before the Tokyo Game Show, and released that December. Koichi Nakamura confirmed that this game and Shiren the Wanderer 4 were developed simultaneously, though generating new ideas for the former was difficult, leading the team to reuse items and monsters from the latter. Daigo reiterated this in a company blog. Unlike Shiren the Wanderer 3, which had a versus mode, this entry offers local co-op play. Pre-ordered copies included a soundtrack CD and a series history booklet. A Nonary Game bracelet from Chunsoft's Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors appeared as an in-game
- Developer
- Chunsoft (later Spike Chunsoft)
- Platforms
- Nintendo DS, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android
- Original Release
- December 9, 2010 (Japan, Nintendo DS)
- Genre
- Roguelike role-playing
- Series
- Shiren the Wanderer (Mystery Dungeon series)
- Notable For
- Fourth main entry; day-and-night system; co-op mode; expanded ports with new dungeons
Quick Facts
- Title
- Shiren the Wanderer: / The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate
- Developer
- ChunsoftSubsequent releases developed by Spike Chunsoft
- Publisher
- title=Chunsoft · OriginalJP · ChunsoftPlusWW · Spike Chunsoft · NA/EU · Aksys Games (Vita)
- Director
- Yoriki Daigo (DS) / Hideyuki Shinozaki (Vita) / Tomoya Shinozaki (Switch, Win)
- Producer
- Yasuhiro Iizuka / Koichi Nakamura (DS) / Frank "Bo" deWindt II (Vita)
- Designer
- Asuka Honda / Ryota Kawasaki / Seiichiro Nagahata
- Programmer
- Masayasu Yamamoto / Hiroaki Sakabe / Toru Sadamasa
- Artist
- Kaoru Hasegawa
- Writer
- Masato Kato
- Composer
- Hayato Matsuo
- Series
- Shiren the Wanderer / Mystery Dungeon
- Platforms
- Nintendo DS / PlayStation Vita / Nintendo Switch / Microsoft Windows / iOS / Android
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The story is set between the events of Shiren the Wanderer 4 and Shiren the Wanderer 3, and follows Shiren, a wanderer and silent protagonist, who is accompanied by Koppa, a talking ferret. The two are climbing the Tower of Fortune, as they have heard legends of a god that can change their fate. The story begins as Oyu, a young girl from a small town, suffers from an illness and Jirokichi, her childhood friend, heads to the tower to change her fate. They are guided through the tower by Tao, a girl in a panda suit, and encounter other characters throughout the story: Okon and Koharu; Gen; and Kojirouta. Shiren and Jirokichi eventually climb the tower to confront Reeva, but the true ruler of fate is the God of Fortune, also known as Fate's Ruler.
Reader's Guide
The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is significant as the fifth main entry in the Shiren the Wanderer series and a key title in the Mystery Dungeon franchise. Its gameplay features randomized dungeons, a day-and-night system that reduces vision at night, and puzzle-solving elements. The game was developed simultaneously with Shiren the Wanderer 4, reusing items and monsters from that title. It introduced local co-op play, unique to the series. The PlayStation Vita port, released for the series' 20th anniversary, added dungeons and right-stick camera control. The Nintendo Switch and Steam ports, released after the Vita's discontinuation, included three new dungeons, a livestream display, and the first official Chinese translation for the series. The game's success on Switch exceeded company expectations and green-lit development of a new Shiren the Wanderer title over 13 years later. Across all versions, it has sold over 500,000 copies, matching the sales of all versions of Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer combined.
Did You Know?
- The game was developed simultaneously with Shiren the Wanderer 4, and items and monsters from that game were added back into this title.
- Pre-ordered copies of the Nintendo DS version included a Nonary Game bracelet from Chunsoft's Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors as an in-game item.
- The Nintendo Switch and Steam ports were released worldwide on December 2, 2020, a day after the series's 25th anniversary.
- The smartphone port, released in Japan in March 2022, can be played horizontally or vertically and includes auto-saving.
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