Shiren the Wanderer Interview - Returning to basics, the future, and more.

During Tokyo Game Show, we had the chance to sit down with the Director and Project Manager for Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island, Keisuke Sakurai and Hideyuki Shinozaki respectively. We greatly enjoyed our time with the game when it released early this year, and we had a few lingering questions we wanted to ask. Editor's Note: Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is titled Shiren the Wanderer 6 in Japan.

RPG Site: Shiren the Wanderer is a long-running series, but one thing that stands out about Shiren 6 is how long the gap was between it and the previous mainline release, Shiren 5. Considering that Shiren 4 and 5 originally released less than a year apart in Japan, was there any specific reason that it took so long for the next title to release?

Keisuke Sakurai: After releasing Shiren 4 and Shiren 5, we didn’t see the sales we were expecting. However, we continued releasing Mystery Dungeon titles using other IPs. The reception to those games using outside IPs was strong, and even though it took some time, we found that there was a solid user base for Shiren 5 on the Switch. Finally, we were able to move forward with the release of Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island (referred to as Shiren 6 below).

Hideyuki Shinozaki: The fact that Shiren 4 and Shiren 5 were released in a very short span of time contributed to a decline in sales.

As Director Sakurai mentioned, the production of the Mystery Dungeon series continued with other IPs, and after several ports of Shiren 5, the release of the Switch and Steam versions around 2020 were well received. This success served as motivation and sparked the creation of this latest installment.

RPG Site: Shiren the Wanderer 4 and 5 were both incredibly similar, and iterative, titles; meanwhile Shiren 6 feels like almost a return to basics with the loss of the day and night cycle, and the initial simplification of the weapon upgrade system. How did the team decide which elements to focus on with Shiren 6?

Sakurai: We went back to the first Shiren game released on the Super Famicom and reanalyzed what makes Shiren so enjoyable. The tension of starting over if you fall, combined with the addictive desire to try again, was a key focus.

We wanted to ensure that players could enjoy the game without needing extensive preparation, allowing them to navigate through it based on knowledge and experience gained from repeated attempts. We really emphasized the retry aspect during development.

RPG Site: While Shiren the Wanderer has had a storied history on Nintendo systems, previous expanded re-releases have seen ports to other platforms such as PlayStation and PC. Is there any chance Shiren 6 might find itself on other platforms in the future?

Sakurai: Right now, we're focusing on the latter half of the DLC season pass for the Switch. I would love to see Shiren 6 available on other platforms in the future as well.

RPG Site: Shiren 6 is scheduled to be the first game in the series to receive a DLC that will add additional content to the game, that in previous entries would have been an entirely new re-release. Is this the plan for the series moving forward; and is it possible that Shiren 6 might receive multiple DLCs, instead of just the one currently announced?

Sakurai: In our previous titles, we adopted a style of expansion when transitioning to different platforms. However, in today's gaming landscape, it's become possible to expand even on the same platform, allowing players who have enjoyed the game to seamlessly continue playing. If this DLC season pass reaches a wide audience, it may lead to more DLCs in the future.

Shinozaki: I believe that continually updating the game to better address what users are looking for is a response that aligns with today's trends. The addition of DLC also seems like a way for the work to finally catch up to modern expectations.

As for further DLC additions, if sales are strong and the feedback is positive...there’s a chance that could happen.

RPG Site: While not quite a simultaneous release, Shiren 6 nevertheless released in the west merely a month after Japan. What were some of the challenges the team faced while tackling a quick turnaround for the localization?

Sakurai: The Shiren series incorporates many forms of wordplay in Japanese. For example, an item named 背中の壺 (referring to acupuncture point on the back in Japanese, especially when combined with the verb 押す that you can perform on certain pots in the game) could have easily been mistranslated as Back Pot, but it was given the English name “Rejuvenation Pot.” The localization of these terms was excellent.

Shinozaki: Thanks to the full support of Spike Chunsoft, Inc., our North American branch, we were able to localize this title quickly. I'm very grateful to them.

RPG Site: One of the new features in Shiren 6 involved Shiren fusing with the game's two main gods, offering a completely different playstyle than the rest of the game. Is this feature something the team endeavors to expand upon in later entries?

Sakurai: The character-switching mechanics are a bit different from the usual Shiren gameplay, and I’d like to continue developing that in the future. The latter half of the DLC season pass features Asuka as a new playable character, so I hope players will enjoy a different experience compared to Shiren.

RPG Site: Finally, is there anything in particular you would like to share with western Shiren the Wanderer fans, now that we're approaching the DLC's release in the coming months?

Sakurai: I believe the number of dungeons has increased to one of the greatest in the series, making this a very rewarding game. At first, it might feel a bit daunting, but once you start to understand it, it becomes addictive.

I hope players enjoy the strategic element of using items and weapons to prepare for the surprises that enemies and traps bring, as well as the delightful combinations that arise from the various effects of different items.

Shinozaki: The style of the protagonist donning a straw hat and a striped cape may be unfamiliar to those overseas. I also understand that there are some challenging and less intuitive aspects to the game. Despite that, I'm confident that it’s addictive and offers plenty of replay value.

For those who haven’t played it before, or for those who might have thought it wasn’t that great in the past, I really hope you’ll give this game a try. I believe you’ll realize how fun it is!

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Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island launched on February 27 exclusively for Nintendo Switch. We greatly enjoyed the original release, and reported as such in our review; the game recently received a DLC, with the second half of its content launching later this month on October 31.