Shiren the Wanderer Gaiden: Asuka the Swordswoman

Last updated
Shiren the Wanderer Gaiden: Asuka the Swordswoman
Shiren the Wanderer Side Story cover.webp
Developer(s) Neverland
Chunsoft
Publisher(s) Sega
Win
Chunsoft
Director(s) Naoyuki Ukeda
Artist(s) Nao Ikeda
Kaoru Hasegawa
Shinichi Shibasaki
Writer(s) Hiroaki Saito
Composer(s) Hayato Matsuo
Series
Platform(s) Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows
ReleaseDreamcast
  • JP: February 7, 2002
Microsoft Windows
  • JP: December 20, 2002
Internet Edition:
  • JP: February 27, 2004
Genre(s) Roguelike, role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Shiren the Wanderer Gaiden: Asuka the Swordswoman [lower-alpha 1] is a roguelike role-playing video game developed by Neverland and Chunsoft. It is part of the Mystery Dungeon series, and is a side story based on the Shiren the Wanderer series. It was originally released for the Dreamcast by Sega on February 7, 2002. [1] A Microsoft Windows port [lower-alpha 2] would be later released on December 20, 2002 and re-released later with internet compatibility on February 27, 2004, both published by Chunsoft. [2]

Contents

Gameplay

Instead of the conventional main character Shiren, the game's protagonist is this time Asuka, who was a friend of Shiren back in the Nintendo 64 title Shiren the Wanderer 2 .

Online features

New to the Mystery Dungeon series at the time was the addition of online support. The Dreamcast version of the online service, "Sanzu no Kawaraban", ended on August 31, 2002. The Windows version has ended on September 30, 2005, but was then distributed from Spike Chunsoft's official website as a free downloadable content. [3] Within the online support, players would receive new dungeons, called either "Weekly Dungeon"; a dungeon that can be played online on a weekly basis, or "Challenge Dungeon"; the dungeon's difficulty would be increased and useful items would appear less frequently.

Plot

As the title suggests, it is a side story of the Shiren the Wanderer series. The plot of Swordswoman Asuka Arrives! is divided into two, with an ending corresponding for each story: the Koga and Hachimaten plot.

Koga

Set in Tenwakuni. During the trip, Asuka stops at Jurokuya no Sato, a small rural village in a country rich in nature called Tenwakuni, and reunites with the narrative Itachi Koppa who was staying there. In the country, there have been a series of incidents in which the Koga Ninja army, which originally used to exterminate monsters as a livelihood, seem to have recently started attacking travelers. After seeing the upset villagers, Asuka decides to head towards Koga's Castle, the base of the Koga Ninja Army, to find out why he has changed suddenly.

Hachimaten

A trouble happened in the festival; it cannot be held because the "festival's equipment" required for the famous "Reeva Festival" has been stolen by a monster called Hachimaten. Along with the large number of visitors who gathered under the shrine maiden Koyori, the organizer of the festival, Asuka is also called to the "Trial of ..." by one of the Eight Rivanian Beast Gods, besides the God of Trade, Sakai, in order to recover the ritual vessels.

Releases

Supervised and developed by Neverland, the Dreamcast version was published by Sega on February 7, 2002, while the Windows version was published by Chunsoft on December 20, 2002. An online feature was added in its reprint on February 27, 2004.

Reception

In an interview with the company, it was answered that a potential remake would be difficult to produce due to "various circumstances including copyright". [4] As of 2020, the Windows port's price has increased to above ¥50,000, which is higher than its initial price back in 2004. [5]

Sales

The Dreamcast version of Swordswoman Asuka Arrives! has sold 50,750 copies solely in Japan by the end of 2002. [6] Despite the game not selling a lot compared to other titles in the series, there were strong calls from the community for either a resale, port, or remake of the game. [4]

Appearances in other games

Similarly to Shiren, the game's protagonist Asuka appeared in other video games that were developed and, or published by Spike Chunsoft. A costume based on her can be worn in the Etrian Mystery Dungeon sub-series labeled as the Wanderer class, if the character is female. Asuka, along with Shiren, appear in RPG Maker MV , and as alternative costumes for Cadence in Crypt of the NecroDancer with characters from series developed by Spike Chunsoft such as Danganronpa and Kenka Bancho. [7] [8]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren Gaiden: Onna Kenshi Asuka Kenzan! (Japanese: 不思議(ふしぎ)のダンジョン 風来(ふうらい)のシレン外伝(がいでん)女(おん)剣士(なけんし)アスカ見参(けんざん)!, Hepburn: Fushigi no Danjon Fūrai no Shiren Gaiden Onna Kenshi Asuka Kenzan!, lit. Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer Side Story: Female Swordsman Asuka Arrives!).
  2. ↑ Shiren the Wanderer Gaiden: Asuka the Swordswoman for Windows, known in Japan as Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren Gaiden: Onna Kenshi Asuka Kenzan! for Windows (Japanese: 不思議(ふしぎ)のダンジョン 風来(ふうらい)のシレン外伝(がいでん)女(おん)剣士(なけんし)アスカ見参(けんざん)! for Windows, Hepburn: Fushigi no Danjon Fūrai no Shiren Gaiden Onna Kenshi Asuka Kenzan! for Windows, lit. Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer Side Story: Female Swordsman Asuka Arrives!).

Related Research Articles

Neverland Company Inc. was a Japanese video game developer founded on May 7, 1993. It has developed games for Super NES, Dreamcast, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Color, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3 and the Wii. The most notable games this company developed were part of the Lufia and Rune Factory series of video games. By November 2013, the company ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy. The following year, many former members of the studio were hired by Marvelous, who had published many of their previous games.

Mystery Dungeon, known in Japan as Fushigi no Dungeon, is a series of roguelike role-playing video games. Most were developed by Chunsoft, now Spike Chunsoft since the merging in 2012, and select games were developed by other companies with Chunsoft's permission. The series began when co–creator of Dragon Quest, Koichi Nakamura, was inspired by Seiichiro Nagahata's experience with Rogue, who is also a fellow developer from the company, and a desire to create an original series. It began on the Super Famicom, progressing to almost all of Nintendo's and Sony's home and handheld consoles, WonderSwan, Dreamcast, Windows, and mobile devices.

<i>Shiren the Wanderer 2: Shirens Castle and the Oni Invasion</i> 2000 video game

Shiren the Wanderer 2: Shiren's Castle and the Oni Invasion is a 2000 role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the second main entry in the Shiren the Wanderer series, itself part of the larger Mystery Dungeon series, and was released in Japan on September 27. The game follows Shiren, a boy who aims to defend a village from attacking demons by building a castle; he finds building materials and other items by exploring dungeons.

<i>Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer</i> 1995 video game

Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer, originally released in Japan as Fushigi no Dungeon 2: Fūrai no Shiren, is a roguelike video game developed and published by Chunsoft. It is the second entry in the Mystery Dungeon series, following 1993's Torneko no Daibōken. It was originally released for the Super Famicom in 1995 in Japan. Sega published a Nintendo DS remake in 2006 in Japan and in 2008 internationally. The remake was later ported to iOS and Android and published by Spike Chunsoft in 2019.

<i>Tornekos Great Adventure</i> 1993 video game

Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon is a 1993 role-playing video game by Chunsoft. The first entry in the Mystery Dungeon series, the game features Torneko, a merchant from Dragon Quest IV, and his adventures around the Mystery Dungeon in search of items.

<i>Pokémon Mystery Dungeon</i> Video game series spin-off from the Pokémon series

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon is a video game series spin-off from the main Pokémon series developed by Spike Chunsoft. The games feature the fictional creatures called Pokémon who have the ability to speak human language navigating through a randomly generated dungeon using turn-based moves, indicative of Mystery Dungeon games. As of March 2020, there have been eleven games across five platforms, as well as several manga adaptations and animated specials.

<i>Shiren the Wanderer</i> (2008 video game) 2008 video game

Shiren the Wanderer is a roguelike video game developed by Chunsoft for the Wii. It was released in Japan on June 5, 2008, and in North America on February 9, 2010. A PlayStation Portable version was released later in 2010.

<i>Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky</i> 2009 video game

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is an enhanced version of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness released for the Nintendo DS in 2009, developed by Chunsoft and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. As a sister game, and sometimes referred to as the definitive edition to the aforementioned games, additional features include the addition of the missing Generation IV Pokémon, further character development for a few side characters in content known as Special Episodes, and a few quality of life improvement for options, items, and other gameplay related features.

<i>Mystery Chronicle: One Way Heroics</i> 2015 video game

Mystery Chronicle: One Way Heroics is a role-playing video game developed by Spike Chunsoft for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, released in Japan on July 30, 2015. It is a spin-off of the Mystery Dungeon series, and is based on the indie game One Way Heroics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spike Chunsoft</span> Japanese video game development company

Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game development and localization company specializing in role-playing video games, visual novels and adventure games. The company was founded in 1984 as Chunsoft Co., Ltd. and merged with Spike in 2012. It is owned by Dwango.

<i>Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate</i> 2010 roguelike video game

Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is a roguelike role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft. It is the fifth main entry in the Shiren the Wanderer series, which is a subset of the larger Mystery Dungeon series. It was originally released for the Nintendo DS in 2010 in Japan.

<i>Shiren the Wanderer 4: The Eye of God and the Devils Navel</i> 2010 video game

Shiren the Wanderer 4: The Eye of God and the Devil's Navel is a role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Spike. It is the fourth main entry in the Shiren the Wanderer series, which itself is a part of the larger Mystery Dungeon series. The game was originally released for the Nintendo DS in 2010; an expanded port was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2012 entitled Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 4 Plus: The Eye of God and the Devil's Navel.

<i>Shiren the Wanderer</i> Original video game series from the Mystery Dungeon franchise

Shiren the Wanderer is a video game series of roguelike and role-playing games developed by Spike Chunsoft. Unlike licensed crossovers within the Mystery Dungeon franchise, this series features original characters; including the eponymous rōnin protagonist Shiren and his traveling companion and talking weasel Koppa, with a plot and the location set generally in feudal Japan, and though indicative of the core games, which is navigating through a randomly generated dungeon using turn-based moves. As of March 2022, there have been multiple games across Nintendo and Sony platforms, mobile devices, Windows, and Steam, as well as few other medias released throughout the years.

<i>Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert</i> 2001 video game

Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the Desert is a roguelike role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft. It is part of the Mystery Dungeon series, and is a sequel to Shiren the Wanderer GB: Monster of Moonlight Village. It was originally released for the Game Boy Color by Chunsoft in 2001. A Nintendo DS remake was released by Sega later in 2008.

<i>Shiren the Wanderer GB: Monster of Moonlight Village</i> 1996 video game

Shiren the Wanderer GB: Monster of Moonlight Village is a roguelike role-playing video game developed by Aquamarine, then by Spike Chunsoft for the Android port of the game, and originally released for the Game Boy by Chunsoft in 1996. It is part of the Mystery Dungeon series. A Microsoft Windows remake, featuring enhanced graphics similar to its previous game on Super Famicom, would be later released in 1999, then re-released later with internet compatibility in 2002. A port of the remake was released on Android in 2011.

Shin-ichiro Tomie is a Japanese game director, writer and part of Spike Chunsoft's affiliation. Since 1995, he contributes to the company with the Mystery Dungeon franchise as the main writer for the Shiren the Wanderer, and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. Prior to his affiliation to the company in 1992, he has also contributed in Tecmo's Tecmo Bowl series of sport games.

Kaoru Hasegawa is a Japanese game artist and part of Spike Chunsoft's affiliation. Since 1994, he contributes to the company, with the Mystery Dungeon franchise as the main character designer for the Shiren the Wanderer series since its first title in 1995, and as an artist for other video game titles.

<i>Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island</i> 2024 roguelike video game

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is a roguelike role-playing video game developed and published by Spike Chunsoft. It is the sixth main entry in the Shiren the Wanderer series, which is a subset of the larger Mystery Dungeon series, and was released on Nintendo Switch in 2024; over 13 years after the last mainline title in Japan, Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate, and 8 years in the west.

References

  1. ↑ 株式会社スパイク・チュンソフト ゲームソフト 検索一覧 (in Japanese). Spike Chunsoft. Archived from the original on 2014-03-16. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  2. ↑ "「風来のシレン外伝 女剣士アスカ見参！」Windows版" (in Japanese). Spike Chunsoft. Archived from the original on 2013-05-13. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  3. ↑ "女剣士アスカ見参!" (in Japanese). Spike Chunsoft . Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "「風来のシレン」スマホ版発売にファンから「アスカ見参」望む声 復活はないのかスパイク・チュンソフトに聞いた". ねとらぼ (in Japanese). February 27, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  5. ↑ Takahiro, Koyama (January 16, 2016). "3500円が5万円に高騰！10年以上前に登場した伝説ゲームとは？". News Livedoor (in Japanese). Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  6. ↑ "2002年テレビゲームソフト売り上げTOP300". Geimin.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 24, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  7. ↑ "PC「RPGツクール MV」購入者特典が公開！ドワンゴジェイピーストアでは「風来のシレン」のシレンとアスカの素材が付属" (in Japanese). gamer.ne.jp. November 30, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  8. ↑ "モノクマやシレンも登場！ローグライク×リズムアクション『クリプト・オブ・ネクロダンサー』がスマホに" (in Japanese). Famitsu. May 3, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.