Shiren the Wanderer 4: The Eye of God and the Devil's Navel

Last updated
Shiren the Wanderer 4: The Eye of God and the Devil's Navel
Shiren the Wanderer 4 cover.png
Nintendo DS cover art
Developer(s) Chunsoft
Publisher(s)
Director(s) Hironori Ishigami
Yoriki Daigo
Producer(s) Toshinori Asai
Yasuhiko Sameshima
Mitsutoshi Sakurai
Designer(s) Seiichiro Nagahata
Hiroyoshi Umetani
Shonosuke Morisue
Programmer(s) Naomi Kaneda
Artist(s) Kaoru Hasegawa
Writer(s) Masato Kato
Composer(s) Hayato Matsuo
Series Mystery Dungeon
Platform(s) Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable
ReleaseNintendo DS
  • JP: February 25, 2010
PlayStation Portable
  • JP: October 18, 2012
Genre(s) Role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Shiren the Wanderer 4: The Eye of God and the Devil's Navel [lower-alpha 1] 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 [lower-alpha 2] .

Contents

Gameplay

Shiren the Wanderer 4 is a role-playing video game in which the player explores dungeons that change each time they enter them and that are home to monsters. [1] The game has a day-and-night system; when it gets dark, the dungeons get more difficult to navigate, and the type of monsters that are encountered are stronger. [2] Dungeons consist of several rooms that are connected through narrow hallways; in some hallways, there are traps set up. [3] At some points in dungeons, the player can hide behind doors that they can attack through but that enemies cannot pass through. [4]

Plot

After Shiren and the talking weasel Koppa suffer a shipwreck, they are found by the inhabitants of an island, who think they are monsters; they are tied to a stake, but are saved by the game's heroine, Kamina. As a result, Kamina gets tied up herself by a jaguar priest who sends Shiren to find the Jaguar's Eye to prove that he is not a demon. [4]

Development

The game was developed by Chunsoft, and published by Spike. [2] It was originally released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on February 25, 2010; [5] an expanded version, Shiren the Wanderer 4 Plus, which includes three new dungeons and Twitter support, was released by Spike Chunsoft for the PlayStation Portable on October 18, 2012. [6] Tokihiro Naito was the director for this version, and was chosen for his work on role-playing games such as Hydlide . [7]

Reception

The Nintendo DS version was the 7th best selling video game in Japan during its debut week, with 41,000 copies sold. [9] Chunsoft's CEO, Koichi Nakamura, said that this was below expectations, something he attributed to scheduling issues, which had led to a lack of promotion for the game and the inability to create a pre-order bonus. [10] The PlayStation Portable version debuted in 15th place on Media Create's weekly list of the twenty best selling video games in Japan, with 6,368 copies sold; [11] on its second week, it had dropped off the chart. [12] By the end of 2012, it was the 416th best selling video game in Japan, with a total of 18,028 copies sold. [13]

Notes

  1. Known in Japan as Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren 4: Kami no Hitomi to Akuma no Heso (Japanese: 不思議のダンジョン 風来(ふうらい)のシレン4 (かみ)(ひとみ)悪魔(あくま)のヘソ, Hepburn: Fushigi no Danjon Fūrai no Shiren 4 Kami no Me to Akuma no Heso, lit. Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 4: Eye of God and the Devil's Navel).
  2. Known in Japan as Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren 4 Plus: Kami no Hitomi to Akuma no Heso (Japanese: 不思議のダンジョン 風来(ふうらい)のシレン4plus (かみ)(ひとみ)悪魔(あくま)のヘソ, Hepburn: Fushigi no Danjon Fūrai no Shiren 4 Plus Kami no Me to Akuma no Heso, lit. Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 4 Plus: Eye of God and the Devil's Navel).

Related Research Articles

<i>Torneko: The Last Hope</i> 1999 video game

World of Dragon Warrior: Torneko: The Last Hope is a role-playing video game for the PlayStation. The game was co-developed by Chunsoft and Matrix Software and published by Enix in both Japan and North America in 1999 and 2000 respectively. In Japan, the game was ported to the Game Boy Advance in 2001.

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: Oni Invasion! Shiren Castle!</i> 2000 video game

Shiren the Wanderer 2: Oni Invasion! Shiren Castle! 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>Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon</i> 1993 video game

Taloon's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon is part of the larger Mystery Dungeon franchise, featuring Torneko, the 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 for the Nintendo DS in 2009. As a sister game, and sometime mentioned as the definitive edition to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Darkness, additional features include the addition of the missing Generation IV Pokémon, further development for a few side characters, and more options, items, and features.

<i>Etrian Mystery Dungeon</i> Video game for the Nintendo 3DS

Etrian Mystery Dungeon is a role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS. It was developed by Spike Chunsoft and Atlus, and published by Atlus in Japan on March 5, 2015 and Atlus USA in North America on April 7. It was published by NIS America in Europe on September 11. The game is a crossover between Atlus' Etrian Odyssey series and Spike Chunsoft's Mystery Dungeon series. A sequel, Etrian Mystery Dungeon 2, was released in Japan on August 31, 2017.

<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 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.

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: Moonlight Village Monster. 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>Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Adventure Team</i> 2009 trio of Pokémon spin-off video games

The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Adventure Team series are three role-playing games released for WiiWare, part of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series of games. The titles, which were released in Japan on 4 August 2009, are Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Advance! Fire Adventure Team, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Go! Storm Adventure Team and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Aim! Light Adventure Team. This installment is the first game in the Mystery Dungeon series to be on a home system, with the next home installment being Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX for the Nintendo Switch.

<i>Shiren the Wanderer GB: Moonlit-Village Monster</i> 1996 video game

Shiren the Wanderer GB: Moonlit-Village Monster 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.

<i>Shiren the Wanderer Gaiden: Asuka the Swordswoman</i> 2002 video game

Shiren the Wanderer Gaiden: Asuka the Swordswoman is a roguelike role-playing video game developed by Neverland. 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. A Microsoft Windows port would be later released on December 20, 2002 and re-released later with internet compatibility on February 27, 2004, both published by Chunsoft.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 "不思議のダンジョン 風来のシレン4 神の眼と悪魔のヘソ まとめ (DS)". Famitsu (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  2. 1 2 Spencer (2009-09-29). "Shiren the Wanderer 4 Settling On DS". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  3. Spencer (2009-10-09). "See Some Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 4 Screens". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  4. 1 2 Spencer (2009-11-10). "Shiren Goes Super Saiyan In Shiren the Wanderer 4". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  5. Spencer (2009-11-30). "Shiren the Wanderer 4 Stumbles Into Stores In February". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  6. Ishaan (2012-09-12). "Shiren the Wanderer 4 Plus Trailer Wanders Out Into The Wild". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  7. Szczepaniak, John (2015). The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers. Vol. 2. SMG Szczepaniak. p. 66. ISBN   9781518655319.
  8. Romano, Sal (2012-10-09). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1244". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  9. Gantayat, Anoop (2010-03-05). "Kenka Bancho Tops Japanese Charts". IGN. Archived from the original on 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  10. Gantayat, Anoop (2010-08-26). "Chunsoft Eyeing Overseas Markets". Andriasang. Archived from the original on 2012-12-25. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  11. Ishaan (2012-10-24). "This Week In Sales: The Little Battlers W Has A Bit Of Growing Up To Do". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2014-09-18. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  12. Ishaan (2012-10-31). "This Week In Sales: Idolm@ster Shines Again With Idolm@ster Shiny Festa". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2014-08-03. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  13. "GEIMIN.NET/2012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. Archived from the original on 2016-01-01. Retrieved 2016-02-11.