Shiren the Wanderer 6 is the series’ fastest-selling entry to date, but it’s struggling to take off in the West. Its creators hope to win over overseas roguelike lovers 

Spike Chunsoft released the PC (Steam) version of Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island (hereafter Shiren 6) on December 12. The Shiren series of roguelike RPGs has been around since the SNES era, and Shiren 6 was its first big comeback in nearly 14 years. The game initially launched in January this year (in Japan) for Nintendo Switch, receiving high praise from fans of the franchise. 

Now that Shiren 6 has both its paid DLC and Steam release behind it, AUTOMATON took the opportunity to talk to its Director, Keisuke Sakurai, and Project Manager Hideyuki Shinozaki. 

―It feels like you’ve reached a milestone with the release of Shiren 6’s DLC and Steam version. How do you feel about the title so far? 

Hideyuki Shinozaki (hereafter Shinozaki): 
We’re really happy to report that the number of people who’ve purchased the game since its release in Japan has far exceeded our expectations. We originally didn’t have any plans to put out paid DLC, but we were encouraged by the enthusiasm of the players, as well as the fact that domestic sales surpassed the series’ past milestones at a record speed. Based on this, we hurriedly made the decision to produce the DLC. 

After the game launched, I initially started work on other projects and was even thinking about going on a diet, but thankfully, I ended up being preoccupied with Shiren 6 the whole time (laughs). 

Keisuke Sakurai (hereafter Sakurai): 
We weren’t really used to making DLC, so it was kind of a process of trial and error for us. But after seeing people pick up Shiren 6 again to play and stream it, I really felt that the effort was worth it. 

―Why do you think Shiren 6 became the fastest-selling game in the series? 

Sakurai: 
I think the biggest factor was how much fans of past titles in the series were looking forward to it. We refined the game by getting rid of anything that was poorly received in past titles, and I think we made the game easier to pick up. 

Shinozaki: 
We felt that there were quite a few players out there who’ve played the Shiren series at least a little bit, including the Steam and Switch versions of Shiren 5 Plus. So, our goal was to make the game in a way that would appeal to such players. Of course, it’s impossible to get 100% of players to find 100% of the game entertaining, but I think that our approach matched up quite well with what Shiren fans wanted. 

Shiren may be struggling in the West, but expectations for its future are high 

―The Western release of Shiren 6’s Switch version came out a month after the Japanese debut. How did it perform? 

Shinozaki: 
Hardcore fans of the series were elated about Shiren 6, but unfortunately, we can’t say that sales have been strong. Given that most of our sales come from Japan, figuring out how to boost overseas sales is a big challenge we’re facing. 

In the past, we’ve collaborated with other companies to promote previous titles in North America, but honestly, we haven’t seen significant growth. On the other hand, with terms like “roguelite” and “roguelike” becoming increasingly popular, I do believe the Shiren series could suddenly take off if there were some kind of trigger. That trigger is what we’re pursuing. 

―Do you want to promote the idea of “Shiren = roguelike” in the West as well? 

Sakurai: 
Personally, I see roguelikes and the Mystery Dungeon series as two different “lineages” of games. The original predecessor, Rogue, was designed to focus on skills and abilities, while Mystery Dungeon’s game balance revolves around how you make use of items. While it’s definitely a derivative of the genre, it has its distinctions, or rather, it appeals to different tastes. That said, roguelike fans are definitely our target audience. 

―Were you conscious of global audiences when designing any aspects of Shiren 6? 

Shinozaki: 
In previous titles, we had “fake items” that relied on Japanese kanji characters. For example, there would be an item called “Rock” (jp: 石) and a fake one called “Right” (jp: 右). The similarity of how they’re written made them easy to mix up, and it was a fun gimmick. However, in Shiren 6, we tried to avoid adding things that only Japanese players could understand. 

Also, Shiren’s characters tend to be perceived as very young in the West, but our target audience is adults, not children. That’s why we consulted with our translators and instructed them to make sure the text conveys the atmosphere of a game meant for adults. 

―So, rather than making changes to game design, your consideration of Western audiences led you to emphasize that the game is adult-oriented? That’s a cool approach. 

Shinozaki: 
That’s right, thank you. 

―Which title in the series so far has been the most popular in the West? 

Shinozaki: 
I’d say that Shiren 5 Plus has been the biggest so far, which was no doubt stimulated by the Steam release. It was a weird release in the sense that it was kind of “a port of a port,” so we made it quite affordable too. The game originally received a digital-only launch on Nintendo Switch, but we released a physical version too after receiving a lot of requests. We’re now releasing Shiren 6 on Steam as well, so we have high expectations. 

―English-speaking Shiren fans often lament the fact that there are few ways to legally play past titles in English, and Japanese players are also hoping for ports of the older games. Do you have any plans in this regard? 

Shinozaki: 
We’ll do our best! (laughs) If we get the opportunity to do so, we will definitely consider it. 

The diverging paths of Shiren and roguelikes 

―I get the impression that Shiren has many fans who are kind of “hardcore” in a good way, with their own ideas about what makes the series what it is. How have such players responded to Shiren 6 so far? 

Shinozaki: 
The concept of Shiren 6 was “going back to the series’ roots,” and our top priority was to make the game enjoyable for existing Shiren fans. We did get people saying that certain aspects that we changed in the game were better before, but overall, the reception was positive, and I think that our concept was successful. 

Sakurai: 
With the additional dungeons, we were able to provide more variety and thus satisfy players’ diverse tastes. However, the persistent problem of Shiren players being way too skilled remains… (laughs). 

―Past titles had moments where you could easily cheese the game to get ahead, but Shiren 6 avoids things like this and doesn’t allow gameplay to become tedious. These points were well received by reviewers in the West. 

Shinozaki: 
That’s actually something we did consciously. Shiren is all about accumulating knowledge, so we tried to provide as many opportunities as possible for the player to pick up on the gimmicks while avoiding grinding and other tedious tasks. 

―With roguelikes and roguelites being popular nowadays, I’m sure Shiren 6 brought many newcomers to the series. How have new players responded to the game? 

Sakurai: 
I feel like many of them interacted with the game just as we expected, getting stuck in the places we envisioned and making breakthroughs in ways we anticipated (laughs). But as I mentioned earlier, Shiren has evolved in a slightly different direction than what’s commonly known as a roguelike, so I don’t really feel that we’ve been able to fully reach roguelike fans. 

Shinozaki: 
I think that nowadays, most people think of action games and card games when they hear the word “roguelike.” Of course, Mystery Dungeon strongly inherits characteristics from the original Rogue, but the term “roguelike” has kind of taken on a life of its own. 

―I see; I like roguelikes myself, so I understand the dilemma. 

Shinozaki: 
I also really love and enjoy the genre too, but I often find myself thinking, “What is a roguelike?” and “Is this game referred to as a roguelike?” even while playing other titles. 

―With Shiren 6 coming out on Steam, are you finished with the title for now? Or do you plan to bring it to other platforms and release updates and the like? 

Shinozaki: 
It depends on how much players request it. The DLC is still recent, so I believe people are still busy playing that for now. We will see what players are saying after some time has passed. Of course, the future of Shiren 6 will be a comprehensive decision involving the company, but our goal is to make everyone, including ourselves, happy. 

―While Shiren 6 had very polished 3D graphics, some fans are missing the pixel art style of past titles. Do you have a defined direction for the graphics of potential future entries? 

Shinozaki: 
We’re happy that people enjoyed the pixel art graphics of past titles, and this was something we also discussed among ourselves at the start of Shiren 6’s development. But the main reason we used pixel art in past titles was because we wanted to maximize the processing speed. On the other hand, with Shiren 6, we were able to introduce 3D graphics whilst ensuring quick processing and a comfortable playing experience, which is a big part of why we made the switch.  

As for future projects, the choice of graphics will depend on the overall direction of the game and hardware compatibility. Our goal is to maintain the entertainment value while making the game visually appealing. 

―As you’ve mentioned, Shiren 6 succeeded in the concept of going back to the roots of the series and revisiting what makes it entertaining. But what would be your next goal for new entries in the Shiren/Mystery Dungeon series? 

Sakurai: 
This is just a personal ambition of mine, but I would like to pursue more avenues to make the series approachable to newcomers. I think there are still elements that players could perceive as obstacles to picking up the game, as well as things that can be done better. 

Playtime is one issue. It’s considered normal for a 99F dungeon to take 5 to 6 hours to clear, but I would like to explore ways of enabling people to experience the same sense of accomplishment and enjoyment even without spending that much time on the game. 

Shinozaki: 
Shiren is a series with a devoted fanbase, and I too am a fan who used to play it as a student. In this sense, the most important thing is to make games that will meet the expectations of the series’ devoted fans. On top of that, we also need to introduce twists and additions that will surprise them and make them go, “Wait, you can do that?!” As for Mystery Dungeon, I hope we can continue to collaborate with other companies and develop content that differs from Shiren in a refreshing way. 

―Thank you for your time! 

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is available for the PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch.