Atlus announces Shiren the Wanderer for Wii

[AtlusAram]

E3 2009: ATLUS ANNOUNCES SHIREN THE WANDERER™ FOR Wii™
"When you move, they move. Just like that."

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA -- JUNE 2, 2009 -- Atlus U.S.A., Inc. today surprised everyone with the news that it has secured the North American publishing rights for Shiren the Wanderer™, the critically-acclaimed roguelike RPG for Wii™. As Shiren, a wandering adventurer with a penchant for exploration, monster-slaying, and item collection, you will trek across a beautiful and varied countryside with your companion, Koppa, a talking ferret. Randomly-generated areas, intense boss battles, extensive item customization, and a cast of intriguing and unpredictable characters translate into one of the most satisfying RPG experiences of the year.

Exceptionally reviewed by famed Japanese gaming publication Famitsu (9/9/8/9), this latest entry in the legendary series stands as one of the most addictive, highly rewarding, and endlessly replayable games available on Wii, not to mention the most accessible Shiren game yet.

Shiren the Wanderer is currently scheduled for release on Wii in Spring 2010.

For more information, visit the official site:
http://www.atlus.com/shiren

###

About Atlus U.S.A., Inc.
Located in Irvine, California and founded in 1991, Atlus U.S.A., Inc. is renowned for its proud tradition of publishing exceptional role-playing games with strong niche appeal. The Atlus library of critically acclaimed video games includes Odin Sphere, Trauma Center series, and the award-winning Shin Megami Tensei series. For more information, visit http://www.atlus.com.

For breaking news, special promotions, insider info, and more, visit http://www.atlus.com/faithful to join the ranks of the Atlus Faithful!

Shiren the Wanderer has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

©2008-2010 CHUNSOFT/KOICHI SUGIYAMA. Licensed to and published by Atlus U.S.A., Inc.

[Lanford]

Can't wait for it!

I absolutely love dungeon crawler Rpgs and I've played Shiren for the DS, will surely get the Wii one ^^~

[AdrianMorales]

Awesome! It’s another sweet announcement.

[SickleCellAnemia]

Nice choice Atlus.

[Flußkönig]

Best announcement of E3 so far. To bad there isn't a ps2 version though.

[Olethros]

Agreed. PS2 would have been a home run. As it stands now, I'll still never play this... :very_sad:

[kat_ears_kahrain]

So totally barely in the nick of time. I was about to import this from Play-Asia. In my cart, and typing in my address...

I loved Shiren 2 on the N64, and what little I got to play of this version(borrowed it from a co-worker) I can't wait.

[Sanctine]

Wow. Never saw this coming in a longshot. Great announcement, Atlus!

[jeffx]

Thank you. It shall be bought.

[L-san]

This looks great! I'm definitely looking forward to picking this up for the Wii. :)

[DamageCity]

I love it.

[Kakizaki]

Very nice guys.

[TokoTamer]

Excellent news! Just when I thought we'd never see another Shiren title in the west after the DS game's lackluster sales. Thanks you so much Atlus!

[thinkfreemind]

This is good news. I enjoyed the DS Shiren game.

[dungeon_man]

Agreed. PS2 would have been a home run. As it stands now, I'll still never play this... :very_sad:

No, I think PS2 would have been a no show.

[nicolas207]

this games looks pretty cool, Have to wait for this one.

[RayFoxSith]

Day one whenever I get a Wii.

[Olethros]

Agreed. PS2 would have been a home run. As it stands now, I'll still never play this... :very_sad:

No, I think PS2 would have been a no show.

Maybe. I was only considering my own selfish reasons of wanting to play it without buying a Wii. As to which version would have done better comercially, I have no point of reference to formulate a solid opinion from.

[dungeon_man]

Agreed. PS2 would have been a home run. As it stands now, I'll still never play this... :very_sad:

No, I think PS2 would have been a no show.

Maybe. I was only considering my own selfish reasons of wanting to play it without buying a Wii. As to which version would have done better comercially, I have no point of reference to formulate a solid opinion from.

Well, both consoles have one roguelike (that I'm aware of) in the English-speaking world. Nightmare of Druaga and Chocobo's Dungeon. Not that I, or likely any regular member on this forum, knows their actual sales figures, but I'm sure somebody is capable of making a solid comparison.

However, my comment was simply based on the idea that 2010 is not likely to be a profitable time for releasing games in a niche subgenre of a niche genre on the PS2.

[getter77]

Actually, PS2 and Wii also share Baroque...and there's the Japan exclusive remake of Rogue itself: Rogue Shadow Hearts. My trivial nitpicking aside, this game will be awesome on Wii!

Psst...Atlus please bring Rogue: Shadow Hearts over somehow if you can....come on...do it...

[dungeon_man]

Actually, PS2 and Wii also share Baroque...and there's the Japan exclusive remake of Rogue itself: Rogue Shadow Hearts. My trivial nitpicking aside, this game will be awesome on Wii!

Psst...Atlus please bring Rogue: Shadow Hearts over somehow if you can....come on...do it...

Yeah, I didn't count Baroque as it it has many elements of a roguelike, but isn't a pure roguelike. Even if it is counted, the consoles are still tied for roguelikes in the English-speaking world. (I'd wager that PS2 Baroque sold better than Wii Baroque)

And yeah, the Japanese game, it's it called Rogue Hearts Dungeon and it's made by whatever is left of Compile, right? I would be very happy to see that get released here, but I am too realistic to even hope for it.

[Kakizaki]

^Yeah, it was developed by the remnants of Compile - Compile Heart. I had a used copy in my hands while browsing a Trader, but decided it wasn't in my budget.

[Atlus Frog]

So totally barely in the nick of time. I was about to import this from Play-Asia. In my cart, and typing in my address...

I loved Shiren 2 on the N64, and what little I got to play of this version(borrowed it from a co-worker) I can't wait.

Me2. I was trying to figure out how to downgrade my Wii firmware so I could use the import swap disc to play the game if I bought it from Play Asia. I kept dragging my feet in hopes someone would bring it over because I think it would be tough to play in Japanese not knowing what any item does etc.

[Chromanin]

Atlus I love you, but I just can't keep up. You've already forced me to buy a PSP for Class of Heroes and the Persona 1 port. Then there's Devil Survivor, Trauma Team, and now this. It's lucky I already have a Wii and a DS. I've had to hold off on Devil Summoner because, well, I have to have a cut-off somewhere. I'm going broke off you, Atlus. I hope you're happy, because I am.

[malrock]

Excellent news! Just when I thought we'd never see another Shiren title in the west after the DS game's lackluster sales. Thanks you so much Atlus!

yep thought the same thing, although i think the horrible cover art that was used for the DS game in the US might have a little something to do with the bad sales too. definitely great new, atlus please keep the cover and not do what sega did.

[Manly Biceps]

Atlus I love you, but I just can't keep up. You've already forced me to buy a PSP for Class of Heroes and the Persona 1 port.

What? No Crimson Gem Saga? :(

[LordGek]

So totally barely in the nick of time. I was about to import this from Play-Asia. In my cart, and typing in my address...

I loved Shiren 2 on the N64, and what little I got to play of this version(borrowed it from a co-worker) I can't wait.

Me2. I was trying to figure out how to downgrade my Wii firmware so I could use the import swap disc to play the game if I bought it from Play Asia. I kept dragging my feet in hopes someone would bring it over because I think it would be tough to play in Japanese not knowing what any item does etc.

It was doable, but you miss out on the story and, as I stated in the other thread, there were times I was only 70% certain of the function of a given item and was too lazy to look it up so I simply didn't bother to use it (only later to realize it would have been JUST THE THING to save me from my last death).

[sirgrim]

Thank you Atlus! This was in my top two E3 announcements! Any spoils in the works? Thanks for Baroque too. Awesome stuff.

[LordGek]

Thank you Atlus! This was in my top two E3 announcements! Any spoils in the works? Thanks for Baroque too. Awesome stuff.

With Baroque, Izuna, and now Shiren Atlus has proven that they are the GOTO folk for Japanese Roguelikes.

[BONN]

Thank you so much Atlus!!

Out of everything announced at E3, this is honestly the game I'm most excited about.

[Chromanin]

What? No Crimson Gem Saga? :(

You broke me; I just bought it a few days ago. Okay, I can't buy anymore games until September when I get the P1 port.

[ryvl_v.00]

hmm, this looks interesting, I will get this after I see videos for it. Not alot of these types of games go for the Wii so I might as well look this over lol

[LordGek]

hmm, this looks interesting, I will get this after I see videos for it. Not alot of these types of games go for the Wii so I might as well look this over lol

Here's some snippet of gameplay from the Japanese version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISS30c_WVsI

[massaker]

Omg, this is truly wonderous news. I only pray it gets a PAL release.

Never saw Baroque or Izuna. ; ;

[Enzeru]

Wait, so this is a series? I noticed there's a DS game with the same name on Amazon...

[Manly Biceps]

Yeah, it's a series, but this is the first one that tries to have a plot. :)

[LordGek]

Yeah, it's a series, but this is the first one that tries to have a plot. :)

Using the same name when this is not even just some port of the DS game is needlessly confusing, I think...but at the same time calling it Shiren the Wanderer 3 would be even weirder.

How about simply, "Shiren the Wanderer: The Sleeping Princess in the Clockwork Palace".

[Enzeru]

Well a plot is definitely an improvement for me.

[Chopper]

I was so surprised to hear that this game would be coming out at all, considering how Sega gave up on bringing the franchise over after the first one kinda flopped (not that the fabulous cover art they chose helped). But this is a welcome surprise. I didn't know Atlus could get title's like this from a relatively big publisher such as Sega, but it's cool to see they can. My friend and I often joke that Atlus will bring over Mother 3 to America, and although that'll never happen, it's nice to know that certain titles I've given up on have a chance of seeing the light of day here. Thanks a lot for bringing this over.

[Manly Biceps]

I wanted to call it "Shiren-San", but I was shot down. :(

[jeffx]

I finally beat Chocobo's Dungeon for the Wii and although, yes, it's an extremely easy roguelike, it's not without its charms (damn addicting too). Shiren can't come too soon. Anyway if someone here has NEVER tried a roguelike and is intrigued by Atlus' next Wii game, I'd recommend FF: Chocobo's Dungeon as a starting point.

nethack (http://www.nethack.org/) is fine too.

[GoemonEbis]

This made my heart extremely happy to hear! I'm playing the Ds Shiren on and off, and really loving it. I was listening to an old episode of Retronaunts and they were talking about how the Wii version of Shiren would never reach america! Thanks to you guys, for proving them wrong!

[Lionsword]

From someone who played Azure Dreams way back when it was awesome (I still load it up from time to time) I can say I'm very excited about a game like this from Atlus coming stateside.

[MoogleGunner]

My understanding is that the original interacted with the rescue system of a DS Shiren 2 Game, will that be preserved in any way, or can we not know that until we learn if that's going to be brought over, for reference: http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/home/946522.html

[PunkySkunk]

This is cool. I've loved the original Shiren since the first time I played the translated SNES patch and was wowed that they made such a great console roguelike so long ago, and since then I've played a lot of stuff from the Torneko games to Azure Dreams, and plenty of less notable stuff (including a certain Atlus-published game with lesbian ninjas...).

I'm a big dungeon game buff and Shiren fan, and I'll be buying this day one like I did with Shiren DS. 'cept, I'm hoping that unlike Sega who didn't listen and flipped us the bird in this regard, insisting that their marketing team has determined that lame cover art they made up will sell better, that Atlus doesn't uglify the cover art. XD

I've been a Sega fan forever (well, not in recent years anyway), but having them needlessly change cover art and with so little effort (especially Guardian Heroes) is nothing new. They've had a history of horrible decisions, and being ahead of the curve caused them more trouble than anything. Hopefully one day I'll be able to play the Dreamcast Shiren gaiden, but I can't help but feel that day won't come until the day I can read Japanese. >_>

[Atlus Frog]

Atlus, please keep the original artwork and Japanese voices (if possible).

Also, please bring a strategy-guide/art book to the US.

You could also throw in a soundtrack and the Japanese Koppa wii-mote stand for pre-order bonuses. You should definitly throw in some good pre-order bonuses for this one.

You could even offer all that as pre-order bonuses like you are for Demon Souls on PS3!

[Rednusander]

Atlus, please keep the original artwork and Japanese voices (if possible).

Also, please bring a strategy-guide/art book to the US.

You could also throw in a soundtrack and the Japanese Koppa wii-mote stand for pre-order bonuses. You should definitly throw in some good pre-order bonuses for this one.

You could even offer all that as pre-order bonuses like you are for Demon Souls on PS3!

Tell ya what, we'll keep all the original Japanese voices in. Being that it doesn't have any, that won't be hard.

If there's a preorder bonus, that's still TBD, but don't get your hopes up for the Wiimote stand - those were produced in a VERY limited quantity for the JP release.

[Manly Biceps]

Not only does it have Japanese voices, we're voicing every voiced line in EVERY language. Even ones that haven't been invented yet.

It's OMNILINGUAL!

Stick that in your press release and smoke it!

[jeffx]

I don't care for bonii. Will the game be 39 or 49? DID YOU JUST SAY 29.99$???????

[Enzeru]

I don't care for bonii. Will the game be 39 or 49? DID YOU JUST SAY 29.99$???????
DO WANT! xD

But I doubt they would make any profit from selling it at a non-SE DS game price.

[jeffx]

I don't care for bonii. Will the game be 39 or 49? DID YOU JUST SAY 29.99$???????
DO WANT! xD

But I doubt they would make any profit from selling it at a non-SE DS game price.

Yeah I'm guessing 35 or 40. Fine with either price point.

[dungeon_man]

I'm pretty sure MSRP will be at least $40 upon release. People don't launch Wii games at $30 unless it's a bargain title.

[Foobar]

How is the DS game? I'm guessing from the DS game's title its not a main series entry, but another of the Fushigi no Dungeon series. I'm not too familar with the main series, though.

[dungeon_man]

The DS game is not a spinoff. The Shiren series is all roguelikes.

[jeffx]

Perhaps he meant remake instead of spinoff. The DS game is a port/"remake" of the second Shiren game.

Foobar if you want to get your fact straights about the Fushigi no Dungeon series, check out this wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fushigi_no_Dungeon).

Also get your hands on NIGHTMARE OF DRUAGA for PS2. One of the best console roguelikes EVER MADE.

[Foobar]

Ok, I get it now, Shiren is an original within the Mystery Dungeon series, while the others are just licensed, such as Pokemon, Chocobo and Druaga.

[Atlus Frog]

Not only does it have Japanese voices, we're voicing every voiced line in EVERY language. Even ones that haven't been invented yet.

It's OMNILINGUAL!

Stick that in your press release and smoke it!

What amazing DVD algorithms you have. Even Sony's Blu Ray could not accomplish this feat!

:P

[Ckarasu]

When I look at the site and see the screenshots, I'm reminded of Rune Factory Frontier. That's by no means a bad thing. I'm just hoping I'll still have a job by the time it comes out so I can get it.

[Raksha]

Ah dammit Atlus, why must you always give me games on consoles I don't have.

This looks interesting, but I don't have Wii...

[fish]

Thanks Atlus, just heard about it.

[Foobar]

Well I found a copy of the DS game today and gave it a brief spin. I've actually not played any of the other Mystery Dungeon games, but it reflects the style of play I've read about in reviews for the others in the series. Feels like it belongs right next to Etrian Oddyessy and Dark Spire, so that's where I'm filing it on the shelf :)

Gonna get back to it later, I got a few other games I'm in the middle of that need finishing.

Only downer seems to be whatever servers they had up for Shiren are no longer up, so if I die, no one's coming for me over NWFC.

[jeffx]

Only downer seems to be whatever servers they had up for Shiren are no longer up, so if I die, no one's coming for me over NWFC.

Pretty sure Nintendo handles all the servers so I doubt they'd let one "die". Rather I just think no one ever uses that feature. I know I don't. It's a good concept but terribly executed in a context where a) there aren't that many players b) even less that use the online and c) you DON'T WANT TO DIE.

[dungeon_man]

I would expect that SEGA ran the server. I could see them shutting it down to cut costs, but it's more likely that nobody was online assuming you were able to connect.

I find roguelike and fpdc are significantly different, but they probably appeal to a lot of the same people.

[Kid Marin]

Shiren the Wanderer's NA release will include the previously downloadable only mansion sections from the Japanese versionhttp://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=378309

[jeffx]

Beautiful.

[Enzeru]

Yeah, I was reading about Shiren in NP (not as bad as the SJ preview in GI :p) and it mentioned the dungeons being included on-disc. Gotta love Atlus!

[Hero of legend]

I really hope Wi-Fi is still in!

Also, is it possible for Atlus to get Chunsoft to add in the bonus content that the PSP version is getting? The game's not due until mid-late spring I think so there's lots of time.

[geostar8]

Looking forward to this. Any idea on a release date?

[Rednusander]

Looking forward to this. Any idea on a release date?

Stay tuned!

[Zoltor]

Looking forward to this. Any idea on a release date?

Stay tuned!

Hey now, that's pretty evil posting such a thing, either give a estimated date/hint when it may be released or don't reply at all to a post asking when it will come out.

What do you take pleasure in torturing us or something(you know very well we are dreading the wait as it is)?

[GalacticPunt]

I just pre-ordered. It looks to be artistically like Muramasa: The Demon Blade in RPG form.