| Shiren the Wanderer GB: Monster of Moonlight Village | |
| Publisher: | Chunsoft |
| Director: | Seiichiro Nagahata |
| Producer: | Koichi Nakamura |
| Designer: | Shin-ichiro Tomie |
| Programmer: | Kazumi Ogawa |
| Artist: | Kaoru Hasegawa |
| Composer: | Koichi Sugiyama |
| Series: | Shiren the Wanderer Mystery Dungeon |
| Platforms: | Game Boy Microsoft Windows mobile devices Android |
| Genre: | Roguelike, role-playing |
| Modes: | Single-player |
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.[1] 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.[2] A port of the remake was released on Android in 2011.[3]
In consideration of the performance of the non-colored Game Boy, the level of the monster expressed by their difference color models are displayed with a superscript number. When using the Super Game Boy add-on, a unique picture frame is displayed and color display is possible. In addition, a puzzle mode titled "Fay's Questions" has become independent from the main story, and can be selected at any time with over 100 challenges.
Later on the Microsoft Windows port, the game allows the player to create own questions. In addition, the Internet edition was equipped with additional features such as wind rescues and weekly added dungeon.
The story happens between and .[4] The game's plot is about rescuing a sacrificed child and unravel the mystery of the monsters that plagues Tsukikage Village, where Shiren is stopped by during his trip.
The game was developed by Aquamarine and published by Chunsoft, making the first Shiren the Wanderer game to be developed by another company.[1]
The original version on Game Boy was released on November 22, 1996.[1] The Microsoft Windows remake of the game was released on December 8, 1999, and its Internet Edition was later released as a digital download on its official website on May 4, 2002.[5] The package edition was later released on December 20, 2002 via Chunsoft's online store One Click Content Shop.[6] [2] [7] [8] Chunsoft released an offline downloadable content later on June 30, 2005, due to the company ending its sales then its online service on January 31, 2006. The Android port, based on its Microsoft Windows remake, was released on May 27, 2011, and its Smart Pass edition was later released on March 1, 2012.[3]
In a "Cross Review" from the video game magazine Famitsu, the game obtained the Platinum Hall of Fame in 1996, with a total of 36 points out of 40 by the writers.[9] [10] In the "Game Report Card", the review from the reader's vote of "Family Computer Magazine" gave the game a score of 23.7 points out of 30. In addition, in the Japanese video game magazine "Transcendence Daigirin '98 Spring Edition", it was positively evaluated thanks to the unique factors of the game, such as having different difficulty levels.[11] On the other hand, "Game Boy Perfect Catalog" pointed out that the feeling of completing a dungeon, after repeatedly searching for one whose rooms changes each time it enters a new floor, is a common element from this series.[12]