Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 78 | 31 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 76% | 71 | 473 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 88% | 81 | 1 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 4 reviews sampled · 4 total reviews in window · weighted 2.4 up / 0.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (41)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“Shiren 5 is a fun Mystery Dungeon game currently held back by a less-than-stellar PC port. Recommended for fans of the series but may be worth waiting for fixes first.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is one of those releases that could really go either way. If you don't mind repetition and you're not afraid of some tough difficulty spikes, there's a lot of depth and content here to keep you busy for quite some time. If those caveats do raise concerns for you, there are a couple of other Mystery Dungeon titles on Switch that may offer a more palatable experience. Wherever you may fall, Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is certainly worth your time, and we'd encourage you to give it a look.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“It is a tight package bursting at the seams with loads of content, but it is also a game that asks the player to be in a certain frame of mind, one in which losses aren’t regarded as just a waste of time but opportunities to learn for the sake of future success.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate does an incredible job at showing where the roguelike genre started. Fans of this series and its 'all or nothing' gameplay will adore this port and all its new content. However, players new to this genre or this series will find very little good here. There has been no effort to reach out to a wider audience or bring this game forward to a level of modern quality. Although it is still the Shiren the Wanderer that fans know andlove, it is more than obvious that this is a game stuck in time.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is an interesting game. It does a lot of things right and is the prototypical mystery dungeon title. And if that's all you want, then look no further. But I suspect most people are going to find the dungeons frustrating and the permanent death mechanic infuriating. This is an acquired taste that you'll either love or hate. Unfortunately, my personal feelings fall closer to the latter.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“I have a real feeling of regret knowing there is a lot of content here that I will never see. There are numerous aspects of Shiren the Wanderer that I couldn't find a way to jam into this review like how allies function, the over 100 optional sokoban puzzles, the Minesweeper-like dungeon, creating new items at the Tanuki lottery house, fusing items together for new effects, and much more. For anyone wanting to dive into a game with real depth, this is a great one.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“What I was hoping for when I booted up Shiren the Wanderer was another anomaly, a title in the roguelike genre that I would enjoy, and that wasn’t what I found. Instead, what I got was a fairly standard entry in the genre- crafted well by a developer that’s been making these kinds of games for years, and even though I did not find the title to my tastes, I could easily see why someone else might.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Overall, Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is a great roguelike, albeit a rather tough roguelike. There is plenty of variety to be had, and the difficulty isn't artificial. With a wide breadth of items and effects to manage, some fun mini games, and stages that don't drag on too long, Shiren is definitely a really fun roguelike for those familiar with the genre. Those new to the scene may be in for a bit of a challenge though, as Shiren doesn't pull many punches. So buckle up and try to change the fate of a poor village girl in this title that rolled rather well on the old D10.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“I have a suspicion that it isn’t a game that will click with everybody. This includes people who would love it but might be turned away by the first few punishing hours. For that reason, it could be an easy game to miss. The franchise also struggles for visibility in the West, which doesn’t help matters at all. If you’ve enjoyed Mystery Dungeon games before, this is a game worth looking into.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“For fans of both the series and the genre, this game is not a disappointment even with its seemingly hefty $39.99 price tag. Randomly generated dungeons, loveable (though shallow) characters, various minigames, and seemingly endless replayability make this a title that should find its home in your Vita library at one time or another. If you’re a gamer that craves a challenge, or someone that might even be new to the risk-it-all gameplay style of roguelikes, this is equally a great game to find yourself at home or find your footing in. Although the game is not perfect, it works in short five to ten-minute gaming spurts but could also hold you down for a few hours on end as you struggle to beat just one more floor.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Shiren’s debut on the Nintendo Switch would be rather impressive if it wasn’t for one concerning issue.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Shiren's latest adventure is a rewarding one. It offers up an enjoyable dungeon crawl, one that is not only challenging but also surprisingly inviting. Just don't expect it to feature constant progression, as players will fail far more times than they succeed.”
read full review ↗
cublikefoot
Nintendo Life
RPGamer
Cubed3
PC Invasion
NintendoWorldReport
ZTGD
Chalgyr's Game Room
Siliconera
Japan Curiosity
SwitchRPG
We Got This Covered…and 29 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- [2021/11/15]Patch Ver1.0.4 ReleaseNov 16, 2021
- [2021/12/22]Patch Ver1.0.3 ReleaseJan 13, 2021
- [2020/12/22]Patch Ver1.0.2 ReleaseDec 22, 2020
- [2020/12/7]PATCH NOTESDec 7, 2020