Over the last few weeks I have been rescued three times from depths 40-50 on one of Shiren 5's hardest dungeons, and just completed that dungeon thanks to the three individuals who rescued me for no reward. Japanese Shiren players are awesome. I'm also in the 3rd strata of EO, playing it for the fir...

While it's not a line-up I would have chosen, I think you'll be able to finish up without grinding out a whole new team. I did a complete guild re-make near the end, grinded out a team that could deal out an insane amount of damage, finished everything easily then wondered why I had bothered. All th...

Roguelikes are definitely an acquired taste, but once one gets over the "omg this game is insanely hard and confusing" it's fun. I'm also addicted to muds... anyway, I've never knew there was a Shiren ds game. Dwarf fortress sounds familiar to me..going to have to look into it. on an unre...

I think a lot of the frustration people feel when playing Shiren is down to the way they incorporated aspects of JRPG grinding into the roguelike genre. After dying a few times, new players will quite understandably think that the key to progress is to collect a haul of good starting equipment and g...

Man I love DF. Never tried adventurer mode though, so it doesn't usually come to mind when I think of roguelikes. I subscribe to the development feed, so I get to hear about every new addition - "You can't yet strangle people with the exposed guts, though I suppose that's now within reach."...

Put it this way. When you die, the game quits for you, so no rage-quitting! Heh. Seriously though, the learning curve is pretty steep. When you meet your first ogre you will probably die. When you meet your first wraith, or troll, or tentacled horror, or dragon, you will probably die. You get the id...

Just wait until you start trying for the gold and platinum badges!

Glad you're enjoying it though. I'm always recommending DoomRL (and Brogue) to anyone who'll listen but you might be the first person to have actually tried one of them. I suppose roguelikes are an acquired taste =)

Baroque? Had to Google that. I was talking about https://sites.google.com/site/broguegame/

Penny Arcade, I think. I love Roguelikes, so a very Japanese take on turn-based dungeon exploration WITH MAPPING seemed quite appealing. Also I don't feel guilty playing games in Japanese as I can write it off as lazy studying.

If you like roguelikes and haven't played Brogue yet do so. Seriously. It is so much more accessible and fun than Nethack yet with the depth and variety a roguelike needs. DoomRL is also pretty amazing. Roguelike ranking of games I've played from best to worst: Brogue (near perfection) Shiren series...

My golden fiddle is gone too...

When we left Japan in 2010 I gave away pretty much everything I owned, except for what fit in my backpack and a few boxes I stored at my girlfriend's mum's place (now mother-in-law). The hat went to a good home.

Thanks for the welcome! Maybe it is time I changed that avatar though. I no longer own the hat, and swigging from wine bottles in parks isn't something I do much of these days.

Hello. Doubt anyone remembers me, but since I'm finally back in Japan I thought I'd stop by here for some EO news and... wahey! EO4. Boo! 3DS only.

At least I have Shiren 5 to keep me entertained (and Brogue and FTL and DoomRL, it's like a Roguelike renaissance).

Frozen Synapse. Best tactical game I've played since X-COM and Laser Squad took over my teens. Pay whatever you think it's worth for the next 12 days at http://www.humblebundle.com/ Seriously good game, do check it out. Think X-COM without any strategic layer or aliens, just the combat, divided into...