Shiren:Gameplay Element Localization Glossary

Gameplay Element Localization Glossary for the Shiren the Wanderer series. While under normal circumstances, our policy is to use the earliest official English localization from any officially localized, licensed, or released material in any format, there exists the occasional exception. Those have been outlined and explained why below, to help readers and players alike understand the reasoning behind these choices.

Glossary

Cross-Mixing

Cross-Mixing (Japanese: 異種合成) is a mechanic introduced in  Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 2 - Shiren's Castle and the Oni Invasion. While it appeared in the English localizations of Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 3 - The Sleeping Princess and the Karakuri Mansion, and Shiren 5 on the Vita/Switch/Steam/Smartphones, it's not known (to us) to have an official name in those releases.

Source: Shiren 6 official website

Fusion

Fusion, also known as Synthesis (Japanese: 合成) is a mechanic introduced in  Mystery Dungeon 2: Shiren the Wanderer. While fans of the past commonly referred to it as "Melding", from the item Melding Jar, we've opted to use Fusion from  Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 3 - The Sleeping Princess and the Karakuri Mansion as it's the earliest official name.

Source: Shiren 6 official website

Monster Family

Monster Family (Japanese: 種), previously known as Monster-type (Japanese: モンスター系) is to our knowledge, an original term coined by fans after the release of  Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer in 2008. Shiren 1 DS referred to monster families as types, such as "Polygon Spin-type", which causes issues with the Dragon-type and the Dragon Family. As types weren't something we were widely aware of until 2019, we've opted to ignore the official names and continue with what we'd been calling them. As of the official English release of / Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island in 2024, the Mixer Family has been referred to as the "Mixer family" on the official website and in the game itself, making it official.

Source: Shiren 6 official website

Runes

Runes (Japanese: 神器), also known as Seals is another example of an early name we've decided to do away with. When Shiren 5 on the Vita was localized, it introduced a new status for items, known as "Sealed", and renamed Seals to Runes. On top of the "Sealed" Status Abnormality (for Monsters) functioning similar to the new item counterpart, we've decided to adopt Rune as the official name of choice in order to prevent further confusion.

Source:  Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate

Source: / Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate (2020)

Source: / Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate (SP)

Source: / Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island

Source: Shiren 6 official website