Meta:Shiren the Wanderer 3 - Official Blog Post 4:Bosses
The OFFICIAL BLOG #4 - Bosses for the English release of Shiren the Wanderer (game) on the Nintendo Wii was posed to the Atlus U.S.A. Forums on January 21, 2010 by AtlusAram.[1]
It's almost time! In less than a month, Shiren the Wanderer will hit stores, and just as our offices here in Southern California are getting flooded with "epic" rain, we've got a flood of Shiren content for you today. I'm Scott Strichart, project lead, back once again with our fourth and final Shiren blog, and this time, we've got a video to go with it.
As you can surmise if you've watched it, (and if you haven't, get to it!) you've got some challenging bosses to look forward to at the bottom of each dungeon. Shiren and crew will be stomped, slapped, shot, stabbed, and otherwise maimed if you aren't prepared to face each boss with a strategy in mind. And sometimes, even if you ARE. I gave you the play-by-play for Centipede already, and I'm not going to break down every boss in the game like that-- But what I will do is provide some insight as to what you can expect from these beasts.
Before ANY boss, the first thing you wanna do is an inventory check. Do you have an Escape Scroll in case things go horribly awry? If not, you're either very brave or very reckless. /salute. Do you have restorative herbs and staves? I can guarantee you won't survive without them. Finally, offensive items would help too. The Hercules Herb gives you increased strength for a few turns, and Lightning Scrolls, although rare, are the bane of any boss, especially those that bring out their underlings.
Yes, we've been playing up Shiren's accessibility, but the bosses are where things are going to get real. Often times, you won't know how helpful an armband that prevented the Confuse status effect would be until you're down there and your whole team is attacking themselves and throwing away your best items. The Karakuri Rose, one of the game's more terrifying opponents, can both confuse and swallow you and your allies whole. (I don't recommend landing a killing blow while it has one of your teammates in its stomach...)
It's hard to be prepared for everything, which is why, again, I stress the Escape Scroll. There is no shame in going into a dungeon, testing the waters, and running away before you find one of the game's hundred-plus ways to die. This allows you to throw yourself back into the fight armed with knowledge, and it's a great way to pad your levels! If I could put a "theme" on all of the blogs for this game, it would be that caution will win the day.
The Battle Spirits, a battle with six heavily armed samurai, is another fight that may throw you for a loop. While the individual samurai don't hit that hard, six hits each turn is enough to bring down the hardiest wanderers. Much like I stressed in the Centipede blog, positioning is a key consideration for any boss fight, especially those like the Battle Spirits, where you are faced with more than one foe. The fewer of them that can hit you, the better, and your ability to double team each individual will be another factor that will make or break your victory. Psst... Take out the healers first.
Last, but certainly not least, and I'm not going to go into any specifics whatsoever here... You've got the post-game bosses. Intended for the hardcore following Shiren has gained over the years, you will have to know the game down to its most intricate details, have some of the best and most specific gear, and a flawless strategy to boot. In other words, you better bring your "A" game, or you'll be lamenting the post-game like our poor testers. To many of you, that is a call to arms, to others, don't worry, finishing the main game is no minor accomplishment.
I have a few last words of advice before the game releases and you all finally get to dive into the dungeons for yourselves. The game, in its infinite kindness, starts you off with several incredibly rare Revival Herbs in your inventory. Upon death, the herb will turn into a pile of weeds, and your character will come back to life. My advice is this: You will be a much happier wanderer if you throw one or two of these into your storage and save them for when you really want them, as opposed to wasting them on a random death in a dungeon. Trust me, okay?
Well, it's been a real pleasure writing these blogs and hearing how excited some of you are for this title to hit stores. On behalf of the entire localization, QA, and marketing team for Shiren the Wanderer here at Atlus, we hope you enjoy the game. Happy wandering.
