>>23525123Shiren the Wanderer is the best roguelike I've ever played, and nearly the best game I've ever played. It's hard, but rarely unfair. Everything in the game is very well designed, and it's a shame that so few people appreciate the game for how great it truly is. If you're going to try it, I'd recommend the DS remake, which patches up the balance quite well and removes a game-breaking exploit from the game. I haven't played the sequels, but I've heard that they aren't as good as the first game.
The Nightmare of Druaga is a boring game, but it was my first roguelike so I have a special fondness for it. The dungeon layouts are static. The item drops are static. The initial enemy layouts are static(I think?). Most monsters require little strategy other than "hit them a few times". There are no interesting items like "Knockback Staff" or "Stun Seed". The equipment system is needlessly deep. You always have a "Feather", which lets you escape from a dungeon at any time, instantly. I really don't understand why anyone would make a game like it, and I feel the same way about the original Tower of Druaga. Despite its flaws, I'm having fun replaying it currently. Perhaps its simplicity is part of its charm?
I'd rank the Mystery Dungeons I've played as follows: Shiren > Explorers > Rescue Team > Druaga
As for non-MD roguelikes, I like Angband and Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.
Have anyone here played Etrian Mystery Dungeon? Is it any good? What about Torneko and Chocobo's Dungeon?
