Fushigi no Dungeon
Encyclopedia
is a series of roguelike
video games, most of which were developed by Chunsoft
, but with select titles in the series developed by other companies with permission from Chunsoft to use the name. Although all games in the series bear the Fushigi no Dungeon moniker somewhere in their Japanese titles, only the Shiren the Wanderer games contain original characters; all other license their characters from other role-playing game
franchises. The first title, Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon
starred Torneko, a shopkeeper character from the same developer's Dragon Quest IV (Chunsoft being developer of the first five games). Mystery Dungeon games are notable for being among the few console
games in the roguelike
genre. The series has inspired similar titles in Japan, most of which appropriate their games mechanics from Mystery Dungeon, rather than Rogue
itself.
named Koppa, and during their adventures they meet many peoples such as Shiren's brother Pekeji, and Orya, a female character that blinds every man she meets.
Roguelike
The roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. Most roguelikes feature ASCII graphics, with newer ones increasingly offering tile-based graphics. Games are typically dungeon crawls, with many...
video games, most of which were developed by Chunsoft
Chunsoft
is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix...
, but with select titles in the series developed by other companies with permission from Chunsoft to use the name. Although all games in the series bear the Fushigi no Dungeon moniker somewhere in their Japanese titles, only the Shiren the Wanderer games contain original characters; all other license their characters from other role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
franchises. The first title, Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon
Torneko no Daiboken: Fushigi no Dungeon
is the first game in the Mysterious Dungeon series. This installment features Torneko , the merchant from Dragon Warrior IV...
starred Torneko, a shopkeeper character from the same developer's Dragon Quest IV (Chunsoft being developer of the first five games). Mystery Dungeon games are notable for being among the few console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
games in the roguelike
Roguelike
The roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. Most roguelikes feature ASCII graphics, with newer ones increasingly offering tile-based graphics. Games are typically dungeon crawls, with many...
genre. The series has inspired similar titles in Japan, most of which appropriate their games mechanics from Mystery Dungeon, rather than Rogue
Rogue (computer game)
Rogue is a dungeon crawling video game first developed by Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman around 1980. It was a favorite on college Unix systems in the early to mid-1980s, in part due to the procedural generation of game content. Rogue popularized dungeon crawling as a video game trope, leading...
itself.
Common elements
Most Mystery Dungeon games centre around exploring a dungeon with randomly generated layouts and fighting other characters therein in a turn-based manner; every time the player performs an action such as attacking or walking, the opponents also take action. Escape from the dungeon is usually only allowed in certain places, or through the use of certain items. Additionally, when the player loses the game the player loses all money plus half the player's items in the more forgiving variants, or loses everything and has to start from scratch in others.Original characters
The series features an original cast on occasion, which has as its hero Shiren the Wanderer, who journeys with a talking weaselWeasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
named Koppa, and during their adventures they meet many peoples such as Shiren's brother Pekeji, and Orya, a female character that blinds every man she meets.
Dragon Quest series
- 1993: Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no DungeonTorneko no Daiboken: Fushigi no Dungeonis the first game in the Mysterious Dungeon series. This installment features Torneko , the merchant from Dragon Warrior IV...
– Super FamicomSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short... - 1999: Torneko: The Last HopeTorneko: The Last HopeTorneko: The Last Hope, known as in Japan, is a console role-playing game for the Sony PlayStation.The game was co-developed by Chunsoft and Matrix Software and published by Enix in both Japan and North America in 1999 and 2000 respectively....
(Torneko no Daibōken 2: Fushigi no Dungeon) – PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
; remade for Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
in 2001 - 2002: Torneko no Daibōken 3: Fushigi no DungeonDragon Quest Characters: Torneko no Daiboken 3is the third game in the Torneko series. It is part of the Mystery Dungeon series and contains randomly generated dungeons and uses turn-based action combat. It is the third Dragon Quest spin-off game in the Mystery Dungeon series...
– PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
; remade for Game Boy Advance in 2004 - 2006: Dragon Quest: Shōnen Yangus to Fushigi no Dungeon – PlayStation 2; developed by cavia, inc.Cavia, inc.was a Japanese video game developer. The company name was apparently an acronym for Computer Amusement Visualizer, although the company web site also claims it refers to caviar....
- 2006: Dragon Quest Fushigi no Dungeon Mobile - NTT docomoNTT DoCoMois the predominant mobile phone operator in Japan. The name is officially an abbreviation of the phrase, "do communications over the mobile network", and is also from a compound word dokomo, meaning "everywhere" in Japanese. Docomo provides phone, video phone , i-mode , and mail services...
, auAu (mobile phone operator), or au by KDDI, is a mobile phone brand in Japan marketed by KDDI Corporation in the main islands of Japan and Okinawa Cellular in Okinawa.-Naming:...
, Yahoo!Yahoo!Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
Shiren the Wanderer series
- 1995: Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the WandererMystery Dungeon: Shiren the WandererMystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer is a graphical roguelike by Chunsoft. It is the second videogame in the Mystery Dungeon series, and the first game in the series to feature all original characters...
(Fushigi no Dungeon 2: Fūrai no Shiren) – Super FamicomSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
; remade for Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
in 2006 - 1996: - SatellaviewSatellaviewThe is a satellite modem add-on for Nintendo's Super Famicom system that was released in Japan in 1995. Available for pre-release orders as early as February 13, 1995, the Satellaview retailed for between ¥14,000 and 18,000 and came bundled with the BS-X Game Pak and an 8M Memory Pak.The...
- 1996: Fūrai no Shiren GB: Tsukikage-mura no Kaibutsu – Game BoyGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
; remade for WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
in 1999 - 2000: Fūrai no Siren 2: Oni Shūrai! Siren-jō! – Nintendo 64Nintendo 64The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
- 2000: Fūrai no Shiren GB 2: Sabaku no Majō – Game Boy ColorGame Boy ColorThe is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
; remade for Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
in 2008 (Fushigi no Dungeon: Fuurai no Shiren DS 2: Sabaku no Majō) - 2002: Fūrai no Shiren Gaiden: Onnakenshi Asuka Kenzan – Dreamcast; remade for Windows in 2002
- 2008: Shiren the WandererFushigi no Dungeon - Furai no Shiren 3: Karakuri Yashiki no Nemuri Himeis a roguelike developed by Chunsoft and published by Sega for Wii. It was released on June 5, 2008 in Japan and on February 9, 2010 in North America....
(Fūrai no Shiren 3: Karakuri Yashiki no Nemuri-Hime) – WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
; remade for PlayStation PortablePlayStation PortableThe is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
in 2010 - 2010: Fūrai no Shiren 4: Kami no Hitomi to Akuma no Heso – Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
- 2011: Fūrai no Shiren 5: Fortune Tower to Unmei no Dice - Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
Chocobo series
- 1997: Chocobo no Fushigina Dungeon – PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
; remade for WonderSwanWonderSwanwas a line of handheld game consoles produced in Japan by Bandai between 1999 and 2003. It was developed by the late Gunpei Yokoi's company Koto and Bandai...
in 1999; developed by Square Co.Square Co.was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix... - 1998: Chocobo's Dungeon 2 (Chocobo no Fushigina Dungeon 2) – PlayStation; developed by Square Co.
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- Though developed by Square, both of the above were supervised by Koichi NakamuraKoichi Nakamurais a Japanese video game designer. A programming prodigy, Nakamura gained fame while still in high school; in 1982 he entered Enix's national programming contest and claimed first place with his entry, Door Door...
, president of Chunsoft.- 2008: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's DungeonFinal Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon, is a role-playing video game published by Square Enix for the Wii. It is an installment in the Chocobo series that focuses on Chocobo and a Cid character.-Gameplay:...
(Chocobo no Fushigina Dungeon: Toki Wasure no Meikyū) - Wii; developed by h.a.n.d.H.a.n.d.is a Japanese video game developer founded in 1992. The company originally started as a service selling Macintosh hardware and software to universities before the Mac platform was widely-known. When competition in the field increased, h.a.n.d... - 2008: Sido to Chokobo no Fushigina Dungeon: Toki Wasure no Meikyū DS+ (Final Fantasy Fables: Cid and Chocobo's Dungeon DS+) - Nintendo DS; developed by h.a.n.d.H.a.n.d.is a Japanese video game developer founded in 1992. The company originally started as a service selling Macintosh hardware and software to universities before the Mac platform was widely-known. When competition in the field increased, h.a.n.d...
- 2008: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
- Though developed by Square, both of the above were supervised by Koichi Nakamura
Pokémon series
- 2006: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team & Red Rescue TeamPokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Teamand are a matched pair of Pokémon games for the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance, respectively. These two games were developed by Chunsoft and were published by Nintendo....
(Pokémon Fushigi no Dungeon: Ao no Kyūjotai & Aka no Kyūjotai) – Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
& Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China... - 2008: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Explorers of DarknessPokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darknessand are a matched pair of Pokémon games for the Nintendo DS. The two games were released in Japan on September 13, 2007, and were released in North America on April 20, 2008...
(Pokémon Fushigi no Dungeon: Toki no Tankentai & Yami no Tankentai) – Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP... - 2009: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (Pokémon Fushigi No Dungeon: Sora no Tankentai) - Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
- 2009: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Keep Going! Blazing Adventure Squad, Let's Go! Stormy Adventure Squad & Go For It! Light Adventure Squad (Pokémon Fushigi no Dungeon: Susume! Honoo no Boukendan, Ikuzo! Arashi no Boukendan & Mezase! Hikari no Boukendan) - WiiWareWiiWareWiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
Individual Releases
- 2004: The Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigino DungeonThe Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigino DungeonThe Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigino Dungeon is a console role-playing game developed by Arika and Chunsoft and published by Namco in 2004 exclusively for the Sony PlayStation 2...
– PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
; co-developed by ArikaArikais a Japanese video game developer. It was formed in 1995 by former Capcom employees. The name of the company itself is the reverse of the name of the company's founder, Akira Nishitani, who created Street Fighter II. Arika's first arcade game was Street Fighter EX... - 2004: Kidō Senshi Gundam: Fushigi no Dungeon – i-modeI-modeNTT DoCoMo's i-mode is a mobile internet service popular in Japan. Unlike Wireless Application Protocol, i-mode encompasses a wider variety of internet standards, including web access, e-mail and the packet-switched network that delivers the data...
- 2004: TwinBee Dungeon - Mobile phonesMobile gameA mobile game is a video game played on a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, tablet computer or portable media player. This does not include games played on handheld video game systems such as Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable....
; themed on TwinBee world