We Love Mystery Dungeon (Hardcover)

Master the Console Roguelike Masterpiece!

Classic computer RPG Rogue made its debut back in 1980 and forever changed the way people thought about video games! Well, eventually. It would take a few decades for the principles of Rogue—things like permadeath, procedural generation, and infinite challenge—to go mainstream and become the foundation of entire genres. But developer Chunsoft (now Spike Chunsoft) saw the appeal of Rogue way back in the 16-bit era and embraced it with an inventive console roguelike franchise, Mystery Dungeon. In the process, they created the single most successful roguelike series of all time.

From its not-so-humble beginnings as a spinoff of the wildly popular Dragon Quest games to the latest Mystery Dungeon adventure (Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island for Nintendo Switch and Steam), We Love Mystery Dungeon traces the evolution of the Mystery Dungeon games, their connections to the original Rogue, and the creative ways in which they've adapted best-selling RPG series like Pokémon and Final Fantasy into roguelike form.

This unofficial and completely unauthorized look at the Mystery Dungeon games is penned by John Harris, whose groundbreaking Game Developer column @Play helped spread the word of the roguelike genre's greatness (and of Mystery Dungeon's excellence) in the days before the genre had become a part of the medium's mainstream. With We Love Mystery Dungeon, Harris explores the Mystery Dungeon games (and the Shiren the Wanderer series in particular) on both a macro and micro level—comparing releases, explaining mechanics, and even offering some handy translation keys for those brave enough to dive into the franchise's unlocalized titles! Accompanied by original hand-painted illustrations that complement the Shiren games' emphasis on traditional calligraphy and watercolors, We Love Mystery Dungeon is a world-class resource for roguelike dabblers and experts alike.