ever wonder how Shiren, Roguelikes, and Mystery Dungeon are similar to the mythical Japanese racoon dog? well, here’s your answer: Shiren the Wanderer – Fate, Fortune, and Tanuki

an essay more about furry animals than computer games; actually about half-and-half

there’s even a video! https://youtu.be/QIRT-BUPeRw?si=XAe3cyrDhz3-xWKG

KEY EXCERPTS

“A key component of their shapeshifting ability is their pouch, or in cruder terms, their ball sack. Frequently using their ball sack as a secondary object of transformation; for example, a tanuki may shapeshift into a samurai, armor and all, but shapeshift their ball sack separately into a sword; or they may shapeshift into a merchant and use their ball sack as their vending stall.”

“To illustrate this distinction between foxes and tanuki, consider their differing approaches to stealing food from human villages. While a family of foxes may resort to scheming and backroom dealings with humans, using their shapeshifting abilities to pose as businessmen offering seemingly attractive deals with hidden strings attached, akin to the treachery of organized crime or a pact with a demon, a tanuki family is more likely to transform into an alien spacecraft or ghostly apparition to scare the villagers away, thereby allowing them to sneak into the homes and steal the food.”

“At every turn, the game is merciless and seemingly out to get you, but it can also be extremely generous and offer unexpected rewards; eating some grass could make you sick and lead to your death, or it could make you gain three levels and become super-fast; this playful unpredictability is quintessentially tanuki-like, and Shiren 5 captures this essence in less than 600 megabytes.”