2025 has been an absolutely stacked year for video games — Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Clair Obscur, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Split Fiction are just a few games that have picked up over a 90 average on OpenCritic. But until Hades II arrived, there was a game that stood head and shoulders above the rest, and you might not have even heard of it.
Shujinkou launched on PC via Steam and PS5 earlier this year and the Switch version is out today (2nd October) on the eShop for £26.99 / $29.99 (or your regional equivalent). The port was actually announced about a month ago, but given the craziness of September, it completely slipped by us!
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Developed by Rice Games, a studio founded by Julian Rice, Shujinkou is a dungeon-crawling RPG where you can also learn how to speak and write Japanese. Anyone with decent knowledge of Japanese might spot that the very game's title translates to 'Protagonist' and that the three main characters are all named Shu, Jin, and Kou.
But teaching you Japanese isn't the primary focus — while it is a part of the game, it's actually entirely optional, and Julian Rice has said in interviews that "It is not a Japanese language learning tool". This is first and foremost a video game inspired by Etrian Odyssey.
If you're interested in the RPG side of things, then this rundown from the eShop should help:
Learning Japanese is entirely optional. For those more interested in the adventure, Shujinkou delivers a rich role-playing experience:
• Explore challenging labyrinths and solve puzzles from a first-person perspective.
• Engage in strategic turn-based battles that evolve over time.
• Switch to “English-Only” mode at any time to focus solely on the gameplay experience.
• Master hundreds of Arawasu skills and uncover powerful items.
• Forge dozens of distinct weapons and armor, each with unique flavor text.
• Fish for a wide variety of marine creatures at various scenic spots.
• Complete 100 side quests that explore and expand upon the many inhabitants of Genya.
• Play six minigames hosted by members of the Fuu Lobby.
• Revisit your journey through the Art Gallery and Jukebox.Having been in development for over six years, what truly sets Shujinkou apart is its additional, seamless integration of Japanese language learning. Whether you’re only here for the adventure or here to finally learn Japanese through a real video game, the ability to learn a challenging, real-world skill makes Shujinkou stand out in the already-crowded genre of amazing role-playing games.
The game is currently at a 94 on OpenCritic after 9 reviews, and a 90 on Metacritic after 6 reviews. That's not many, but it is notable, as many of those reviews are pretty glowing.
"Shujinkou is a phenomenal game, easily making its way to the ranks of my favorite JRPGs,' says Noisy Pixel in its review. Digitally Downloaded was equally full of praise, saying "It’s an inspired, intelligent idea and I hope people give it a chance despite being as indie as they come." And, similarly, RPGFan calls the game "one of the most ambitious indie games I’ve ever played."
Obviously that's just a handful of opinions (there are a few lower-scores there) and over on Steam, it's only garnered 14 reviews. But the fusion of mechanics alone has us interested. Shujinkou, we have our eyes on you.
Have you played Shujinkou? Will you be grabbing this on Switch today? Let us know in the comments.
Comments 39
Inspired by Etrian Odyssey you say? You have my attention.
The low number of reviews and a high score reminds me of how a few days ago, on this site, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter's NS2 version has a 9.9 star rating.
Either way, game seems cool, backlog is miles long, so I won't be picking it up.
I know how this goes, you go around collecting the Kamidogu and then Scorpion yells at you.
This is a game I absolutely have to play eventually now that it's also on Switch - looking forward to doing so when I can (we'll see if I end up playing it also on my own or straight up for my channel, the latter is a given at some point considering the learning Japanese part)!
Given that Duo is hunting me down after my extended absence from his Japanese classes, perhaps this would be a good way to get me self back into it lol!
Interesting idea, I hope it sells well! Will have to pass on it myself due to being busy with other games though 🤣. Sigh...
Well it looks really good, and the comparison to Etrian Odyssey has me excited. Granted I haven't actually played an EO game yet, but I loved Strange Journey on DS.
Thank you for writing about it
Looks interesting but I hope it runs well
I must try this!
Seems somewhat interesting and definitely well made, but I personally don’t give much for ”best reviewed” when it’s an aggregation of scores — and sometimes less reviews will bump these things sky high, like with The House in Fata Morgana. That one is gorgeous, but a sluggish visual novel that most definitely isn’t the very best Switch game, but has relatively few reviews from sites covering niche titles.
Very intrigued if its both fun and can help me w my very low level attempts at learning the language I’m in!
If you look at the footage & trailer, as well as read the blurb, you can tell it really is potentially good. One or those you have a good feeling about.
This is with me having no idea how it reviewed despite having heard of it previously.
I only play a small selection of dungeon crawler games and this one is likely to be one of them.
Ooh, I heard about this one not too long ago! I like dungeon crawlers and I've wanted to learn some Japanese beyond "Weeaboo desu" (which means "Nice to meet you," I've been told). Sounds like a fun excuse to finally give it a shot.
Anyone with decent knowledge of Japanese might spot that the very game's title translates to 'Protagonist' and that the three main characters are all named Shu, Jin, and Kou.
Interesting, now I know why Mortal Kombat Deception's new main character in Konquest Mode got the name he did. I knew Ed Boon was hiding some secrets about that name.
Well this is a neat little idea. Seeing as it’s an RPG I’m gonna have to give it a try.
That's really damn cool and it looks awesome
But idk if I'd be into that jrpg dungeon crawler style of gameplay
Also Japanese is pretty low on languages I'd wanna learn. Spanish is still at the top for practical nursey reasons
How do you say "send us a review copy" without saying "send us a review copy"?
This guy probably shouldn't handwave the main hook. It's like Etrian Odyssey but where you can learn Japanese. But also, "It is not a Japanese language learning tool." Kinda like how "Pokemon with guns" made it really difficult for you to get guns, as parodied by Dunkey. Then again, perhaps it can thrive at this point on the reviews alone.
I'd love a feature article on the best games to learn various subjects, as there's something of a Renaissance of semi-edutainment.
I need to look into this. Personally, I find playing games a terrible way to study Japanese. Who can be bothered looking up unfamiliar kanji, vocabulary, or grammar in the middle of playing a game? Plus, the dialogue in games tends to be exaggerated in one way or another and not particularly useful for navigating daily life or personal relationships. Still, I’m curious to see how good the Japanese script is, how the game guides a language learner, and whether it’s at all useful for anyone beyond the beginner or intermediate levels.
Whoa neat, hadn't heard of this! Adding to my wishlist presently.
Weird that the Switch version is only half the price of the Steam/PS5 versions.
Shujinkou looks interesting. The option to supposedly learn Japanese is amusing. My advice to anyone who wants to learn Japanese is don't. It's incredibly difficult to learn and requires tremendous dedication. Without serious commitment, you will struggle. As a hobby, to learn the basics, especially with word formation, pronunciation and the various alphabets they use, that's very interesting, worthwhile and would likely satisfy your curiosity.
@MasterVGuides That's because they split the campaign into two arcs, Genya (the base game) and Sabaku, which combined form the Deluxe Edition that more closely mirrors the package on Steam and PS5
@Smackosynthesis You can play it for the great gameplay & story it has to tell
I started learning Japanese a few years back, but fell off. At one point I had all the hiragana memorized.
I also love Etrian Odyssey, so this looks right up my alley!
@GoombaJMR You're one of the devs, right? Congrats on the release! Any plans for a physical version?
(Btw, I'm loving your Amane avatar. Devil Survivor is super underrated.)
@A_WINNER_IS_Mii .... ah hem.... you are probably stating st the very device that can double as a Kanji dictionary while you play. Been doing it for months on Sega Saturn playing import games.... probably just as tedious but more simple since the whole goal of this RPG is to learn you some Japanese too
Have been in my language learning era ever since visiting Japan for the first time this past spring so I played the demo on PS5 and it's so good. Decided to wait for the Switch 2 release but definitely need to see some reviews on performance before I make the purchase.
Looks cool! I've been doing Japanese in Duolingo, but this seems to be a better way to actually learn it while playing a game!
@topsekret
Yes! Thank you! EO IV is probably my favorite game on 3DS (followed closely by FE Awakening & SMT IV + SMT SJ Redux and all the other SMT games).
We want to do physical the moment we have the funds, so it will depend on how launch goes! As a physical game collector, having a physical (game key cards don't count) is one of the most important things to me personally!
Amane is amazing! Great character design, magic glass cannon, and just a really mysterious character throughout the game . Wishing for a remake or SMT DS 3
Wow, studying and practicing japanese while playing a great RPG ? Now that's my kind of stuff !
Give me a physical edition and I'll buy two of those ! One for making a gift, for my kid, the other one for myself ! ;D
@RejectedAng3L
Ha. I once got a bad ending because I put the controller down to look something up. Apparently, one of the triggers was lingering on a Yes/No dialogue box too long.
But I’m afraid I’ve grown too comfortable getting the gist, so most of the time, I don’t bother with dictionaries while playing games.
The 2/3DS are lowkey great study tools for kanji, though.
@HalBailman
I get where you’re coming from. It would be difficult for native English speakers to choose a more difficult language to learn as a second. Plus, linguists tend to single it out as having the most complex orthographic system.
Still, I would encourage any monolingual speaker to learn a second language. And Japanese is one of the coolest. It’s even got video games to help you study it.
That was an interesting video . Acting issues aside, I don’t think women like that exist in the real world.
@A_WINNER_IS_Mii yea I have a 2 titles that will aid me in learning Japanese.... I just haven't started them yet. I am about to be on an extended work trip in a week or 2 so I'll be starting ithem then.
That's funny about the bad ending though.
@A_WINNER_IS_Mii Excellent point. It's nice to know a second language and Japanese is the one to learn for us because we could put it to some use. Despite its difficulty, it's also fun and interesting. As a native English speaker, we generally miss out on a second language, and, in my case, that's despite a Hungarian father. He refused to speak Hungarian to us because he thought it was a stupid language. He knew German and refused to speak that because he's not German. 🙄 I've resorted to studying languages in general rather than dive into learning one. I can still count to 10 in Japanese from my high school days, so when I saw Nitama, the stationmaster cat in Japan several years ago, I immediately recognised the name as the "second Tama". 🥰
Once I saw those Japanese girls, my wallet magically opened and purchased the game
It’s a really good game! It doesn’t feel like I’m learning, and I mean that in a good way. The educational parts just sort of wash over me and the next thing I know, I have a few more words and phrases down. It’s an impressive game on top of an impressive gamified learning experience.
@GoombaJMR All good 3DS picks! Such a great system! EO IV was my entry point into the series and is one of my favorite games of all time now! I really want a DeSu 3 as well... Hopefully one day!
Glad to hear you're hoping to do a physical release for Shujinkou. I'd definitely pick that up on day 1! (Also, agreed with you on the Game-Key Cards, I want real physical releases for my collection!)
I'm going all in on Pokemon Legends in a few days, but this is now on my "one day soon" purchases, for sure.
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