New Review is Live!
We got a review from Joe Morgan (GeeksUnderGrace), scoring Shujinkou at an 8.5/10! The reviewer put around 20-25 hours of play into the story, unlocked Jin, and progressed to the ending point of the third labyrinth (there are 10 story labyrinths total), if not a little bit further.
Please give the full review a read here:
https://www.geeksundergrace.com/gaming/review-shujinkou/
Excerpts from the Review
- "Driven by passion, (indie games) have the potential to develop unique games big studios would never greenlight. Enter Shujinkou, a dungeon-crawling JRPG with Japanese language learning as a major part of its core focus. There’s something you’ll never see Sony or Nintendo do, and the industry will be better for the effort.
- "I like the story well enough to dig my heels in, and the characters are well-written and fleshed out on top of that. The game does a great job of making the cast likable while being multifaceted. I appreciated the way all their attitudes and motivations could really show through, no matter the situation."
- "You may mistake Shujinkou‘s battle system for the same turn-based mechanics you’ve seen for years. While it derives from the familiar, it cleverly utilizes language mechanics to great effect. (...) It’s genuinely turned into a combat system I thoroughly enjoy."
- "On top of the dungeons, there are towns you can explore. You can chat with different folks, buy food and gear, interact with your friends, and pick up side quests from the mission board in town. These can range from taking out a group of enemies to bringing certain items from your dungeon dives. The breadth of content here is impressive."
- "The game also features a banger soundtrack that never felt out of place."
Review Conclusion
"Shujinkou and games like it are why I love the indie scene so much. (...) This went from being something I’d never heard of to one of my favorite conceptual experiences in years. I’ve both grown to enjoy the dungeon-crawling format and picked up a TON of Japanese in my time with the game. If you’re interested in indie games, RPGs, or learning Japanese, I recommend considering this gem. It has its flaws but I think it’s been well worth my time."
Bottom Line: "While Shujinkou isn't perfect, the fusion of Japanese language learning and turn-based combat provides a wonderful title that both educates and satisfies the gamer patient enough to learn and engage with its systems."