New Review is Live!
Our third Metacritic-affiliated review is here! We got a review from Pyre Kavanagh (NoisyPixel), scoring Shujinkou at a must-play 9.5 out of 10, tying their score for Monster Hunter Wilds! The reviewer put over 50 hours into the game and cleared the first half (Genya Story Arc).
Please give the full review a read here:
https://noisypixel.net/shujinkou-review-jrpg-learn-japanese/
Excerpts from the Review
- "We’ve got a script and game that loves all sorts of details, from extremely easy-to-miss Drakengard references to dungeon monsters that are closer to Mary Skelter than Etrian Odyssey, showing a wide focus, plus jokes about video game translation (I lost it during the Advent Children translation gag)."
- "One detail that is a real treat is the shopkeepers. It’s normal practice for an RPG to have item descriptions, sometimes with flavor text, but this title goes the extra step and offers flavor text directly from the merchants themselves. It goes a long way to fleshing out these minor cast members and making regular preparations more enjoyable."
- "I got blown away at so many points in this game. Sure, at first, it was a nifty dungeon crawler with a fun Japanese teaching gimmick, but it continued to up the stakes."
- "The dungeon crawling is very challenging, and while you can play on an easy mode to experience the fantastic story and characters fast, the incremental pacing of this genre really works well with the vastness of what the game is also teaching."
- "The level of integration this game has with its Japanese teaching content, script, and world makes it feel shockingly normal. It’s an incredible JRPG that also just happens to be an extremely enjoyable learning tool."
- "Shujinkou is a phenomenal game, easily making its way to the ranks of my favorite JRPGs. It has interesting characters, an in-depth and strategic combat system, and a learning gimmick that is flawlessly integrated."
Review Conclusion
"Shujinkou is a masterfully crafted JRPG that seamlessly blends dungeon crawling, turn-based combat, and an innovative Japanese language learning system. With deep gameplay mechanics, rich world-building, and a clever integration of language education, it’s a unique experience for both RPG lovers and language enthusiasts. Though some mechanics, like ailments and demon negotiation, feel underutilized, the game’s engaging story, stylish UI, and immersive soundtrack make it a must-play."