Shujinkou Interview with Video Chums
We recently had the chance to sit down with A. J. Maciejewski from Video Chums, a Metacritic and Opencritic game news media outlet, to talk about Shujinkou™, the journey of bringing it to life, and what lies ahead. A big thank you to A. J. and the Video Chums team for such a thoughtful conversation!
Read the full interview here:
https://videochums.com/article/julian-rice-on-shujinkou
Here is a summary of the interview:
Video Chums speaks with director Julian Rice about Shujinkou’s ambitious trilogy roadmap, its focus on family-driven storytelling, and the innovative integration of language learning into a classic JRPG framework. Learn how Rice assembled his team, drew inspiration from dungeon-crawling favorites, and shaped Shujinkou into both a massive game & foundation of a much larger saga.
A few highlights:
Why language matters: We shared how “aha” moments in Japanese became gameplay systems, from kanji radicals to keigo (honorifics) to character naming.
Player impact: Fans have told us that Shujinkou inspired them to start Japanese classes, and in some cases even helped them get jobs in the game industry.
Team and leadership: We spoke about the original recruiting process, including reviewing thousands of applications and leading the team while navigating some big personal challenges.
Story focus: At its core, the narrative emphasizes family. Genya is just the starting arc, with the trilogy expanding across six nations.
Design inspirations: Etrian Odyssey IV and Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux influenced how we approached exploration and challenge, with multiple difficulty settings to welcome newcomers.
Looking ahead: We also touched on the sequel, which will feature new story arcs, a sharper & quicker pace, deeper kanji systems, and a far shorter development cycle.
A few notable quotes
“Genya serves as the stage-setter… while Sabaku raises the stakes.“
“If there’s one thread I hope resonates with players, it’s the emphasis on family.”
“We aimed for that same sense of depth, with difficulty options so newcomers can enjoy the game.“
“Above all, our priority is always to create a video game with a compelling story.“
“It’s a world you can live in for 100-250 hours.“
We are very grateful that Video Chums gave us the space and opportunity to talk about both the creative and personal sides of this very intense and fulfilling journey. If you’d like to learn more about where Shujinkou came from and where it’s going next, we encourage you to give the interview a read!
Team @ Rice Games