- 💵 Pricing and QOL Upgrades
- 🏜️ Introducing the Sabaku Arc
- 📜 More About Shujinkou
- 🍚 About the Rice Games Team
Rice Games Inc is excited to announce that pre-orders officially begin today for Shujinkou! Check out our new Pre-Order trailer on the Rice Games YouTube channel! The content following this section is the same as the Announcement Trailer press release. Download the PDF for this PR here.
Pre-orders start today with a 10% discount!
- Shujinkou on Nintendo eShop: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/shujinkou-switch/
- Shujinkou Deluxe Edition on Nintendo eShop: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/shujinkou-deluxe-edition-switch/
- Shujinkou Super Deluxe Edition on Nintendo eShop: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/shujinkou-super-deluxe-edition-switch/
- Shujinkou: Sabaku Arc on Nintendo eShop: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/shujinkou-sabaku-arc-70050000061494-switch/
- Rice Games YouTube: https://youtu.be/ieo8b0FXCtg
- Press Release Media Kit: Nintendo Switch Pre Order Media Kit (Google Drive)
💵 Pricing and QOL Upgrades
Since its initial launch in February, Shujinkou has received hundreds of quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes inspired by both player and critic feedback. A list of patch notes released since then can be found by our News page:
Unlike the PS5 & PC releases, the pricing structure will differ for the Nintendo Switch version:
| Edition | USD | CAD | EUR | GBP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shujinkou – Standard Edition | $29.99 | $39.99 | €29.99 | £26.99 |
| Shujinkou – Deluxe Edition | $59.99 | $69.99 | €59.99 | £49.99 |
| Shujinkou – Super Deluxe Edition | $69.99 | $79.99 | €69.99 | £59.99 |
Furthermore, there is a pre-order discount of 10% for all three editions.
| Edition (PREORDER PRICING) | USD | CAD | EUR | GBP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shujinkou – Standard Edition | $26.99 | $35.99 | €26.99 | £24.29 |
| Shujinkou – Deluxe Edition | $53.99 | $62.99 | €53.99 | £44.99 |
| Shujinkou – Super Deluxe Edition | $62.99 | $71.99 | €62.99 | £53.99 |
Shujinkou – Standard Edition on Nintendo Switch includes…
- Base Game (Genya Arc)
Shujinkou – Deluxe Edition on Nintendo Switch includes…
- Base Game (Genya Arc)
- DLC – Sabaku Arc
- Application – Shujinkou Digital Artbook – Learn More
- Application – Shujinkou Select Soundtrack – Learn More
Shujinkou – Super Deluxe Edition on Nintendo Switch includes…
- Base Game (Genya Arc)
- DLC – Sabaku Arc
- DLC – Swimsuit Quests – Learn More
- DLC – Akuma Quests – Learn More
- Application – Shujinkou Digital Artbook – Learn More
- Application – Shujinkou Select Soundtrack – Learn More
🏜️ Introducing the Sabaku Arc
The major price change for the standard edition is a result of Shujinkou being split into two parts, as the game features two full-length story arcs (40+ hours each)—specifically, the Genya Arc and the Sabaku Arc. The PS and PC versions come with both arcs included (effectively two games in one), but the Sabaku Arc will be sold separately on the Nintendo Switch.
By lowering the barrier of entry to the Shujinkou franchise by 50%, we are hoping that more players on the Nintendo Switch give our dungeon-crawler a try, whether they are interested in the language learning aspects or not.
The Sabaku Arc takes place immediately after the end of the Genya Arc, and will be available separately for the following prices:
| Product Name | USD | CAD | EUR | GBP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shujinkou – Sabaku Arc | $24.99 | $33.99 | €24.99 | £19.99 |
📜 More About Shujinkou
Shujinkou marks Rice Games’ debut commercial title and the first installment in a planned trilogy. The game’s expansive world spans six nations, each with its own story arc and a rich cast of major and minor characters.
This year’s release includes both the Genya Arc and the Sabaku Arc. The Genya Arc follows the battle against the language-devouring “Akuma” to save Shu’s homeland, while the Sabaku Arc explores diplomacy in a new nation and the struggle to alter an ally’s prophesied fate, revealed through a mysterious painting.
Each arc offers roughly 40–60 hours of gameplay and introduces its own cast of new protagonists to befriend and antagonists to face.
💯 Thousands of Players Learning AND Gaming!
Since launch, thousands of players around the world have enjoyed Shujinkou, with many fans sharing directly with us that the game inspired them to start pursuing Japanese language classes and even helped some land new jobs connected to their passion for Japanese.
Others have spent hundreds of hours exploring Shujinkou’s 200 quests, multiple minigames, and thousands of character interactions across its expansive cast. Based on player data, earning the Platinum trophy typically takes roughly 250 hours, reflecting Shujinkou’s breadth of unique content.
⚙️ Reviews and Feedback
Preliminary reviews have been excellent, with Shujinkou earning a 90 Metacritic score (Universal Acclaim) and a 94 OpenCritic Top Critic score as of August 2025. We’ve submitted over 70 review keys worldwide, but as a small self-publishing studio, it remains a challenge to gain broad media attention. Sales have been modest on PC but have exceeded expectations on PlayStation, and we remain committed to supporting the game with monthly patches across all platforms.
🎮 Looking forward with the Nintendo Switch port
With its upcoming Nintendo Switch release, players can explore dozens of handcrafted labyrinths on the go and even use the touchscreen to practice writing hiragana, katakana, and a wide range of kanji.
🍚 About the Rice Games Team
Rice Games Inc is a multilingual team of game developers from around the world. Many team members are fluent or native speakers of multiple languages, including English, Japanese, German, and Mandarin.
With teammates spread across more than seven time zones, ensuring smooth coordination over Shujinkou’s over six-year development period was no small feat. The team’s global presence spans several countries, including:
- United States: California, Hawaii, Washington, Texas, Florida, Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado, Utah, etc.
- Japan, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany
The Rice Games team is composed largely of young, highly motivated individuals eager to leave their mark on the video game industry with their first major commercial release. While some team members bring years of experience—particularly within the Music Team, with arrangement and composition credits—they, too, are venturing into new territory, having never worked on an RPG of Shujinkou’s scale.
Thank you so much for checking out our press release!
Julian Rice
Founder @ Rice Games
©Rice Games Inc. All rights reserved. Release embargo until September 18th, 9:00 AM PST
Shujinkou is a trademark of Rice Games Inc. Nintendo Switch is a trademark of Nintendo.