Shujinkou on Mac App Store, Epic Games Store, and the Nintendo Switch Update
*Nintendo Switch Update 1.1.0 Update:
Due to an unexpected additional distribution lead-time requirement from Nintendo of America, the Nintendo Switch 1.1.0 update announced for September 9 has been slightly delayed. The update itself remains planned for release as soon as Nintendo’s distribution process allows. We apologize for the last-minute change.
TOKYO / SAN DIEGO – September 9, 2026 — Rice Games Inc. today announced a major September 9 expansion for Shujinkou, its critically acclaimed story-driven dungeon-crawling JRPG with completely optional Japanese language-learning systems. The game launches on both the Mac App Store and Epic Games Store today, while Nintendo Switch players will receive the surprise v1.1.0 update later today, a substantial upgrade focused on performance, stability, polish, and player-requested quality-of-life improvements.
The September 9 releases continue more than a year of post-launch support for Shujinkou. Since its original release on Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, the game has received more than 20 major updates bringing hundreds of bug fixes, quality-of-life improvements, and new features inspired by feedback from players and critics alike.
Earlier this year, Shujinkou was nominated for Best Hidden Gem at the New York Game Awards, featured at Waseda University in a lecture examining JRPG design and innovative gameplay and learning mechanics, and showcased at BitSummit 2026, where Rice Games participated as an official sponsor. The game currently holds a 90 Metacritic score and an 89 OpenCritic average.
Shujinkou Comes to the Mac App Store
The Mac App Store edition launches today as a free-to-start release, giving Mac players access to roughly the first 5-10 hours of the adventure at no cost before offering permanent, one-time content unlocks for players who want to continue.
The Mac App Store version includes:
- Native support for both Intel and Apple silicon Macs
- 70 Game Center achievements
- 26 Game Center leaderboards
- Controller support
- Permanent, one-time in-app content purchases rather than a subscription
Available content unlocks include:
- Genya Story Arc — $29.99
- Sabaku Story Arc — $24.99
- Genya + Sabaku Arcs — $49.99
- Swimsuit Quests DLC — $8.99
- Akuma Quests DLC — $8.99
- Complete Bundle — $59.99, including both full story arcs and both quest DLC packs
The Mac release is also a milestone for Rice Games founder Julian Rice, who has used Macs since high school and continues to use macOS as his primary development platform. Significant portions of Shujinkou were developed on Mac during the game’s 6+ year production.
Shujinkou Comes to the Epic Games Store with a $20 Launch Discount
Also launching September 9 is Shujinkou on the Epic Games Store for Windows and macOS. The standard edition will debut at $39.99 during its launch promotion – $20 off its regular $59.99 price.
The Epic Games Store release includes:
- 70 Epic Games Store achievements
- 26 integrated leaderboards
- Cloud saves
- Controller support
- Windows and macOS support
Players can also choose from expanded editions:
Shujinkou Deluxe Edition
- Full Game
- Digital Artbook
- Select Soundtrack, featuring 22 curated tracks from the game’s score
Shujinkou Super Deluxe Edition
- Full Game
- Digital Artbook
- Select Soundtrack
- Swimsuit Quests
- Akuma Quests
The Swimsuit Quests and Akuma Quests each add 18 character-focused quests centered around Shujinkou‘s six partner characters, exclusive costumes, additional story content, and approximately 10–15 hours of additional gameplay per quest set.
The Shujinkou Original Soundtrack will also be available separately on the Epic Games Store. The complete seven-disc collection contains 158 tracks and nearly seven hours of music, spanning classical, rock, metal, jazz, electronic, Japanese and Chinese traditional influences, Middle Eastern-inspired compositions, and more.
Surprise Nintendo Switch v1.1.0 Update
Nintendo Switch players will receive Shujinkou v1.1.0 today, the game’s largest Switch-focused technical and quality-of-life update to date.
The headline improvement is a newly unlocked/uncapped frame rate. Following extensive engine, memory, and performance work, Shujinkou can now run at approximately 55–60 FPS through much of its core gameplay on Nintendo Switch hardware*, while Nintendo Switch 2 can exceed 60 FPS even with High Fidelity Mode enabled.
- *Note: This FPS is achievable on Nintendo Switch 1 when High Fidelity Mode is toggled off.
The update also reduces memory usage, slightly improves loading times, and has produced a confirmed reduction in crash frequency on both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 after substantial optimization work.
Other major improvements include:
- Major performance overhaul: Upgraded the underlying game engine by two major versions, improving frame rates, loading, lighting, animated illustrations, character portraits, and other systems.
- Reduced memory use and improved stability: Lower memory consumption, slightly faster loading, and measurably fewer crashes on both Switch and Switch 2.
- Kotoba Kyuugi overhaul: Greatly improved the physics and overall gameplay of Tatiana’s Kotoba Kyuugi minigame.
- Okkake no Osakenori overhaul: Improved movement, surfboard handling, camera behavior, collision issues, performance, and longstanding bugs in Otogawa’s minigame.
- UI and controller polish: Improved dozens of interfaces and fixed minor button/controller-navigation problems across several dozen locations.
- New player options: Added toggles for battle camera bob and Tatiana’s Money Maker post-battle bonus, alongside smoother Self-scope item use in combat.
- Progression and gameplay fixes: Addressed Labyrinth 10 progression issues and a potential soft-lock, equipment duplication, inaccessible hidden treasure chests, and numerous other gameplay bugs.
- Additional Japanese-learning content: Added a missing Kanakae Orb location to Labyrinth 7 containing information on six kanji and 18 new Blue Text terms.
- General polish: Improved loading-screen tips, lore and non-dialogue readability, equipment balance, labyrinth navigation readability, town utility spots, and dozens of smaller issues throughout the game.
The patch notes for the Nintendo Switch v1.1.0 can be found at the bottom of this press list.
Shujinkou Store Availability
Find Shujinkou on all available platforms below:
- Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shujinkou/id6760682263
- Epic Games Store: https://store.epicgames.com/p/shujinkou-d3ae3b
- Nintendo eShop: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/shujinkou-switch/
- PlayStation Store: https://store.playstation.com/concept/10003429/
- Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1386630/Shujinkou/
- Official Website: https://shujinkou.com
About Shujinkou
Shujinkou is a Japanese role-playing game developed and published by Rice Games. The game combines a full-scale role-playing adventure with optional Japanese language-learning elements, featuring deep dungeon-crawling, turn-based combat, two full story arcs, character-driven worldbuilding, many minigames, music, quests, extensive gameplay systems, and more.
About Rice Games Inc.
Rice Games Inc. is an independent game studio founded in 2018. Its flagship title, Shujinkou, is a JRPG that combines a full-scale role-playing experience with optional Japanese language-learning elements.
Contact:
contact@ricegames.net
https://www.ricegames.net/contact
Full Nintendo Switch v1.1.0 Update Notes
⚙️ Performance & Stability
- Unlocked/uncapped the game’s frame rate. Following extensive optimization, Shujinkou can now run at approximately 55–60 FPS through much of its core gameplay on Nintendo Switch, while Nintendo Switch 2 can exceed 60 FPS even with High Fidelity Mode enabled.
- Reduced memory usage throughout the game, slightly improved load times, and confirmed a reduction in crash frequency on both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
- Upgraded the game engine by two major versions, providing general performance improvements to frame rates, loading times, lighting systems, animated illustrations, character portraits, and more.
- Greatly improved the physics and gameplay of Tatiana’s minigame, Kotoba Kyuugi.
- Greatly improved movement, fixed longstanding issues, and improved the performance of Otogawa’s minigame, Okkake no Osakenori.
✨ New Features, Quality-of-Life & General Improvements
- Improved dozens of user interfaces throughout the game to provide a smoother and more intuitive user experience.
- Improved the writing and readability of loading-screen tooltips, lore compilation entries, and other non-dialogue text.
- Added an option to disable the in-game battle camera bob.
- Improved the readability of the Kanban Menu’s Labyrinth View by highlighting the currently selected labyrinth with colored text.
- Added Change Time spots to Town 4 and Town 5.
- Changed sushi that restore both TR and MR to restore a percentage of each resource rather than fixed values.
- Improved the process of using Self-scope items during combat. Selecting one of these items now automatically selects the current hero and proceeds to the next hero.
- Added an option to disable the Money Maker post-battle bonus provided by Tatiana’s Kizuna. This option appears after the Money Maker bonus has been unlocked.
🐞 Bug Fixes
- Fixed a harmless error that could occur when a Yajuu joined a normal battle.
- Fixed an input error that could occur when rapidly entering inputs in the Fuu Underground.
- Fixed residual errors that could occur after completing Okkake no Osakenori.
- Corrected the equipment type assigned to two late-game equipment pieces.
- Fixed minor button and controller navigation issues in several dozen locations.
- Fixed typos and other issues in several dialogue scenes.
- Fixed a progression bug that could affect some players in Labyrinth 10.
- Fixed an equipment duplication issue.
- Corrected three Kanban that were facing the wrong direction in Labyrinth 9.
- Added a missing Kanakae Orb location to the middle of Labyrinth 7, Area 1. This location contains new information about six kanji and includes 18 new Blue Text terms.
- Fixed an issue that prevented players from accessing certain hidden treasure chests in towns when the chests were located next to Exit to Nation spots.
- Fixed a potential story-progression soft-lock in Labyrinth 10 that could occur if the player left the labyrinth after fulfilling certain conditions.
- Corrected an inaccurate description for the “tongue” kanji.
- Fixed an issue that prevented the Level Luck Tutorial from appearing for some players. Players affected by this issue can trigger the tutorial by leveling up any hero after clearing Labyrinth 1.
- Fixed low frame rates that could occur during combat in Labyrinth 1 when Reduced Effects was disabled.
- Fixed a rare display issue affecting discovery percentages in the Item Compendium.
- Fixed a rare display issue affecting discovery percentages in the Kanban Menu.
- Fixed an English text-sizing issue affecting the Cherry Pit item in the Sabaku Arc.
- Fixed several issues in Okkake no Osakenori, including bottles clipping into the course, unstable surfboard handling, and the camera failing to rotate when reaching certain turns.
- Fixed several typos in youkyuu, level-loading tips, and other text.
- Fixed duplicate rows containing the same item appearing in the Koukanya shop.
- Fixed dozens of additional minor bugs and input-related issues throughout the game.
📊 Balancing & Miscellaneous Adjustments
- Improved the stats of certain purchasable armor available around the time the player enters Labyrinth 8.