"Shujinkou isn't just a spiritual successor to Etrian Odyssey—it's the new gold standard of dungeon-crawling RPGs." RPGFan・95/100
"On sheer ambition and creative energy, I would be hard-pressed to point to anything I have ever played that's more impressive than this." Digitally Downloaded・★★★★★
"It's an incredible JRPG that also just happens to be an extremely enjoyable learning tool." Noisy Pixel・9.5/10
"A new watermark for indie RPGs has been established." Tech-Gaming・90%
"Shujinkou offers an enthraling adventure and a fun way to learn Japanese." RPGamer・7/10
"This went from being something I'd never heard of to one of my favorite conceptual experiences in years." Geeks Under Grace・8.5/10
Rice Games Inc.
The Shujinkou Trilogy Begins.
THIS TITLE MARKS THE BEGINNING OF A TRILOGY. SHUJINKOU IS AVAILABLE NOW. RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 13TH 2025.
A retired samurai (主) is entrusted with saving his home from intelligent, language-devouring "Akuma" alongside
an eccentric fox (人) freed from a cursed abode and an astute princess (公) with her own ambitions.
Shujinkou™ is a
dungeon-crawling JRPG that offers a unique opportunity to learn Japanese as you
play. It
features thousands of Japanese words, phrases, kana, kanji, and grammar elements that players can master
through focus, diligence, and consistency. The language content spans from
JLPT N5 to N1 standards*, accommodating those interested at any stage.
However, learning Japanese is entirely optional. For those more interested
in the adventure, Shujinkou delivers a rich JRPG experience. Players can
immerse
themselves in hundreds of skills, items, deep forging, cooking, fishing, quests, achievements, records to
break, and minigames. Explore a vast world, engage with a riveting story, meet multifaceted characters, enjoy
stunning artwork, and lose yourself in hours of dynamic music.
This does not mean that ALL JLPT N5 to N1 content is included
in the game. Rather, players with any degree of knowledge of Japanese (even native speakers!) will be able to
find something new to learn as they play.
Experience an 80-hour story—the campaign is
primarily split into two major arcs.
Explore 16 handcrafted labyrinths, each filled
with dozens of challenges.
Learn all hiragana, katakana, and hundreds of kanji through the Kanakae system.
Learn over 100 types of grammar corresponding from
JLPT's N5 to N3 standards and listen to over 700 vocal lines each from a
native Japanese man and woman.
Fight over 300 enemies with unique names using
hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
Learn over 180 Arawasu skills for usage in battle,
the field, and as bonuses.
Bond with six passionate partners and experience 42 story
quests & 120 short events.
View over 80 special 4K illustrations throughout
the main story and partner content.
Play six minigames that review various aspects of
Japanese—there's fishing too!
Enjoy a seven-hour, 158-track soundtrack featuring
over a dozen musical genres.
Shujinkou's Art is here... in a digital book!
The Shujinkou Digital Artbook contains over 35 wide pages of sketches and renders for character art, enemy
art,
backgrounds, environments, UI, minigame art, story illustrations, and more. Take a look through a custom
Table
of Contents system and a selection of seven different songs to listen to as you peruse the
artbook.
View the Art in an application... or download it as a PDF!
Check out the artbook and the seven different looping background tracks from the game via the homemade
Shujinkou
Digital Artbook application, which supports free page movement, zoom in/out, and more. If you want to
download
the PDF and view it without the need to run Steam or any execution files, please download the PDF through
the
title screen!
75 minutes of Shujinkou music is here... in a special Jukebox!
The Shujinkou Select Soundtrack contains 22 specially selected songs from the game, including battle,
labyrinth,
minigame, character themes, and more!
Listen to the Music in an application... or download it as a zip of files!
If you want to download the Select Soundtrack as a zip file of 320kbps MP3s or 48 KHz WAVs, and listen
without
the need to run Steam or any executable files, please download the applicable zip through the title
screen!
Please note that because there is a sizable amount of music, it may take some time for the download to
complete.
Shujinkou's Art is here... in a digital book!
The Shujinkou Digital Artbook contains over 35 wide pages of sketches and renders for character art, enemy
art,
backgrounds, environments, UI, minigame art, story illustrations, and more. Take a look through a custom
Table
of Contents system and a selection of seven different songs to listen to as you peruse the
artbook.
View the Art in an application... or download it as a PDF!
Check out the artbook and the seven different looping background tracks from the game via the homemade
Shujinkou
Digital Artbook application, which supports free page movement, zoom in/out, and more. If you want to
download
the PDF and view it without the need to run Steam or any execution files, please download the PDF through
the
title screen!
75 minutes of Shujinkou music is here... in a special Jukebox!
The Shujinkou Select Soundtrack contains 22 specially selected songs from the game, including battle,
labyrinth,
minigame, character themes, and more!
Listen to the Music in an application... or download it as a zip of files!
If you want to download the Select Soundtrack as a zip file of 320kbps MP3s or 48 KHz WAVs, and listen
without
the need to run Steam or any executable files, please download the applicable zip through the title
screen!
Please note that because there is a sizable amount of music, it may take some time for the download to
complete.
Dive deep into the rich worlds of Genya and Sabaku with the "Akuma Quests" DLC! This episodic expansion offers an exciting blend of story-driven content, new costumes, and plenty of new enemies to fight:
・Six Akuma-Themed Costumes: Transform your Fuu Lobby partners with striking new looks, each tied to engaging narrative storylines (the "Akuma Quests").
・Special Costume Dialogue: Unlock unique interactions between Shu and the rest of the cast, bringing the costumes to life.
・New Enemies and Japanese Kanji Lessons: Test your skills against new, formidable foes while learning new kanji along the way.
・18 Story-Driven Quests: Experience 10-15 hours of new gameplay, with each partner’s new costume tied to their own three-part questline.
Take a plunge into the sparkling seas of Shujinkou with the "Swimsuit Quests" DLC! This episodic expansion delivers a fresh and playful blend of story-driven content, dazzling swimsuits, challenging foes, and opportunities to dive into learning new Japanese kanji:
・Six Swimsuit Costumes: Dress your Fuu Lobby partners in vibrant beachwear, each unlocking a unique narrative adventure as part of the "Swimsuit Quests.".
・Special Costume Dialogue: Enjoy lively, summer-inspired exchanges between Shu and the cast, bringing these stylish swimsuits to life.
・New Enemies and Japanese Kanji Lessons: Battle against tough, oceanic-themed foes and learn new Japanese kanji!
・18 Story-Driven Quests: Embark on 10-15 hours of engaging gameplay, with each partner’s swimsuit tied to a three-part questline brimming with summer vibes.
We take our Additional Content seriously.
✅ Seamless Story Integration
Each quest builds on the previous one, creating a cohesive journey that is more story-driven than most quests in Shujinkou. Progress through the main storyline to unlock more quests, with the third and final quest for each partner becoming available after completing the second arc and all requisite quests.
✅ More Than Just Costumes
With Shujinkou, we've gone beyond simply adding cosmetic items. Each costume introduces meaningful storylines, hundreds of new character exchanges, and exciting new experiences with the Fuu Lobby partners.
✅ New Decorations
Customizing your "home" base has been an underrated, underutilized feature in many games. We've added over a dozen new decorations for both the Akuma and Swimsuit Quests, giving our players more options for personalizing their Akagi.
Dive deep into the rich worlds of Genya and Sabaku with the "Akuma Quests" DLC! This episodic expansion offers an exciting blend of story-driven content, new costumes, and plenty of new enemies to fight:
・Six Akuma-Themed Costumes: Transform your Fuu Lobby partners with striking new looks, each tied to engaging narrative storylines (the "Akuma Quests").
・Special Costume Dialogue: Unlock unique interactions between Shu and the rest of the cast, bringing the costumes to life.
・New Enemies and Japanese Kanji Lessons: Test your skills against new, formidable foes while learning new kanji along the way.
・18 Story-Driven Quests: Experience 10-15 hours of new gameplay, with each partner’s new costume tied to their own three-part questline.
Take a plunge into the sparkling seas of Shujinkou with the "Swimsuit Quests" DLC! This episodic expansion delivers a fresh and playful blend of story-driven content, dazzling swimsuits, challenging foes, and opportunities to dive into learning new Japanese kanji:
・Six Swimsuit Costumes: Dress your Fuu Lobby partners in vibrant beachwear, each unlocking a unique narrative adventure as part of the "Swimsuit Quests.".
・Special Costume Dialogue: Enjoy lively, summer-inspired exchanges between Shu and the cast, bringing these stylish swimsuits to life.
・New Enemies and Japanese Kanji Lessons: Battle against tough, oceanic-themed foes and learn new Japanese kanji!
・18 Story-Driven Quests: Embark on 10-15 hours of engaging gameplay, with each partner’s swimsuit tied to a three-part questline brimming with summer vibes.
❗️ We take our Additional Content seriously.
✅ Seamless Story Integration
Each quest builds on the previous one, creating a cohesive journey that is more story-driven than most quests in Shujinkou. Progress through the main storyline to unlock more quests, with the third and final quest for each partner becoming available after completing the second arc and all requisite quests.
✅ More Than Just Costumes
With Shujinkou, we've gone beyond simply adding cosmetic items. Each costume introduces meaningful storylines, hundreds of new character exchanges, and exciting new experiences with the Fuu Lobby partners.
✅ New Decorations
Customizing your "home" base has been an underrated, underutilized feature in many games. We've added over a dozen new decorations for both the Akuma and Swimsuit Quests, giving our players more options for personalizing their Akagi.
PLAYER PRAISE & FEEDBACK
We hosted a Closed Beta testing period from June to July 2024, where we received feedback from many
players who played the Windows version of Shujinkou. They had access to around 30% of the story campaign. Here
are some
of the comments we received:
"I really love how much Japanese integration there is while still retaining a full game scenario—an ultimate success in gamified learning!"
- Player who knew hiragana and basic vocabulary before playing.
"My favorite part was that I'm learning a skill I can use with time, so it's not
even that guilty of a pastime like most other games."
- Player who had no knowledge of Japanese before playing.
"I basically played it every day I was able to, and found myself genuinely learning things to the point
that I, without any help, read what someone wrote (in Japanese) on a Discord
server the other
day."
- Player who has wanted to, but struggled to learn Japanese for over a decade.
"Shujinkou has been great for getting me to reengage with learning Japanese and I
basically enjoyed all of the characters that I met from minor NPCs to the playable cast, which
isn't a small feat."
- Player who actively studied Japanese in the past.
"The Art team did a very good job in the character designs and the monsters, both in the open world and
while fighting—the huge art of the Yajuu was badass. Oh, and good lord did the
Music team nail
it. I just cannot express to you how well they came off to me as music is a very
big part of my overall enjoyment and experience in a game."
- Player who has looked for a legitimate game to properly teach them Japanese.
