Shujinkou News

[h2]Shujinkou Patch v1.40 - Hotfix 1[/h2][p]Hi there, we've released a small hotfix that fixes some big and small issues that players have recently encountered.[/p][p][/p][h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed a bug where checking the Records Menu after playing but never winning a minigame would cause the game to crash / stop working. One player affected, and our apologies for the inconvenience.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a written mistake where the Bestiary entry for the Hebi enemy would mention that it is weak to both Fire and Metal element, but in-game it was only weak to Metal. Now, the Hebi enemy is also weak to Fire.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where pressing R3/CTRL while in the Youkyuu Player Menu would spoil the names of undiscovered/hidden Youkyuu to appear.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the button navigation for the Quick Sell functionality, which can only be unlocked by clearing a certain heroine's 1C Kizuna, would break navigation and be hard to re-navigate without usage of a mouse or touch screen.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where sometimes navigating through certain menus quickly would cause the Pink Crash Report screen to appear despite there being nothing fatal enough to interrupt or stop gameplay. This issue has been encountered by Demo players recently too, but the Demo is currently at d1.39 instead of d1.40. We plan on uploading an update for the Demo version within the next 24 hours.[/p]
• [p]A few typos here and there were fixed regarding certain data in the game.[/p]

[p][/p][p]We'll keep our eyes peeled for issues and apologize for the inconvenience caused by bugs. Thank you for playing Shujinkou and we look forward to seeing you again deep in the labyrinths![/p][p][/p][p]Team @ Rice Games[/p]

[p]Our seventh Metacritic-affiliated review is here (sixth on PS5)! We got a review from Digital Chumps's Editor-in-Chief Nathaniel Stevens, scoring Shujinkou at an "Amazing" 9.5/10.[/p][p][/p][h2]Please give the full review a read here:[/h2][p]https://digitalchumps.com/shujinkou-review-ps5/

[/p][h2]Excerpts from the Review[/h2]

• [p]"Shujinkou from developer Rice Games Inc. is a fascinating journey. It has everything you would want with a JPRG delivered with classic 16-bit flavor. This package includes cool enemies, tough maze levels to travel through, and an easy-to-pick-up backbone that is far deeper than I anticipated. On top of it all, it delivers a fun way to learn the Japanese language."
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• [p]"I haven’t had this much fun learning since playing Oregon Trail back in 1983 on a Texas Instruments computer. Sometimes learning through games can be a blast. Even if the learning portion of the game happens to be about the Japanese language. What a unique experience."
  [/p]
• [p]"This type of story and form harkens back to the days of Phantasy Star, where the gameplay was a slow burn but complemented by a great story and interesting dungeon-crawling experience. It was a blend that melded together perfectly to deliver what I still consider one of the best JRPG experiences of my lifetime. Shujinkou goes along those same lines."
  [/p]
• [p]"I cannot imagine the amount of time it took to integrate these signs into the game and try to find a pattern or path to take the player down, so it doesn’t feel like jumbled material mixed with a good JRPG construct. For every sign I ran into, I was impressed enough with its delivery and design to sit back and learn what was trying to be taught."
  [/p]
• [p]"This added element of Japanese language learning gameplay pushes this game into uncharted fun that most JRPGs wish they achieved. Getting a solid JRPG mixed with a gamification experience means that you’re learning as you’re being entertained. That’s a great combo."[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Review Conclusion[/h2][p]"Shujinkou from developer Rice Games is a surprisingly entertaining JRPG that features a design that harkens back to early elements of the genre, while mixing in a learning experience to further its beautiful complication."[/p][p][/p][p]This now brings Shujinkou's Metacritic score back up from 89 to 90, and our OpenCritic score from 93.75 to 94.[/p]

[p]We’re excited to announce that our new official website for Rice Games is now live! Come check out our new and revamped pages, including a company history page, news posts, careers, the team, support and contact, Shujinkou, and more![/p][h3]Check it out here: 🔗 Rice Games Official Website[/h3][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][h3]Thank you for your support![/h3][p]We're excited to bring more updates and news to you in the near future. Please look forward to upcoming updates and don't forget that the Steam Summer Sale discount ends in just a few days![/p][p][/p][p]Team @ Rice Games[/p]

[p]From June 26th to July 10th, Shujinkou is 17% off ($49.99) with its other editions discounted similarly![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Since launch, Shujinkou has received over 100 quality-of-life improvements, bug fixes, and updates inspired by both player and critic feedback. Key enhancements include Quick Travel within towns, four-way display options via R3, and refined quest and inventory systems. [/p][p][/p][h3]🔥 Feedback from Players & Critics Addressed![/h3][p]Most recently, we have released Patch v1.39 and v1.40, which both add a whole slew of brand new features and optimizations to improve the player experience. Tech-Gaming also interviewed the director of Shujinkou, talking about the development process, its immersive 158-track soundtrack, growing the Shujinkou franchise, and a look into the future for this trilogy saga.[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h3]🌟 GameGrin Review (8.5/10)[/h3][p]Furthermore, GameGrin recently released their review of Shujinkou, giving it an 8.5/10[/p][p]🔗 Review Link: https://www.gamegrin.com/reviews/shujinkou-review/[/p][p][/p][p]"Other than a few niggles with the controls, I really found Shujinkou to be a pleasure to play. I didn’t feel like I was studying, and often, great educational tools do just that. Do I think I could go have a conversation in Japanese yet? No, absolutely not, and I think I will need more than just this game to learn. I do, however, feel much more confident with the language than I did before I started playing, and I will keep playing. Above all, this is a great little love-letter to classic JRPGs first and foremost, with the learning being the cherry on top of a lovely little videogame cake." - Gary Sheppard[/p][p][/p][p]With this, Shujinkou currently sits at an 89 on Metacritic and a 94 on OpenCritic. [/p][p]🔗 Metacritic: https://www.metacritic.com/game/shujinkou/[/p][p]🔗 OpenCritic: https://opencritic.com/game/18105/shujinkou[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]🗣️ Check Our Discord Community![/h3][p]Feel free to join our Discord community if you would like to directly communicate with the Rice Games team and current fans and players of Shujinkou![/p][p]🔗 Discord Invitation: https://discord.com/invite/UdCdvSuwpk[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for reading this and we hope you have a great summer playing all of the amazing games here on Steam 😀![/p][p]Team @ Rice Games[/p]

[h2]Polish / Quality of Life[/h2]

• [p]New Setting: A new setting called Four Displays Toggle is available! You can enable and disable English, Japanese, Furigana, and Romaji to your preferences, and only the enabled displays will be cycled when pressing R3 or CTRL.[/p]
  • [p]This was requested on our Discord community by multiple players. The option requires keyboard or controller D-pad movement to activate.[/p]
• [p]Battle: You can now toggle the Enemy View menu when focusing on an enemy while selecting an Arawasu skill or while selecting a Combat-based item.[/p]
• [p]Battle: We've polished the UI animation and game flow of Combat menu navigation, making certain menus feel even smoother.[/p]
• [p]PS4: Fair FPS improvements and memory optimization on this device. We noticed that the PS4 base model crashes for users far more often than the Pro, and are continuing to look into this. Our apologies for the inconvenience.[/p]
• [p]Optimization: FPS greatly improved when navigating the Party Menu, playing certain Fuu Lobby minigames, and while on the Nation Map.[/p]
• [p]Optimization: Improve performance of text in dialogue when Text Scroll Speed is set to Skip in the options.[/p]
• [p]Optimization: The time it takes to exit a battle after the results screen appears has been reduced by 1-2 seconds. Keep grinding out there![/p]
• [p]Optimization: Further improve the bootup sequence and systems so that the transition to the main menu is even smoother for weaker devices.[/p]
• [p]Optimization: Major optimization! We noticed significant lag on weaker devices when navigating the final Yajuu-based puzzle in Labyrinth 5 (Area 1). This led to a code optimization that reduced memory usage and spewed garbage by over 70%![/p]
• [p]Visuals: The six partners, Shu, Jin, Kou, Kyuukou, and Tsurugi look better than ever with improved texture optimizations—they now look even better on large TV screens![/p]

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed incorrect SFX that would play when pressing inputs while viewing the end conversation after finishing a game of Kendama Kombo at the Fuu Lobby.[/p]
• [p]Fixed fish moving with a slightly strange sense of lag on PS4 and weak devices in the game Sakana Sensou at the Fuu Lobby.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where the background of the Party Menu would turn black when using Quick Travel to leave a shop and head to the outside areas of a town.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Four Display R3/CTRL not working in the Item Compendium menu.[/p]
• [p]Fixed situation where notifications that appear on the top right of the screen would be hidden by a black screen during loading.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a situation on PS5/PS4 where the screen would not fade to black before certain major Story bosses.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Cover Illustration for the Akagi would not appear when entering the area from the Nation Map.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]About the Ultra-Wide Fix[/h3][p]If you missed it, you can find the instructions here: [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]Our Biggest Priorities[/h2]

• [p]We want to add a "Fast-Forward" (by holding a certain key) to some minigames so that they can be played and progressed through more quickly. [/p]
• [p]We've noticed some physics inconsistencies in Tatiana's minigame, Kotoba Kyuugi, and are looking to fix this in the near future.[/p]
• [p]We've noticed that when holding a button to move, then sliding your hand (while still holding the button) to another button occasionally does not allow the player to rotate properly in the dungeon. We are looking to fix in the near future.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Thank you![/h2][p]Thanks for playing! We hope you enjoy the experience, and feel free to join our Discord community if you need assistance with gameplay, want to suggest features or provide constructive feedback, or want to meet and chat with other fans of Shujinkou! [/p][p]https://discord.com/invite/UdCdvSuwpk[/p][p][/p]