Shujinkou News

We got a review from Robert Allen (Tech-Gaming), scoring Shujinkou a very high 90%, their third highest score over the course of the last year! The reviewer put around considerable time into the game, mentioning the Kouryuu system, Kou's Theme (music), and other elements of Shujinkou that require the player making it through the majority of the Genya Arc.

[h2]Please give the full review a read here:[/h2]
https://www.tech-gaming.com/shujinkou/




[h2]Excerpts from the Review[/h2]

• "(...) There’s a heartfelt dedication from lead Julian Rice to his late mother. What follows through the next seventy+ hours is one of the most ambitious, independently-developed dungeon-crawling role-playing games since 1987’s Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei."
  
  
• "But between Brian LaGuardia’s majestic main theme and at least a dozen compositions built around traditional instruments like the koto, shamisen, and taiko, Shujinkou repeatedly soars. (...) At present, (Shujinkou) seems like a solid contender for one of this year’s best scores."
  
  
• "As someone who’s played everything from Influent, Kagami to Learn Japanese to Survive! Hiragana Battle to brush up on my skills, I can securely say that Shujinkou is the most comprehensive package."
  
  
• "Some small control issues can emerge, especially if you opt for mouse-and-keyboard input instead of a controller. Meanwhile, text can intermittently spill from dialog boxes and ultra-wide monitor support can be spotty. Yet none of these blunders fundamentally impair the experience and are mostly minor inconveniences."
  
  
• "Simply put, Shujinkou is nothing short of a marvel of indie game development. Not only has Rice Games bested the exploration and monster encounters of Etrian Odyssey with a far richer storyline, but the studio has also supplemented the adventure with an optional language learning component. Dungeon crawling with a side of Duolingo wasn’t something that I expected 2025 to deliver. However, Shujinkou is one of the single best surprises of the year."

[h2]Review Conclusion[/h2]
"Inaugural efforts can often be unrealistically ambitious. But miraculously, Shujinkou nails nearly every single one of its elevated goals. From engrossing dungeon crawling, a cast that remains compelling across an 80-hour storyline, to a capability for teaching you spoken and written Japanese, a new watermark for indie RPGs has been established."

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• Added one missing support dialogue in the youkyuu: Nightmare in Noyama. If you were trying to talk to Toushirou in Town 4 and it wasn't working, the TO DO (instructions) in the menu actually indicated the need to talk to 野口 (のぐち). Now if you talk to Toushirou after hunting the enemies, a support dialogue will properly play. Sorry for the inconvenience!
  
• Remove a certain shop's display from Arrival SP of Town 9
  
• Fix minor visual discrepancies in Labyrinth 8's Area 3.
  
• Fix minor visual discrepancies in Labyrinth 8's Battle Room.
  
• Fix minor visual discrepancies in Labyrinth 9's Area 1.
  
• Battle Items that are used to attack specific enemies can be bugged when using a Keyboard-only setup.
  
• Fix an enemy in Labyrinth 8 not being animated in the labyrinth.
  
• Fix certain "large-sized" dialogue in Labyrinth 8 clipping into the bottom of the dialogue box.
  
• Fix typo with defensive boost of elemental or ontological attack in the Equipment Card UI saying "Decrease own " — it now says "Buff own "
  
• Make a few main story progression instructions for the "To Do" in the Party Menu a bit clearer in Chapter 2.
  
• English name for the Magic Focus Arawasu skill and Cure Confused Arawasu skill were overlapping, so the former remains as "To Focus" and the latter is now named "To Reorient"
  
• Fix error exception / pink-crash screen that rarely appears on the developer's end if the player quits the game while quickly moving around a town with many light systems.
  
• Fix rare pink-crash screen that can appear when quickly cycling and mashing through the Arawasu and Main Battle screens.
  
• Fix a dialogue choice bug in the youkyuu: Swimming Lessons.
  
• Added one missing instance of dialogue with the Shimauma in Town 6 right after arriving at Town 6.
  
• Fixed a dialogue issue with Sugi's Kizuna (Quest 2). Specifically after defeating the boss, there should be dialogue that appears, but it did not trigger for one Steam player. *If you are the player affected by this and want to see the 20-line or so dialogue that took place after the battle, please ping @Julian on the official Shujinkou Discord server here—he will provide you with a video clip of the scene playing out: Discord Server URL

[h3]Polish / Quality of Life[/h3]

• Make the "Ladder" to the other side of the town a bit more obvious in Town 5.
  
• Slightly move Asada to the left in Town 5.
  
• Ensure a certain character in Chapter 2 doesn't appear on the loading screen by pushing when they appear back by a bit.
  
• Fix a few inconsistent sizing for some entities in Town 9.
  
• Added better error logging and detection regarding items that are used in the Partner Kizuna quests.
  

[h3]Balancing[/h3]

• MR Cost for "To Heal Mana": 15 MR → 25 MR
  
• TR Cost for "To Heal Health": 5 TR → 30 TR
  
• TR and MR Cost for "To Gradually Heal": 30 → 40
  
• Reduced SPD and MAG, Increased FOR, EXP, and Gin for: Sakana (さかな)
  
• Reduce a bit of narrative yapping in Labyrinth 9 to improve game flow and allow for more focused dungeon crawling.
  

We are aware that the game is not perfect, and we have received many requests for various quality-of-life fixes and more. Rice Games has dedicated tremendous time and effort over the last six years to turn Shujinkou from a concept to a video game that has launched globally on multiple platforms, and will continue to remain dedicated and steadfast in providing the best customer support, QOL-implementations, and quick responses to queries from gamers who have purchased Shujinkou or have played through the Shujinkou Demo.

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]
We are aware of the following issues and are looking into solutions:

• Lighting issues (areas are too bright) for a small subset of computers, specifically in labyrinths during Dusk and Night (sometimes Dawn), but also sometimes on the Nation Map.
  
• D-pad lag in various environments when keyboard and controller are both connected.
  
• Small maru (like in ぴ) may not appear on all instances seen in dialogue
  
• Under certain circumstances, the Curse ailment does not always trigger in battle.
  
• If you have fewer than 15 MB of free space left on your computer and you have Data Analytics enabled, a harmless pink crash may occur during battle once in a while. The solution to this is to free up some space on your computer, or disable Data Analytics via the Party Menu.
  
• The game does not display properly on some ultrawide monitors
• There may be a resolution issue when loading the game on Mac versions (unconfirmed).
  

[h3]Requested Quality-of-Life Features[/h3]

• New option to select glyph set if on Steam Deck. Currently, it always defaults to the Microsoft / Xbox glyph set.
  
• New option to default to Keyboard glyph set even if a controller or joystick is connected, specific to PC users.
  
• Find ways to make Town Navigation a bit smoother.
  
• Allow 4-way font-display cycling of text for various UI, similar to how the implementation is done for the Item Compendium menu.
  

[h3]Regarding Developer Contact[/h3]
As stated in the rules of the official Shujinkou Discord Server, fellow gamers should not be sending private messages to members of the team, including the director. Contact regarding key requests, streaming opportunities, business discussion, and more should be sent to [email protected]. This has been a server rule for over 4 years now, yet some people on the team are receiving a lot of private message requests. Please keep this in mind if you are curious as to why your messages are not receiving responses—also, please note that this is an extremely busy period and that bug reports and polish will continue to take precedent over the next few weeks.

[h3]Thank You![/h3]
Thank you for playing Shujinkou. The team and I are excited to see more and more players progress through the game. Already, over a thousand gamers around the world are crawling through Shujinkou's dungeons, playing through the Genya Arc on PS5, PS4, PC, and Mac, with some of the most dedicated players already spending over 100 hours fighting the Akuma, learning language, and enjoying bonding events with the Fuu Lobby partners while still working their way towards clearing the first story arc. The team and I are truly honored.

Warm regards, and happy dungeon-crawling!
Julian Rice

We got a review from Joe Morgan (GeeksUnderGrace), scoring Shujinkou at an 8.5/10! The reviewer put around 20-25 hours of play into the story, unlocked Jin, and progressed to the ending point of the third labyrinth (there are 10 story labyrinths total), if not a little bit further.

[h2]Please give the full review a read here:[/h2]
https://www.geeksundergrace.com/gaming/review-shujinkou/




[h2]Excerpts from the Review[/h2]

• "Driven by passion, (indie games) have the potential to develop unique games big studios would never greenlight. Enter Shujinkou, a dungeon-crawling JRPG with Japanese language learning as a major part of its core focus. There’s something you’ll never see Sony or Nintendo do, and the industry will be better for the effort.
  
  
• "I like the story well enough to dig my heels in, and the characters are well-written and fleshed out on top of that. The game does a great job of making the cast likable while being multifaceted. I appreciated the way all their attitudes and motivations could really show through, no matter the situation."
  
  
• "You may mistake Shujinkou‘s battle system for the same turn-based mechanics you’ve seen for years. While it derives from the familiar, it cleverly utilizes language mechanics to great effect. (...) It’s genuinely turned into a combat system I thoroughly enjoy."
  
  
• "On top of the dungeons, there are towns you can explore. You can chat with different folks, buy food and gear, interact with your friends, and pick up side quests from the mission board in town. These can range from taking out a group of enemies to bringing certain items from your dungeon dives. The breadth of content here is impressive."
  
  
• "The game also features a banger soundtrack that never felt out of place."

[h2]Review Conclusion[/h2]
"Shujinkou and games like it are why I love the indie scene so much. (...) This went from being something I’d never heard of to one of my favorite conceptual experiences in years. I’ve both grown to enjoy the dungeon-crawling format and picked up a TON of Japanese in my time with the game. If you’re interested in indie games, RPGs, or learning Japanese, I recommend considering this gem. It has its flaws but I think it’s been well worth my time."

Bottom Line: "While Shujinkou isn't perfect, the fusion of Japanese language learning and turn-based combat provides a wonderful title that both educates and satisfies the gamer patient enough to learn and engage with its systems."

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for purchasing Shujinkou. The team and I are ecstatic to see you make your way through Genya and Sabaku, experiencing thousands of fun, terrifying, and emotional moments as you embark on this great journey. Please feel free to share your favorite moments as Screenshots, Artwork, or Videos in the Shujinkou Community Hub!



If you purchased the Shujinkou Deluxe or Super Deluxe Edition, you can access the Digital Artbook and Select Soundtrack by doing the following:

1. Head to Shujinkou in the Library
   
2. Find the Settings and click Properties
   
3. Go to "Installed Files"
   
4. Click "Browse"
   
5. There should be a Mac and Windows folder. Please click into the one that matches your OS and feel free to open the two special executables.
   
7. If it isn't refreshing, try going to "Installed Files" and clicking the "Verify integrity of game files" button
   

Please note that there is support for downloading the Digital Artbook as a PDF and the Select Soundtrack as a zip of either WAV files or MP3 files (support for both types is available).

Please also note that there are some spoilers in the Digital Artbook. Specifically, the Environments, Enemies, and Story Illustrations sections! Beware!

Finally, we have some QOL patches planned for the next month, specifically geared at PC gamers. Please look forward to an upcoming news announcement for that soon. If you run into issues or have feedback, feel free to post in our Community Hub. However, the fastest way to reach us is through the official Shujinkou Discord server, which you can join here: Join the Shujinkou Discord Server

Warm regards,
Julian Rice
Director, Producer of Shujinkou

*Art by Catthy Trinh (atelierailuros)

Hey everyone! We're ecstatic and very honored to announce that RPGFan has reviewed Shujinkou and given it their Editor's Choice distinction and an extraordinary 95/100, placing it among some of the most celebrated RPGs of ALL TIME (around the 97th percentile of their reviewed games)!!

[h2]Please give the full review a read below:[/h2]
https://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/shujinkou



Shujinkou is not an educational game, nor is it "edutainment." As mentioned in the review above, Shujinkou is, first and foremost, a full JRPG that can be enjoyed without any aspect of learning. However, for those who do want to learn Japanese while they play, the systems are in place to facilitate that.

[h2]Shujinkou's Core Features[/h2]

• 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 native Japanese male and female speakers.
  
• 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.
  

While this is only one review from one publication, it was reviewed by someone who played through Shujinkou's entire story campaign, something that reviewers at other publications are aiming to progress through right now! We will keep you posted on other reviews that come out at major publications! ❤️

You can pre-order or order Shujinkou and play today (Deluxe/Super Deluxe) on PS5:
Sony PlayStation 5 Store

We look forward to seeing you in Genya and Sabaku!
Team @ Rice Games