This is a very shallow game with little gameplay, and what is there is very barebones. It's advertised as something you can play "just for the story and gameplay" but you'd be better off with... nearly any other JRPG in the last 30 years in that case. Combat is shallow even by contemporary turn-based JRPG standards. As for the Japanese learning aspect, which I suppose is the main point of this "game" - it's lost in VN hell within an incredibly bland story. Seriously, you get all of the worst parts of a visual novel with the worst parts of a turn-based JRPG. You would be much better off getting some kanji- or kana-learning apps for this price, or some textbooks, and hell, they'd probably be more fun. Easy pass.

Rarely does a game accomplish everything it sets out to do first time, but after putting over 50 hours into Shujinkou, I can safely say it is one of the most soulful experiences I've ever had in gaming. The game is a RPG dungeon Crawler that intergrates Japanese Language into its gameplay. From Kanji to Hiragana and Katakana, to Nouns and Verbs, there's alot of useful info if your looking for a good study tool. However, if your not currently interested in the learning aspects, you have the option to completely customise your playstyle, and treat it as a regular RPG. As someone who's been studying Japanese on and off for 5 years now, Shujinkoureignited my passion for it. TMore of less every character is well written and likable, with some fun Rommanceplot points sprinkled in which are always a joy to watch unfold. Gameplay is very strong with plenty of options for attacks, buffs and debuffs, and aton of different enemys to encounter. 1 downside is with just how many options your given for combat encounters, i feel alot of the spells such as debuffs and elemental attacks are simply not worth using over orb attacks that dont use up sparse MP and simply save your limited MP for healing. I do have hope the devs improve on the combat with a sequel as its got all the pieces in place, just needs restructuring i belive. Story is highly engaging and incredibly well written as well. It does start of slow and there is alot of details that may take time to flesh out, and the pacing can feel glacial at times, but its highly enjoyable non the less. Another major highlight is the soundtrack, as from as early as the title screen the incredible music hits you, almost every track is beautiful and greatly adds to the experience. Overall, I can recommend Shujinkou to any fan of RPGS, Japanese Culture, or even anyone simply looking for a nice meaty experience that's bound to last you 100s of hours. The small blemishes with the pacing and combat merchanics rarely detract from the game in a major way, and with how often updates roll out, im sure plenty of nitpicking will be rectified in the future, if not with a sequel. As a life long gamer, I cannot recommend Shujinkou enough!