September 4th (San Diego) - Rice Games Inc is excited to announce that Shujinkou is officially coming to the Nintendo Switch digitally on October 2nd! Check out a brand new trailer featuring Japanese actresses on the Rice Games YouTube channel! Shujinkou is also now available on the eShop to wishlist!
Pre-orders begin September 18th 2025 with a 10% discount!
Rice Games YouTube: https://youtu.be/4uFftMBS8ms
Press Release Media Kit: Nintendo Switch Announcement (Drive / Dropbox)
Media Enquiries
Julian Rice - julian@ricegames.net
💵 Pricing and QOL Upgrades
Since its initial launch in February, Shujinkou has received hundreds of quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes inspired by both player and critic feedback. A list of patch notes released since then can be found on the official Rice Games website below:
- 🔗 Patch Notes & Other News: https://ricegames.net/news/
Unlike the PS5 & PC releases, the pricing structure will differ for the Nintendo Switch version:
- Standard Edition $29.99 $39.99CAD €29.99 £26.99
- Deluxe Edition $59.99 $69.99CAD €59.99 £49.99
- Super Deluxe Edition $69.99 $79.99CAD €69.99 £59.99
Furthermore, there is a pre-order discount of 10% for all three editions.
- Standard Edition $26.99 $35.99CAD €26.99 £24.29
- Deluxe Edition $53.99 $62.99CAD €53.99 £44.99
- Super Deluxe Edition $62.99 $71.99CAD €62.99 £53.99
🏜️ Introducing the Sabaku Arc
The major price change for the standard edition is a result of Shujinkou being split into two parts, as the game features two full-length story arcs (40+ hours each)—specifically, the Genya Arc and the Sabaku Arc.
The PS and PC versions come with both arcs included (effectively two games in one), but the Sabaku Arc will be sold separately on the Nintendo Switch.
By lowering the barrier of entry to the Shujinkou franchise by 50%, we are hoping that more players on the Nintendo Switch give our dungeon-crawler a try, whether they are interested in the language learning aspects or not.
The Sabaku Arc takes place immediately after the end of the Genya Arc, and will be available separately for the following prices:
- Sabaku Arc $24.99 $33.99CAD €24.99 £19.99
With this news, brand new key art for the Sabaku Story makes its debut:
📜 More About Shujinkou
Shujinkou marks Rice Games' debut commercial title and the first installment in a planned trilogy. The game's expansive world spans six nations, each with its own story arc and a rich cast of major and minor characters.
This year's release includes both the Genya Arc and the Sabaku Arc. The Genya Arc follows the battle against the language-devouring "Akuma" to save Shu’s homeland, while the Sabaku Arc explores diplomacy in a new nation and the struggle to alter an ally's prophesied fate, revealed through a mysterious painting. Each arc offers roughly 40–60 hours of gameplay and introduces its own cast of new protagonists to befriend and antagonists to face.
💯 Thousands of Players Learning AND Gaming!
Since launch, thousands of players around the world have enjoyed Shujinkou, with many fans sharing directly with us that the game inspired them to start pursuing Japanese language classes and even helped some land new jobs connected to their passion for Japanese.
Others have spent hundreds of hours exploring Shujinkou's 200 quests, multiple minigames, and thousands of character interactions across its expansive cast. Based on player data, earning the Platinum trophy typically takes roughly 250 hours, reflecting Shujinkou's breadth of unique content.
⚙️ Reviews and Feedback
Preliminary reviews have been excellent, with Shujinkou earning a 90 Metacritic score ("Universal Acclaim") on PS5 and a 94 OpenCritic Top Critic score as of August 2025. We've submitted over 70 review keys worldwide, but as a small self-publishing studio, it remains a challenge to gain broad media attention. Sales have been modest on PC but have exceeded expectations on PlayStation, and we remain committed to supporting the game with monthly patches.
🎮 Looking forward with the Nintendo Switch port
With its upcoming Nintendo Switch release, players can explore dozens of handcrafted dungeons on the go and even use the touchscreen to practice writing hiragana, katakana, and a wide range of kanji.
✨ Shujinkou (Base Game) Key Features & Promotional Content
Learn one of the world's hardest languages as you help Shu, Jin, and Kou save Genya from language-devouring Akuma!
A retired samurai (主, Shu) is entrusted with saving his home from intelligent, language-devouring "Akuma" alongside an eccentric fox (人, Jin) freed from a cursed abode and an astute princess (公, Kou) with her own ambitions.
Shujinkou is a dungeon-crawler that offers a unique opportunity to learn Japanese as you play. In addition to being a full-fledged JRPG, it features thousands of Japanese words, phrases, kana, kanji, and grammar elements that players can master through focus, diligence, and consistency. The language content offers new knowledge for language learners of any level.
Learning Japanese is entirely optional. For those more interested in the adventure, Shujinkou delivers a rich role-playing experience:
-
Explore challenging labyrinths and solve puzzles from a first-person perspective.
-
Engage in strategic turn-based battles that evolve over time.
-
Switch to “English-Only” mode at any time to focus solely on the gameplay experience.
-
Master hundreds of Arawasu skills and uncover powerful items.
-
Forge dozens of distinct weapons and armor, each with unique flavor text.
-
Fish for a wide variety of marine creatures at various scenic spots.
-
Complete 100 side quests that explore and expand upon the many inhabitants of Genya.
-
Play six minigames hosted by members of the Fuu Lobby.
-
Revisit your journey through the Art Gallery and Jukebox.
Having been in development for over six years, what truly sets Shujinkou apart is its additional, seamless integration of Japanese language learning. Whether you’re only here for the adventure or here to finally learn Japanese through a real video game, the ability to learn a challenging, real-world skill makes Shujinkou stand out in the already-crowded genre of amazing role-playing games.
NO GENERATIVE AI WAS USED IN THE PROCESS OF CREATING SHUJINKOU
☀️ Shujinkou (Sabaku Arc) Key Features & Promotional Content
Journey to the desert nation of Sabaku and uncover a new chapter in Shujinkou's story! Picking up right after the Genya Arc, this full-length sequel introduces fresh characters, even more dangerous foes, and a perilous mission to save a fellow friend from an ominous fate.
Key Features:
-
Brave eight massive labyrinths filled with new, challenging puzzles.
-
Collect dozens of Kanji orbs to unleash ontological attacks and exploit elemental weaknesses.
-
Discover signboards that teach proverbs, JLPT N4 grammar, lore, and more.
-
Master a new Cooking system using ingredients gathered across Genya and Sabaku.
-
Embark on 100 side quests that explore the lives of Sabaku’s people and expand the story beyond the Genya Arc.
-
Experience 40+ new 4K illustrations highlighting pivotal story and bonding moments with the cast.
NO GENERATIVE AI WAS USED IN THE PROCESS OF CREATING SHUJINKOU
🍚 About the Rice Games Team
Rice Games Inc is a multilingual team of game developers from around the world. Many team members are fluent or native speakers of multiple languages, including English, Japanese, German, and Mandarin. With teammates spread across more than seven time zones, ensuring smooth coordination over Shujinkou's over six-year development period was no small feat. The team's global presence spans several countries, including:
-
United States: California, Hawaii, Washington, Texas, Florida, Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado, Utah, etc.
-
Japan, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany
The Rice Games team is composed largely of young, highly motivated individuals eager to leave their mark on the video game industry with their first major commercial release. While some team members bring years of experience—particularly within the Music Team, with arrangement and composition credits—they, too, are venturing into new territory, having never worked on an RPG of Shujinkou's scale.
You can learn more about Rice Games by checking out more details on their official website:
- Official Website: https://www.ricegames.net/
- Our Team: https://ricegames.net/team/
- Our Company Timeline & History: https://ricegames.net/about/