September 29th (San Diego) - Rice Games Inc is excited to reveal a brand new trailer today for Shujinkou! The minigame trailer covers six language-learning minigames run by the six partners at the Fuu Lobby in more detail. You can read more about Shujinkou as a whole by checking out its Announcement Trailer press release.
Coincidentally, Shujinkou is launching on the same day, October 2nd (Thursday), as Nintendo's Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 HD Bundle!
- Shujinkou on Nintendo eShop: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/shujinkou-switch/
- Shujinkou Deluxe Edition on Nintendo eShop: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/shujinkou-deluxe-edition-switch/
- Shujinkou Super Deluxe Edition on Nintendo eShop: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/shujinkou-super-deluxe-edition-switch/
- Shujinkou: Sabaku Arc on Nintendo eShop: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/shujinkou-sabaku-arc-70050000061494-switch/
Overview of Minigames
Outside of the fishing minigame (Tsuri), there are six minigames hosted at the Fuu Lobby. Come learn about them below!
Radical Hunter – BGM
A minigame run by the bubbly Hina—it teaches and reviews Japanese radicals through chaotic balloon popping! Balloons are imprinted with the radical, or an illustration that corresponds to it, and need to be popped in order to gain points!
Kendama Kombo – BGM
A minigame run by the calm and calculated Sugi—it teaches and reviews Japanese counter words through a one on one duel using gigantic kendama (けん玉)! Players must string together the correct counter words based on the cards shown to deal massive damage!
Bunpou Kake – BGM
A minigame run by the sly and cunning Kiyo—it teaches and reviews Japanese grammar, challenging players to form sentences in Japanese that match the dealer’s statement (in English), as well as call out their rival when incorrect sentences are formed!
Sakana Sensou – BGM / BGM (Boss)
A minigame run by the strong and mighty Tsunako—it teaches and reviews Japanese verb conjugation, pushing players to punch and incapacitate fish that have imbued verb conjugations that do not match the target conjugation for the round. Slapping fish allows players to reveal what conjugation is imbued on said fish, leading to a chaotic punch & slap fest!
Okkake no Osakenori – BGM
A minigame run by the slim and attractive Otogawa—it teaches and reviews Japanese sentence creation, leading players into a hallucinated world where they must surf down a phantasmal sake-course and pick up “word tags” that correspond to Otogawa’s target sentence. The sentence that the player creates is what Otogawa says to his guest, and the sentence’s accuracy impacts the player’s score.
Kotoba Kyuugi – BGM
A minigame run by the charming Fuu Lobby owner Tatiana—it teaches and reviews Japanese word formation through an interesting twist on Billiards. Players must knock in “Kanatama,” or kana balls, in order to collect Japanese hiragana, katakana, and kanji. These balls can then be used to formulate words from a word pool. The one that generates the most points wins the duel!
The full press release for the Minigame Trailer can also be found on our website below:
https://ricegames.net/2025/09/30/shujinkou-minigame-trailer-released/
🌟 Other Recent Major Shujinkou News
🎙️ Director Podcast Appearance on IndieGameBusiness®
Rice Games Inc is excited to share that Julian Rice, Founder of Rice Games and director of Shujinkou, recently joined the IndieGameBusiness® podcast! 🎙️ - Spotify / Apple Music
In the episode, Julian talks about the long and inspiring journey of bringing Shujinkou to life, from debuting the project at the 2019 Tokyo Game Show to navigating a failed Kickstarter, coordinating a global team, and ultimately launching an ambitious JRPG with integrated language-learning mechanics. It also addresses Shujinkou's current placement on OpenCritic, as well as a look into what has gone into media outreach as a new, self-publishing studio.
Video Description:
In this episode of IndieGameBusiness® we’re joined by Julian Rice, Founder and CEO of Rice Games Inc, to talk about the long, challenging, and inspiring journey of bringing Shujinkou to life. From showing the game at Tokyo Game Show in 2019 to navigating a failed Kickstarter, Julian shares how his team overcame obstacles and kept pushing forward.
We dive into the decision to shift from a 2D platformer to a 3D first-person dungeon crawler with integrated language learning mechanics, and what sets this apart from traditional educational or “edutainment” titles. Julian explains how the team managed development across seven time zones with over 20 part-time teammates, secured Sony and Nintendo development kits without publisher backing, and grabbed enough attention from critics to land Metacritic and OpenCritic scores, a rare feat for self-published indies.
We also talk about the biggest operational challenges, the future of the Shujinkou trilogy, and Julian’s advice for aspiring developers on both the creative and logistical sides of indie development. If you’ve ever dreamed of building and shipping your own game from the ground up, this episode is full of insights and lessons you won’t want to miss.
Major Section Timestamps (Linked)- 0:21 – From Student to Founder: Julian’s Inspiring Game Industry Start
- 3:18 – From 2D Platformer to 3D Dungeon Crawler After Kickstarter Failure
- 6:29 – Overcoming Personal Tragedy and Splitting Shujinkou into a Trilogy
- 10:21 – The Crucial Lessons from a Failed Kickstarter Campaign
- 18:49 – How Shujinkou Integrates Japanese Language Learning Seamlessly
- 25:02 – The Challenges of Managing a Distributed Team Across Seven Time Zones
- 33:04 – How an Indie Secured Nintendo and Sony Development Kits
- 37:45 – Indie Marketing Strategies and Meeting Reviewers with Data
- 45:11 – Self-Taught Skills and Relentless Work Ethic
- 49:41 – Navigating Day One DLC and Post-Launch Content Updates
- 55:31 – The Ambitious Future of the Shujinkou Trilogy and IP Expansion
- 58:33 – Final Message on Indie Dev Perseverance and Confidence
💬 Interview with Video Chums
We’re also happy to share that Julian had the opportunity to sit down with A.J. Maciejewski of Video Chums, a prominent games media outlet included in both Metacritic and OpenCritic’s review aggregates, for a new interview piece. A special thanks to A.J. and the Video Chums team for the thoughtful conversation. It covers Shujinkou's ambitious scope, how sequels will be tackled, the process of assembling the team at Rice Games, and more.
Read the full piece here.
https://videochums.com/article/julian-rice-on-shujinkou
If you've made it this far, you may be interested in learning more about Shujinkou. If you'd like to contact Julian and the team at Rice Games for potential coverage, features, interviews, or collaborations, you can do so by reaching via email below:
Julian Rice - julian@ricegames.net