Learn Japanese RPG: Hiragana Forbidden Speech

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"Learn Japanese RPG: Hiragana Forbidden Speech" is an educational role-playing game that teaches players the Japanese syllabary of hiragana. The game is set in a fantasy world where players must use their knowledge of hiragana to solve puzzles, communicate with characters, and progress through the story. With various minigames and study aids, players can improve their Hiragana reading and writing skills, making it a fun and interactive way to learn the Japanese language.

Genres & Tags

Role Playing

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 165 reviews

story40 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

Learn Japanese RPG: Hiragana Forbidden Speech offers a fun and engaging way to learn the Japanese hiragana writing system and basic vocabulary, making it an excellent supplement to traditional learning methods.
The game features a unique combat system that reinforces learning through typing, allowing players to practice vocabulary and grammar in an interactive way.
The story is entertaining and humorous, with well-written dialogue and voice acting that keeps players engaged while they learn.

The game does not cover katakana or kanji, which may limit its usefulness for players looking to expand their Japanese language skills beyond hiragana.
Some players found the pacing of new vocabulary introduction to be too fast, potentially overwhelming beginners who may struggle to keep up.
The resolution and window size options are limited, which can affect the overall gameplay experience, especially on different devices.

story
71 mentions
56 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally well-received, characterized by its humor, engaging characters, and entertaining plot that enhances the language learning experience. While some players found it a bit simplistic or tedious at times, many appreciated its charm and the way it effectively integrates educational content with enjoyable storytelling. Overall, the narrative serves as a fun backdrop that keeps players motivated and invested in their learning journey.
- “Just finished the story and wished it never ended because this journey of hiragana was such a joy.”
- “The story is interesting, the comic relief is funny, and the little character animations are very charming.”
- “The story, which I sort of expected to be just a throw-away framework for the lessons, was actually totally cute and hilarious, with lots of tongue-in-cheek humor, interesting settings, and remarkably excellent voice acting.”
- “The story of this game is only what I could describe as a beautiful mess.”
- “It's a little hard to follow at points, but I think that's just because of the constant translating taking more of the spotlight than the story.”
- “- not really anything interesting going on in the world apart from dialogue, the maps are mostly barren zig zags that you just walk along for a very long time from one plot point to another.”
humor
29 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing and ability to enhance the learning experience, with many players finding the dialogue and character interactions genuinely funny. While some reviewers suggest that the developers could have embraced the absurdity even more, the overall comedic elements, including charming animations and entertaining side plots, contribute to a delightful and engaging narrative. The humor not only provides comic relief but also aids in memory retention, making the educational aspects of the game more enjoyable.
- “The narrative is fun and the comedy always hits home, to the point I was actually laughing aloud at the 'cat girl' and parts with the bees.”
- “The story, which I sort of expected to be just a throw-away framework for the lessons, was actually totally cute and hilarious, with lots of tongue-in-cheek humor, interesting settings, and remarkably excellent voice acting.”
- “I finished the free demo and immediately bought the full version -- this game is really well designed for what it's trying to accomplish, and has absolutely hilarious story moments that brought me tons of joy.”
gameplay
17 mentions
24 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
18 % negative mentions
The gameplay effectively combines learning hiragana with engaging RPG elements, making it both fun and educational for players new to Japanese. While the mechanics are straightforward and the random encounters reinforce vocabulary learning, they may pose a challenge for beginners. Overall, the game offers a unique experience with solid writing and voice acting, though additional gameplay systems could enhance the learning process.
- “Gameplay is super fun and I'm actually learning a lot of Japanese.”
- “The gameplay and education mesh together well.”
- “The RPG gameplay in between learning is a very nice way of letting your mind relax, while still being somewhat entertaining.”
- “The main flaw of this game is that its main gameplay loop, the random encounters, only reinforce the learning of symbols and vocabulary.”
- “These lessons are done well enough and occasionally do integrate effective visual aids, but overall they detract from the pacing of the game and don't contribute to the gameplay other than in short quizzes you can occasionally choose to engage with.”
- “Additional gameplay systems would have really helped to reinforce these lessons instead of having to go back to the 'cave of memories' to repeat the lesson.”
music
12 mentions
33 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality, with many players enjoying its relaxing and nostalgic vibes, as well as its energetic metal and techno tracks that enhance the gameplay experience. However, some users noted a limited soundtrack and issues with overlapping music during battles, while a few sound effects were criticized for being less enjoyable. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, though there are areas for improvement.
- “The music is really good and the game flows very smoothly.”
- “The music is really relaxing and nostalgic; it feels like a fun RPG mixed with language learning.”
- “This insane metal music comes in and it's like woah, or you are chilling in the caves talking with some lizards and then this super groovy techno beat rolls past and it's like ooh!”
- “My only criticisms are the soundtrack is limited and the UI, especially on Steam Deck, could use some tweaking as some text boxes get cut off mid to endgame.”
- “However, I would like to hear the world music stop when you go into battle.”
- “Two soundtracks play at the same time if you go into battle (at least in the cave system).”
graphics
7 mentions
43 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as rudimentary and reminiscent of RPG Maker, which some players find unappealing, particularly when stretched. However, the charming kawaii art style and effective pixel graphics contribute positively to the overall experience, with many reviewers noting that the game's educational mechanics and engaging voice acting compensate for its visual limitations.
- “Nice kawaii graphics.”
- “The story is interesting and sometimes hilarious, and the game world is well done with excellent pixel graphics.”
- “The graphics are a little bit rudimentary (which is to be expected as this isn't a AAA developer working with a team of people) but the mechanics, writing, and (in particular) voice acting compete with most other games I've played.”
- “The voice acting is almost too good at times, feeling a little jarring when juxtaposed with the Game Boy-esque graphics.”
- “The art style is not my favorite; I don't much care for the RPG Maker style, but I understand this is a small/single person development team.”
grinding
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while grinding can become tedious, especially when players feel their knowledge surpasses the game's content, this particular RPG mitigates that frustration by offering engaging gameplay instead of repetitive tasks. However, some users expressed a desire for more flexibility, such as the ability to skip quizzes, to reduce the grind associated with incorrect answers. Overall, the game is praised for its fun approach to learning, making the grinding experience more enjoyable.
- “So once your knowledge eclipses what is currently being taught (as most people are going to be learning from a variety of sources), it becomes a tedious grind and a waste of time as your ability to learn concepts is tied down to how far you are in the story.”
- “It would be nice if you could skip or cancel quizzes from the quiz lady; sometimes I would get one wrong or accidentally input the wrong answer and then have to mash to get through it to start again, and on some of the longer ones this was a bit tedious.”
- “I've been learning Japanese for over a month now, basically grinding letters in Duolingo when I stumbled on this game in a Reddit advertisement.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game evokes a strong emotional response, instilling hope in players about mastering a new language while beautifully exploring themes of unity and empathy. Its well-crafted narrative elicits genuine feelings of heartbreak and joy, highlighting the transformative power of language in bridging divides.
- “This product has made me feel hopeful that I will be able to fully understand Japanese one day.”
- “I don't know if enough has been said about how well written this game is; its theme of how learning a new language can unite divided worlds and humanize people you've been taught to think of as monsters is explored beautifully, with moments that made me feel genuine heartbreak and joy.”
stability
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability, particularly on the Steam Deck, with users reporting only two minor glitches and one crash potentially linked to custom translations.
- “Runs great on Steam Deck too.”
- “After 35 hours of gameplay, I encountered only 2 glitches, but there was 1 bug that crashed the game, possibly due to custom translation into German with special characters.”
- “The game is riddled with stability issues, making it frustrating to play.”
- “Frequent crashes and bugs have made my experience with the game quite disappointing.”
replayability
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game is highly recommended for beginners and is noted for its strong replayability, making it an engaging experience for players looking to revisit the content.
- “100% recommended for beginners; it even offers great replayability.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game appears to be effective in attracting users, as evidenced by a player discovering it through a Reddit advertisement while actively seeking language-learning tools.