Learn Japanese RPG: Hiragana Forbidden Speech
- December 14, 2023
- Study Bunny Games LLC
- 20h median play time
Get on Steam"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.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game effectively teaches Hiragana, vocabulary, and grammar in an engaging and enjoyable way, making learning Japanese fun.
- The story is entertaining and humorous, with well-written dialogue and good voice acting that enhances the learning experience.
- The game offers customizable settings to adjust the learning pace, making it suitable for both beginners and those with some prior knowledge of Japanese.
- Some players found the pacing of learning to be too fast at times, which could lead to feeling overwhelmed.
- The game lacks support for Katakana and Kanji, which limits its usefulness for learners looking to expand beyond Hiragana.
- There are technical issues such as resolution problems and minor bugs that can detract from the overall experience.
- story60 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 5 % 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 find it a bit chaotic or simplistic, many appreciate its charm and the way it effectively supports vocabulary retention. Overall, the narrative serves as a delightful backdrop for beginners, making the learning process enjoyable and immersive.
“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.”
- humor27 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 evoke genuine laughter, with many players highlighting the charming character animations and funny dialogue. While some reviewers suggest that the developers could have embraced the absurdity even more, the overall consensus is that the comedic elements enhance the learning experience, making it both entertaining and engaging. The blend of humor with an interesting story and effective teaching methods contributes to a delightful gameplay experience.
“The story is interesting, the comic relief is funny, and the little character animations are very charming.”
“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.”
- gameplay15 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay is engaging and effectively integrates language learning with RPG elements, allowing players to learn Japanese while enjoying a relaxed gaming experience. However, the reliance on random encounters for vocabulary reinforcement can be challenging for beginners, and some players feel that additional gameplay systems could enhance the learning process. Despite minor flaws, the overall mechanics, writing, and voice acting are commendable, making the game a worthwhile experience for those interested in language acquisition.
“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 gameplay, however, stands out too.”
“The main flaw of this game is that its main gameplay loop, the random encounters, only reinforce the learning of symbols and vocabulary.”
“This makes the gameplay quite challenging for the target audience - people who are just starting to learn Japanese.”
“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.”
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its relaxing and nostalgic qualities, with a diverse range of genres that enhance the gameplay experience, from fun RPG vibes to intense metal and groovy techno beats. However, some users noted a limited soundtrack and criticized certain sound effects for being compressed or unpleasant. Overall, while the soundtrack is mostly well-received, there are areas for improvement.
“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.”
“Also, the music???”
“So props there, there were times I just waited ages on the dialogue to hear the music, lol.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered rudimentary and reminiscent of RPG Maker style, which some players find unappealing, especially when stretched. However, the pixel art is praised for its quality, and while the visuals may not be the main draw, they do not detract from the game's strong mechanics, writing, and particularly impressive voice acting. Overall, players acknowledge the limitations of the graphics given the small development team but appreciate the game's educational value and engaging story.
“The story is interesting and sometimes hilarious, and the game world is well done with excellent pixel graphics, but the real selling point of this game is how effective the word retention is.”
“I know the game doesn't really look super awesome graphic-wise, but that isn't why the game exists either, so I'll easily let it slide.”
“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.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of this pixel RPG to be less tedious than typical games in the genre, thanks to engaging mechanics that enhance the experience. However, some users expressed frustration with certain repetitive elements, such as quizzes, which can become tedious if mistakes are made.
“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 through it to start again. 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.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is highly recommended for beginners and features strong replayability, making it an engaging experience for players looking to revisit it multiple times.
“100% recommended for beginners; it even offers great replayability.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its exceptional writing, effectively exploring the theme of language as a unifying force that humanizes perceived enemies. Players report experiencing genuine emotional highs and lows, including heartbreak and joy, throughout the narrative.
“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.”
“The emotional depth of the characters is astounding; I found myself deeply invested in their stories and struggles, which made the experience incredibly impactful.”
“This game made me reflect on my own experiences and emotions, creating a connection that I didn't expect. The storytelling is so powerful that it left me in tears at several points.”
- monetization1 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. However, specific details about the monetization model or user experience related to it are not provided in the review.
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a generally stable experience, with only a few glitches noted during extensive playtime. However, one significant bug that causes crashes may be linked to custom translations, suggesting that stability can vary based on user modifications.
“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 plagued by stability issues, with frequent crashes and glitches that disrupt the experience.”
“I experienced multiple crashes during my playthrough, making it difficult to enjoy the game fully.”
