Learn Japanese RPG: Hiragana Forbidden Speech

ツ Learn Japanese RPG ツ AMAZING language educational game - is the most easy and fast way to learn a language. And this is one of those games. It gives U japanese level N5. Here U can learn Hiragana, Katakana, basic words and grammar rules while loughing lot`s of time. Plot is hillarious - U start from a madhouse with your friends - Augustus Ceazer and Cat woman, and then U would save the world... from harmony... =) Treachary, humor, detective plot and tons of jokes awaits U here, while U a learning japanese. Though this game is the most entertaining among all japanese educational games and it can teach U Hiragana & Katakana, I recomend U to start learning kanas from other games and then get here. This is due to overwhelming ammount of info to learn if U are learning grammar + kana same time. I recomend to play seven educational games to know N5 level japanese in next order: 1. Learn Japanese to Survive 1 Hiragana Battle (LJTS series) - learn and practice Hiragana 2. LJTS 2 Katakana War - learn and practice Katakana 3. Love Language Japanese - repeat kana and get aquanted with some rules 4. Learn Japanese RPG: Hiragana Forbidden Speech - this game with cool humor 5. Wagotabi JJ - another immanse MUST HAVE japanese educational game - teaches U culture, geography, grammar of Japanese 6. LJTS 3 Kanji Combat - learn basic kanjis. 7. Romaji Adbanture - learn and practice tons of words. U should avoid few awful PSEUDOeducational games that looks preaty but does no teach U anything: Influent, KOE, Shashingo. Link to My Learn Japanese RPG walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dlTMDVsllc&list=PLkGyZcxsQFo18-R23rLyoiqn374Xeww-W&index=1

I had taken beginner level Japanese years ago and was looking for a way to get back into it. I tried this game, Wagotabi, and So To Speak. In the short demo of So To Speak, So To Speak seemed to focus on vocabulary of nouns of places you could go to in real life (parks, train stations, parking lots, etc.) and involved clicking on the words and the pictures. Sometimes, it wasn't very obvious where you were supposed to click, so given that inconvenience, it wasn't for me, and I don't see myself going back. Wagotabi seemed to promise introduction of cartoon-stylized real places in Japan and the language that you would need in going to those places. Wagotabi had a feature where you could actually practice writing hiragana in-game using your mouse or touchscreen. Also, it had by far the most attractive pricing out of the 3 games. I will probably return to Wagotabi in the future. I didn't stick with it at first because the pacing felt slow at the start. Also of note is that Wagotabi caters to speakers of various languages and not just English. The game I committed to was Learn Japanese RPG: Hiragana Forbidden Speech. It felt the most hands-on with it introducing random battles designed to test you over and over again on vocabulary. So the reinforcement learning element really stood out and was a big plus for me. However, the target audience for this game is people who watch anime. The focus is on understanding what anime characters say rather than how to communicate with Japanese people in real life. It does an awful lot of explaining the grammar of speech so that people who know English as their one and only language can get it. The explanations feel cumbersome at times, but the distinction between "ha" and "ga" was very helpful. The approach is one of helping the player learn in terms of English rather than picking up a sense of the language apart from English. The amount and pacing of vocabulary presented felt appropriate on the default settings. I was just annoyed that I found out from a developer's note on the Steam page 10 hours into my playthrough that I could have been learning kanji all this time. The option was in the menu the whole time, but I don't think the game ever pointed it out during my initial playthrough (it does mention it when you beat the game). For people who have learned hiragana before, I highly recommend you turn on the kanji feature from the start. Also, I feel like I should've played with no roumaji at all (not sure if the option is there or not). One thing to note is that the vocabulary stays mostly focused on the story that is being told in the game. The game introduced "rooster" at one point, and I was left wondering why for a while until finally I arrived at an island full of roosters. One might expect that this would naturally lead to related vocabulary like "hen" and "egg," but this is not the case. The game does introduce "chicken" later, but I don't recall being tested on "bird." My overall feeling is that this is a fairly engaging way to start learning some basic Japanese with good reinforcement learning but that you shouldn't expect this to be a well-rounded, comprehensive introduction. The price is I think at the absolute maximum limit of what I would consider paying for this type of game (and I am much more comfortable with the price of Wagotabi). Finally, while the game does suggest it, I don't see very much replay value here. I think a good next step would be to seek out a resource with far more speech sound files rather than a replay.

Doulingo but actually good. While no game alone can make you fluent in a language, this at least cares more about you learning something instead of only caring about showing ads for crypto slop. This game is as things should be. No subscriptions, no life system, no ads and no AI. You pay once and get a full experience that includes character stroke order, suggestions for memory methods (which are always appreciated even if some feel very far fetched), etymology & syntax explanations and voiced dialogue to listen to. I especially love that you can press Z to repeat voiced dialogue, but i wish you could maybe hold hold down the button to play the dialogue slower. I also wish there was more voiced dialogue to listen to. I love that the game tries to suggest memory methods for each character even if some require a lot of imagenation to see. When tasked to write translations of words during battles, i wish the game would accept more synonyms to avoid accidental confusion or let the player choose shorter words. Example being when translating "わかる" to "grasp" which in english can refer to grabbing something, when writing something more exact like "understand" could help users get closer to the true meaning. I love that you can repeat lessons you had with other characters in NG+ but i wish you could do that from the pause menu instead of having to find these crystals. I also think the game ends too abruptly but hey, thats a sign that i enjoyed it and that it didnt waste any time. Highly recommend if you're interested in the japanese language!

The bad parts first: 640*480 is the only window size supported, and the game does not support mouse. What is missing on the technical side is made up by the japanese teaching: You get a good explanation on the topics many beginners struggle with(at least I was confused by wa vs ga particle), you get good training system for Hiragana and for words, and the game shows many examples how these words are used in conversation. The Japanese is not only the polite version most introductions focus on, but also the casual and rough versions often seen in Manga, Anime and similar media. Also, I like the story. It is kinda stupid, but my type of stupid, the humor just lands right with me. The characters are memorable without being soppy. Finally, the demo goes quite far into the adventure. if you are unsure, use the demo to decide (warning: you might be hooked after it - just like I was...)

10/10 learning tool Incredible game for getting springboarded into japanese-learning, the demo has an incredible amount of content to make sure you'd like it and the overall game does a phenomenal job at easing you into new words and letters over time. I will re-review the game whenever I finish learning katakana and play this again to start doing kanji mode to get myself started on the third set of letters. The game is also never going to go on a sale, so if you're waiting to buy it for those reasons, don't waste your time, just hop in and play it now.

I've learned so much, thanks for putting together something so useful and enjoyable, learning Japanese can feel overwhelming but I think this game gives you a great start, highly recommend a 2nd playthrough in kanji mode.

Great way to start learning Japanese, or get back into it if it's been a while. The vocabulary tends to focus on what you'll encounter in anime, manga, and video games, though the game does point out to you words/phrases that would be considered rude in real life conversation in Japan. The second half of the game can feel a bit overwhelming in how often it gives you grammar lessons, so I would recommend in playing short, regular play sessions and doing other Japanese study or immersion in the meantime. I also recommend keeping the learn speed settings at their default as it's easy to unbalance the game by messing with them. The demo is a very generous length, so try that to decide if the game is for you.

After trying to begin learning Japanese and failing a few times, this game was what finally helped me stick with it.

I've been learning Japanese for 7 months and tried other Japanese learning games like Wagotabi (almost done) and So to Speak (only played a few minutes of the demo before getting bored). I tried the demo of Hiragana Forbidden Speech for 40 minutes and I ended up enjoying it and bought the full game. The dialogue is a pretty impolite/rude and causal compared to the very formal and polite textbook Japanese that Wagotabi teaches. Though I recommend playing both games for people who are starting out learning Japanese or are at N5 level. The art and storyline isn't the greatest and its like the whole budget was put into anime-style voice acting where everything is over the top, but somehow its very charming. It makes learning Japanese fun and the humor in the game is pretty silly.

Learn Japanese RPG has a somewhat awkward game title and is wrapped in a rough RPGMaker exterior, but the quality of the learning offered is really good, giving you a nice overview of the Japanese language and giving you a strong start to continue your learning on your own after the game is over. The battle system is quite fun, drilling you on the fundamental alphabet (hiragana/katakana) as well as basic vocabulary. Typing game enjoyers (like me) will enjoy keying in words with a minor time pressure. The game also repeatedly emphasizes that it's all about learning first-and-foremost, so you aren't penalized for making mistakes. The game teaches you everything from the most basic construction of words, to basic vocabulary and sentence structure to even polite/casual/rough language styles. However, it doesn't bog you down with too many details and tries to keep things easy to follow. I suppose the intention is to keep a new learner engaged in keeping their momentum and accruing overall mastery of the basics, and if they want better understanding of certain concepts later they can look it up themselves. All of this is set to a fun enough story that takes you on an adventure through a world that doesn't take itself terribly seriously. It won't win any oscars, but it'll give you an impetus for moving from point A to B, learning Japanese every step of the way. I really enjoyed it, and I credit Learn Japanese RPG with helping me begin my Japanese learning journey. After finishing the demo, I bought the game and continued for around an hour everyday and finished the whole thing after around 2 weeks. The learning I've gained from playing has been a significant motivating force for me to continue learning on my own through other games and apps. I highly recommend anyone interested in learning Japanese to start their journey off with Learn Japanese RPG! Once you're done, keep your momentum by giving other games/apps a try (I used Renshuu). ALSO don't use Duolingo (its shallow and terrible for reviewing)!