Shujinkou

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Shujinkou (主人公) is Rice Games Inc's debut title—a story-driven dungeon crawling JRPG currently available on PS5, PS4, and PC.

"A masterfully crafted JRPG"
Noisy Pixel・9.5/10

Optionally learn Japanese as you explore this gigantic fantasy world. SHUJINKOU MARKS THE BEGINNING OF A TRILOGY
RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 13TH 2025

A retired samurai (主) is entrusted with saving his home from intelligent, language-devouring "Akuma" alongside an eccentric fox (人) freed from a cursed abode and an astute princess (公) with her own ambitions. Shujinkou™ is a dungeon-crawling JRPG that offers a unique opportunity to learn Japanese as you play. It features thousands of Japanese words, phrases, kana, kanji, and grammar elements that players can master through focus, diligence, and consistency. The language content spans from JLPT N5 to N1 standards*, accommodating those interested at any stage. However, learning Japanese is entirely optional. For those more interested in the adventure, Shujinkou delivers a rich JRPG experience. Players can immerse themselves in hundreds of skills, items, deep forging, cooking, fishing, quests, achievements, records to break, and minigames. Explore a vast world, engage with a riveting story, meet multifaceted characters, enjoy stunning artwork, and lose yourself in hours of dynamic music. We are currently developing the Nintendo Switch version. Come join our community of 500+ members on Discord and get the latest updates! https://discord.gg/UdCdvSuwpk

⚡️ Storefronts
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1386630
PlayStation: https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP6882-PPSA04625_00-SHUJINKOUGAMEPS5

📝 Websites
Studio Website: https://www.ricegames.net/
Game Website: https://www.shujinkou.com/

🗣️ Press & Media
Director Interview (English): https://ricegames.net/director-interview
Director Interview (Japanese): https://www.gamespark.jp/article/2024/12/08/147587.html
RPGFan Review (95): https://www.rpgfan.com/review/shujinkou/
Noisy Pixel Review (95): https://noisypixel.net/shujinkou-review-jrpg-learn-japanese/
Digitally Downloaded Review (100): https://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2025/02/review-shujinkou-sony-playstation-5
Tech-Gaming Review (90): https://www.tech-gaming.com/shujinkou/
RPGamer Review (70): https://rpgamer.com/review/shujinkou-review/
Geeks Under Grace Review (85): https://www.geeksundergrace.com/gaming/review-shujinkou/

🎥 Trailers
Gameplay Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u52sjnVv54
Pre-Order Launch Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kFYUyVRKRY
Combat Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtKa-1w0MZA
Language Learning Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8b3PYcEbOs

🎷 Soundtrack Selection
Select Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKTkGbCA3Pg
Main Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAuLjTbxJ5Y
Battle vs Fuku: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQj5ynRplLI

09/23/2026

158 original tracks. Nearly seven hours of music. 🎵
Shujinkou’s soundtrack spans battles, labyrinths, towns, bosses, emotional scenes, and wildly different musical styles across its 80+ hour adventure.

Created by seven composers.
Would you listen to a seven-hour JRPG soundtrack outside the game?

09/21/2026

This JRPG's title has been hiding a Japanese joke in plain sight. 👀🇯🇵
Shu. Jin. Kou.

Put their names together and you get Shujinkou 主人公, the Japanese word for “protagonist.”

That's far from the only Japanese hidden throughout the game!

Did you figure it out before the reveal?

08/31/2026

What if you could learn Japanese through a JRPG? 🇯🇵🎮 Shujinkou is an 80+ hour dungeon-crawling JRPG where Japanese is woven into the game itself, literally. But! The learning systems are completely optional.

Would you play with Japanese learning ON or OFF?

08/29/2026

Shujinkou is an 80+ hour dungeon-crawling JRPG with completely optional Japanese learning. Had you heard of it before?

05/14/2026

Rice Games is honored to share that themes from Shujinkou were featured in the 2026 GDC Festival of Gaming Concert Medley, which celebrated some of the most standout video game music from 2025.

Presented during GDC in San Francisco, the performance was seen by several thousand game developers in attendance, with many more watching online. As part of the world’s largest game developer conference, it was a surreal and meaningful moment for our studio to hear music from Shujinkou performed on SUCH a major stage.

The medley featured motifs and melodies alongside music from celebrated titles such as Hollow Knight: Silksong, Peak, Indiana Jones, Ghost of Yōtei, DOOM, and more. To have Shujinkou included among such acclaimed works is a tremendous honor for our team.

We would like to give our special thanks to , lead composer of Shujinkou, for his brilliant arrangement work and for the enormous creative contribution he made to the game’s 158-track original soundtrack.

We are also deeply grateful to Austin Wintory .wintory for including Shujinkou in the medley and giving the game such an incredible spotlight at GDC.

05/05/2026

Shujinkou @ Pomeranian University in Słupsk

Cool news! Rice Games recently sponsored TENSAI 2026, the third edition of a knowledge competition focused on Japanese language and culture at Pomeranian University in Słupsk in Poland 🇵🇱...

Cool news! Rice Games recently sponsored TENSAI 2026, the third edition of a knowledge competition focused on Japanese language and culture at Pomeranian University in Słupsk in Poland 🇵🇱

04/07/2026

Shujinkou @ Waseda University

Rice Games founder Julian Rice lectured about Shujinkou at Waseda University (早稲田大学), emphasizing the JRPG's educational benefits and innovative approach to language acquisition—Rice Games continues to develop the franchise and expand its real-world impact on gamers....

Rice Games founder Julian Rice lectured about Shujinkou at Waseda University (早稲田大学), emphasizing the JRPG’s educational benefits and innovative approach to language acquisition—Rice Games co…

03/24/2026

Shujinkou v1.44 Hotfix 1

A hotfix update addresses player concerns by introducing a battle camera bobbing toggle and fixing an achievement issue, improving overall gameplay experience....

A hotfix update addresses player concerns by introducing a battle camera bobbing toggle and fixing an achievement issue, improving overall gameplay experience.

03/17/2026

Shujinkou @ GDC 2026

Rice Games celebrated Shujinkou's music featured in the 2026 GDC Festival Concert, alongside renowned games, providing significant recognition & spotlight for the studio and composer Brian LaGuardia....

https://ricegames.net/2026/03/17/shujinkou-gdc-2026/

02/18/2026

Shujinkou Interview with GamersWithJobs | Podcast

Director of Shujinkou Julian Rice was interviewed by Richard Lovejoy, Aaron Amendola, and Daryl Lathon at Gamers With Jobs about Shujinkou™, its "Best Hidden Gem" nomination, and its innovative approach to JRPGs....

Director of Shujinkou Julian Rice was interviewed by Richard Lovejoy, Aaron Amendola, and Daryl Lathon at Gamers With Jobs about Shujinkou™, its “Best Hidden Gem” nomination, and its in…

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http://www.shujinkou.com/

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