Kickstarter Game Will Teach You Japanese As You Play

Japanese RPGs are immensely fun and if you’ve played any of the Final Fantasy series, Xenoblade Chronicles, Chrono Trigger, and the likes, you know what we’re talking about. Unfortunately for the most part, these titles are typically released in Japan first and while it is possible to get them imported, chances are you will be left confused as the entire game is in Japanese.

So wouldn’t it be awesome if you could read and understand the language so you wouldn’t have to wait months, or maybe years until a localized version is released? Well that’s what a Kickstarter game by the name of Koe is hoping to do, which is to teach you the Japanese language in a game form which at the same time resembles JRPGs.

According to its creator, Jitesh Rawal, “Following JRPG tradition, you’ll get to pick whether you are a boy or girl and name your character. You’re then sent on your trip to Japan and begin your adventure at the airport. However, this place isn’t what you expected it to be. Shortly after arriving, you’ll be sent in to a world of castles, cities and dungeons, while making friends and companions along the way.”

The game will not be a comprehensive Japanese lesson, but it will help get your foot in the door, after which we guess it’s really up to you to practice it and expand your knowledge yourself or through classes. The words will be taught to gamers through the use of items, where gamers will learn what a particular item means in Japanese, and then select it during a battle to defeat their enemies.

As the game progresses, you will be taught more words along the way. According to one of the examples provided, “One other way the characters you level up are used are through something called avatars, which are monsters you can capture and fight alongside. For example, if you capture a cat (neko/ねこ) then you need to level up ne and ko to level up your avatar!”

It sounds like a nifty idea and if you’d like to learn more or pledge your support (Rawal is seeking £35,000 in Kickstarter funding), head on over to its Kickstarter page for the details.

Filed in Gaming. Read more about Kickstarter.