Games & Kanji

Tap Titans 2 is one of those games that many of you may have played before. It's not iconic in the same way as Angry Birds or Minecraft but it's certainly been around a while and is a brilliant example of a clicker style mobile game.

To top it off the stories of each warrior and item make reading and playing all the more enjoyable. I have spent a good handful of time every day for months now playing this one and am happy to have reaped the benefits.

Do you enjoy clicker games?
Do you find them peaceful or fast-paced?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

New year, new games so let's start with an oldie. Bayonetta is wonderfully unique and Rodin is one of the most effortlessly cool characters in the game. The Gates of Hell provides all manner of reading material including many quips from the aforementioned grumpy owner.

When collecting an LP, Rodin seems to have a tougher time of things, giving out this line about some of the big bads of hell.

What's your first thoughts on Bayonetta?
Who's your favourite character?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

Having had a wonderful Christmas I have an abundance of new game guide books. I have always been an advocate for playing games in your target language and find that game guides only add to this method.

I often look for new articles and books and can frequently be found reading game guides in Japanese for games I don't even own (yet) simply because the language and layout is indispensably useful. See if you can get a few, and if you can't let me know so we can help.

A little on the down low currently but I am hoping to start a store on www.gamesandkanji.com to sell game guides for a reasonable price as I want more people to have access to them. Watch this space!

#日本語 #ゲーム #ゲームガイド

There are certain aspects of Smash football that just make you want to sing and one of those is definitely a half pitch curve shot into the back of the net. There is nothing more rewarding than reading about an aspect in a game and putting it into effective practice!

Sports games tend to have a good selection of physical and statistical language which, although you might not find much of it in a textbook, it is surprisingly common and useful in day to day conversation. Make sure you get a few matches in...for the learning 👀

頑張ってみんなさん！

Not only words to live by but an effective quote for learning nominalisation. Doodle god is full of profound and funny quips so it's effective to play through it and slowly gather unusual and interesting vocabulary.

There's a vast array of topics, themes and materials to create and each one comes with its own field of terminology so combine as much as you can!

頑張ってみんなさん！

Winter is the time of hibernation and crappy TV... Not really my jam so it's mobile games and treating instead, one of the best of which was Burrito Bison. It's rare that a mobile game has the same oomph to stick with you compared to console titles but somehow this one charged its way into my heart.

Try it today, read as many upgrades and offers as you can and get up to lucha libre speeds with your candy vocabulary! I've just realised the hibernation and the (gummy) bear tie too... Maybe they should hibernate to somewhere safer.

頑張ってみんなさん！


#お菓子 #ブリト #携帯 #スマホ #ルチャドール

Wouldn't it be lovely to go out and experience the crisp snow and Christmas festivities like in Stardew valley?... Except that's not going to happen because we live in the UK and it just rains instead.

Living vicariously through your farmhand avatar is fantastic and it's even better when done in your target language. Playing Stardew in Japanese was a great experience with lots of colloquialisms, seasonal vocabulary and day to day necessities. If you haven't tried it yet, get on it and treat the villagers to some prezzies!

頑張ってみんなさん！


#スターデューバレー #農業 #雪 #冬 #クリスマス

My days recently have been filled with Outer Wilds. this one has been on my list for a long time, initially highlighted to me by a good friend (Sorry it took so long Shep 😅). It was 100% worth the wait as I've been totally invested in the story and am eager to work out where these Nomai have got to.

The gameplay is obviously very exploratory but the story is heavily word dependent. You'll find yourself wanting to learn more and more vocabulary and story hints, great fuel for your learning.

Whose your favourite Hearthian?
Do you find the planets mind-blowing too?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

A bit of an obscure one but a great puzzle/platformer none the less. Explore a seemingly endless mine and upgrade your tools so you can get more loot!

If you think you’ve got it share it with you friends to see if they can get it too!

頑張ってみんなさん！

The Binding of Isaac has always been a weird game but it's also a piece of my history. It's also not particularly great as a study tool but I wanted to share its efficacy just to pay an homage to what it's done for me personally. The mentality of such an extensive rogue-like definitely had an effect on my perfectionism and persistence so I owe it a lot. I just hope there no more bloody DLC's

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth I’ve always loved the simplicity of the game play and concept and how it leads to ever complex combinations of physical modifiers resulting in awe-inspiring game breaks

I am still a little too obsessed with Heroes Vs Hordes at the moment. The gameplay isn't anything to scream home about but the readability is genuinely pretty outstanding. Each weapon, enemy, skill and event has a comprehensive breakdown and good vocabulary. Not to be sniffed at at all!

What mobile games are you playing at the moment?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

Had another great delivery today. Not too long ago I did an English translation for this story "My beloved Dinner" and fell in love with it. While the English translation is yet to be published (and hopefully with my name in it) I had to buy the Japanese original to follow along with the story!

It even came with some additional teasers for other issues hidden between the pages! Great quality book, fantastic story!

#夜さんの愛しの晩餐 #夜 #吸血鬼 #ゴルメ #漫画 #ホラー #スリラー

Mario strikers and its predecessors are a great example of a Nintendo twist on the sports genre. I'm not a huge sports game fan but often with the inclusion of some nostalgic characters I seem to be easily swayed.

Strikers on the switch has a big online playability, which as you can tell, at the time I hadn't delved into too much but I've found it's quite fun to see a variety of play styles and character combos.

Have you played strikers online?
What's your win ratio like?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

It's been a few weeks now since I played Cursed to Golf and I'll be honest, the anger has dissipated and I'm left with pleasant nostalgia already. Granted that may all change if I were to play it again but that's besides the point.

I'm in the mood to try new titles like this one so I'm eager to give a few other odd gems a try!

頑張ってみんなさん！

Rush Royale features an ever increasing ensemble of playable turrets, each with their own unique effects, description and quirks. It's beneficial to mix up your play style and compare it to the descriptions so you can better understand the vocabulary with visual aids.

Personally the Watchman turrets are a favourite of mine. Their shots increase in damage over time allowing you to maintain formation and save up more mana!

Which is your favourite turret?
Can you read its description?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

Merge mayor is a wonderfully casual way to pick up lots of common produce and store items like coffees and milkshakes. Both merge-able items and the kiosks you build offer vocabulary that will benefit you on the high street and beyond.

As a lot of these are loan words you find that they are frequently written in katakana making them quick and easy to learn too!

What's your favourite flavour of ice-cream?
What food items can you say in Japanese?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

Unfortunately the space games in my collection are distinctly lacking, which to me is a sign to go buy more. I've always loved the likes of Mass effect, Faster Than Light and Kerbal space program so it excites me to think I can review these one day and build even more space themed language.

What's your favourite space based game?
Can you name all the planets in japanese?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

Voice of Cards is one of those games that is amazingly unique. I love that the world is made of cards, I love that the narrative is spoken aloud and I love that the characters and world design maintain a healthy level of humour.

Each new character and event, even without stereotypical cutscenes comes across well in either language making it a delight to play. I thoroughly look forward to playing more!

Who's your favourite character?
Do you feel lucky in the surprise events?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

Onimusha is one of those games that not only gives me a Japanese nostalgia hit but also takes me back to sitting and playing games with my older brother. I was always too scared of all the ogres and demons (I was like 7, don't judge) but now I get to experience it again with a fresh perspective.

The story, setting and incredibly imaginative design will stick with me forever and I look forward to playing more and being able to say I've done it myself.

What's your take on samurai games?
Did you ever have any games that resonated with you and your siblings?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

A lot can be won and lost on the roll of a dice but I'm sure they didn't take thunderbolts and sword symbols into account. Dice mancer's combat system is wonderfully simple and expertly engaging, with a variety of enemies and ways to take them down.

This text was taken from the interstitial tips between levels which often give you guidance on how to progress. Take the time to read any hints you come across to improve your playability.

Which are your favourite dice to play with?
Are there any enemies you particularly struggle with?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a fantastic game but it did make me feel like I was back in academia. While this does invite many variations of texts and books it also takes me back to the years of tedium and poor choices 😅

That aside I really do need to get back into filling up the latest dex and strengthening my vocabulary with the newest and grooviest Pokémon!

What's your favourite addition to scarlet and violet?
Do you enjoy the 3 different campaigns?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

Autumn isn't too far away and it's got me thinking about seasons. With seasons comes thoughts of Stardew, Animal crossing and many other Sims.

I love the dialogue and narrative of Stardew. Moments in nature are given good weight to relevant characters and the silence and beauty of these events is given adequate time to settle with the player. I also love jellyfish but that's besides the point.

What's your favourite season?
Which seasonal events bring you the most joy?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

Quite a wordy post today but I feel it's important to back yourself when you believe something is genuinely a good idea. Learning through games has made a huge impact on my language learning but also my life.

I exclusively play games in Japanese now and my vocabulary and grammar has improved drastically.

What factors about learning language through games, or any of your other favourite media formats, stands out to you?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

Eldin ring is a pretty tough game so there's no surprise the language is pretty hard too. The omen killer cleaver was my end game staple and I absolutely loved talking the OP dual wield blood build and making it as heavy as possible.

The description and lore behind the cleaners make them even more ominous. I highly recommend reading more into the shining ground and it's relation to the royal lineage.

What was your build?
Do you like it for the lore or the imagery?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

Burrito Bison is just mad but it's damn good fun. If you're bored and want to kill a few hours (or days) while learning some Japanese then download this for free and take in the world of gummy hating luchadores!

Each gummy and skill features a handy but brief description which you can easily click through and read between runs. Burrito Bison certainly weighs more towards fast paced muscle memory gameplay but you've got to have fun every now and then!

Do you prefer wordy games or simpler games?
Does the craziness and vibrant colour keep you hooked!?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

A fun game and a good Zelda reference. The cutesy charm of Sumikkogurashi still stays with me. Knowing that there are other games within their series gives me something to look forward to as well.

Character descriptions in games are always a fantastic way to build descriptive language. The ones in Sumikkogurashi are short and cute so are much more digestible. Download it for free today and see if you can build your own little farm with the gang!

Who's your favourite nook?
Have you played other games in the series?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

I was quite pleasantly surprised to find Dicemancer again. This is a game I used to play a long while back and really enjoyed the premise. A simple mechanic brought to life by characters and vibrant colour.

Each of the characters (dice.. monster... things) is unique in both effect and design, with description that provide witty humour relating to their ghoulish source material. A perfect game for lovers of horror and Halloween!

What's your favourite monster?
Does this seem like monster-combat-yahtzee to you?

Let me know in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！

When it comes to finding games to play in your target language, downloading and checking them only to grumpily uninstall them (or is that just me) is a frustrating waste of time. What's better is to know ahead of time which games feature which language options.

Games and Kanji is a platform to find games in Japanese but for any other target language, or games I've yet to review, check this article I wrote where you can find out yourself!

Happy hunting guys!

Checking language options It isn’t guaranteed that your favourite titles will be available in your target language. This post can give you a helping hand.

I've recently taken a liking to the good ol' sport of golf. On my adventure to find the usual, realistic golf simulators (ala PGA tour) I found this nifty little pixelated golf puzzler. Cursed to golf is a rogue-like, puzzle adventure and sports tete-a-tete all mashed into one and it's bloody fantastic.

If your a fan of crazy golf or classic pixel side scrollers download this game and try it for yourself!

Let me know what you think in the comments！

頑張ってみんなさん！