Learn Japanese RPG: Hiragana Forbidden Speech news & patch notes

We're porting Learn Japanese RPG to a new Unity version, and we're looking for beta testers to start right now. The Unity version paves the way for the game to reach more platforms, and brings a few immediate improvements:

• Higher display resolution for modern monitors (the original engine maxed out at 640×480 resulting in a tiny display window on modern monitors)
• Toggle furigana on/off for kanji
• Toggle romaji on/off for Japanese dialogue
• Toggle Max Japanese mode on or off at any time

What's involved?

Play through the free demo and report anything that feels off. It's a port, so we want fresh eyes catching the rough edges. That's it. Requirements are minimal: a Steam account and the ability to use Discord.

Bonus: continue with the full game

Testers who complete the demo may be given a temporary code for full-game access to keep testing from where the demo leaves off — a great way to get more of the game while helping us out.

How to join

Hop into our Discord and post a single line in #request-unity-beta-access telling us your platform (PC / Steam Deck / Linux with Proton): 👉 https://discord.gg/tAhtJN7g Initially, we'll approve just a few testers for each platform, but we will widen the field once we validate everything is proceeding smoothly. Thanks for helping make the Unity version great! Lun

Just applying some small fixes based on user feedback! You may notice that your config settings (Kanji Mode settings, font choice, SFX values, etc.) get reset. Sorry about that! I'll be looking to make an update to avoid this in the future. Happy Learning! Lun

Just fixing some typos! Lun

This is just a small patch to fix an edge case issue on second playthroughs. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to report issues! Happy Learning! Lun

Small change! Any hiragana at level 4 will now be hidden on the Words/Kana submenu. This makes a lot of sense because at level 4 you've mastered a hiragana and it's really just cluttering that menu up. People who already know hiragana and set all hiragana to level 4 at the beginning of the game should also appreciate this. Now it's much easier to focus on the words and kanji you care about. This change was suggested on the Discord server (Link: https://discord.gg/5UhSmKTu). Certainly feel free to drop by to chat and provide your own suggestions for improving the game. Happy learning! Lun

Yes! The promised Kanji Mode update is here! What is Kanji Mode? How do you activate it in the game? See all details at the link below! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1114950/view/539973539856385277 I was planning to bump the price of the game up a bit, but I wasn't happy with the pricing options available to me, so for now the game's price will remain the same as before. What do you guys think? Add the option to practice katakana next? What would you want in a future update? Let me know in the comments. Happy Learning! Lun

Per popular demand, we'll be updating the game with Kanji Mode on March 22nd! Kanji Mode let's you practice 136 kanji used throughout the game.

Key Highlights

It can be toggled on/off at any time in the main menu: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42435233/e9c603b2a9961fb05b2efbc9398f03b8382b1211.png Spaces can be added for readability: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42435233/176af18471497344394d94a49298e1b8cfb1d273.png Or spaces can be removed: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42435233/17d7f50169d51e0f7c34c87786eb11989fd024c4.png Practice kanji in battles: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42435233/cfc2c5f731c49404aba839ba8ad6072db67567a3.png Even in menus: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42435233/bdbf914f52df5ec7e581112ae2e51313c7688886.png Full list of 136 kanji: 行 怖 可 愛 君 美 味 熱 痛 強 助 待 本 当 分 違 元 気 母 生 徒 先 遅 小 忙 下 猫 酷 人 間 船 男 頑 張 危 動 物 残 念 早 良 名 前 女 何 山 羊 豚 馬 鼠 寒 見 大 丈 夫 島 秘 密 面 白 友 達 犬 楽 彼 化 煩 誰 私 奴 変 皆 夢 無 理 持 別 日 陰 性 心 霊 水 僕 俺 冗 談 手 紙 悪 息 子 今 好 魚 来 不 音 蜂 必 要 鶏 庭 綺 麗 嫌 蜜 久 姫 天 使 蛇 蛙 配 疲 野 郎 次 雄 貴 様 弱 所 明 部 屋 花 落 着 砂 漠 終 鍵 敵 町 姉

Q&A

Is this DLC? No. It will be a free update for current owners! Thanks for your early support of the game! However, the price of the game will increase a bit. Will I have to start a new game to use kanji mode? No. It works fine with current saved games! Happy learning! Lun

Just a small fix here and there! Thanks to everyone who has reported issues via our Discord channel, the Steam Discussion board, email, or at our X account. Wishing everyone a great summer and happy learning! Lun

Just a few small fixes. Also, a few minor characters are getting graphic updates. Sorry for any confusion this causes as these will now look different than you remember. Happy learning! Lun

The Issue A recent update changed the game config file, so if you are playing the game on Steam Deck, your game will no longer be in multi-choice mode for battles. The Fix To switch back to multi-choice mode, press the right trigger on the Steam Deck during any battle. If you have problems, please let me know! Lun

The game will now start in Windowed Mode by default. Full Screen Mode sometimes caused issues. The fix was usually just starting the game in Windowed Mode. So this change should make the game work for more people. If you prefer Full Screen Mode, here's a 3-step guide to set it as the default: https://imgur.com/a/GH0wMGO Attention Steam Deck users! You will need to switch battles back to multi-choice mode. Just press the right trigger during battle to switch modes. Happy learning! Lun

Just some small fixes including a fix to make the Yu Gothic UI font work correctly. Thanks to everyone who took time to report problems on the Steam discussion board or on our Discord server! Happy learning! Lun

Today we have officially left Early Access! Thanks to all the Early Access players who provided feedback to help improve the game. A few notable improvements include: 1. Improved Steam Deck support 2. Multiple-choice answer option for battles 3. Warm-up Mode for battles (practice without time pressure) 4. Auto accepting correct answers (to reduce keystrokes) 5. Volume controls 6. Ability to skip all battles (even boss battles) 7. The Quiz Queen (to really hammer home those learnings) One feature that more advanced beginners have asked about is a mode that uses kanji in dialogue in the appropriate situations. I don't have a concrete timeline yet, but I am planning to add this in a future update. If you haven't already, you can: Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StudyBunnyGames Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/VkgM3zUgmw You can also reach out on the Steam Discussion boards if you have comments, questions, or other feedback. Happy learning! Lun

Just some small updates. If you've enjoyed the game and would like to see more content like it, please consider leaving a positive review! Even just a few words! It's hard to get noticed on Steam, and positive reviews really help. Thanks to everyone who has already done this. I read them all and appreciate you so much! Happy learning! Lun

For keyboard users, if you prefer Spacebar to be an Action key (rather than Cancel), you can now set it that way in the game's config file. Here's the two-step process: https://imgur.com/a/FYdyycA Happy learning! Lun

Why should I care? If you want to play Learn Japanese RPG using a gamepad or on Steam Deck, now you can. What do I do? On Steam Deck, nothing. It should just work. For gamepads, you'll have to enable Steam Input. Here's a 4-step guide: https://imgur.com/a/Iky4oek How can I enter answers in battle without a keyboard? Press the right trigger of your gamepad to enter Multi-Choice Mode. Then you can select answers with a single press on your direction pad. Example video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKFBxo72WX0 Any impact if I just want to use my keyboard? Maybe. The function of a few keyboard buttons has been updated. Tab - Walk Speed Toggle Spacebar - Cancel E - Action key F - Action key You can report any issues on our Steam discussion board: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1114950/discussions/ Happy learning! Lun

I've just released a beta build of the game that includes better Steam Deck and gamepad support. There's really two main parts.

1. A default controller configuration

https://i.imgur.com/pvQ1blE.png This relies on Steam Input to work, so if you're using a gamepad, make sure to enable Steam Input. Here's a 4-step guide: https://imgur.com/a/Iky4oek

2. Multi-choice mode for battles

https://i.imgur.com/J3nYe13.png Rather than typing answers, you can press up, down, left, or right to select an answer on a direction pad.

How do I opt into the beta?

If you're playing the demo, follow this 3-step guide: https://imgur.com/a/TQadrM6 If you've bought the full game, please add studybunnygames as a friend on Steam and let us know you're interested via one of the methods below. We'll then provide special instructions. Let us know if you give it a try and what your experience is! You can provide feedback however is most convenient for you. 1. On our Steam discussion board (this is probably best so everyone can see what's going on) https://steamcommunity.com/app/1114950/discussions/ 2. Via email to [email protected] 3. On our Discord server: https://steamcommunity.com/linkfilter/?url=https://discord.gg/vHeRJYJyhy Happy learning! Lun

Just a few small updates! Thanks to everyone who has been providing feedback on the game! 1. Improved some hiragana hints (mnemonics) 2. Improved opening scene text (fade in/out subtitles) 3. Small fixes Happy learning! Lun

Hey everyone! Today's update (Version 2023-08-03) has some small fixes and the addition of Volume controls for music, ambient sounds, sound effects, and voice overs. It's all available from the main menu under the Volumes submenu. If you've enjoyed the game, please give us a positive review on Steam! Even if it's only a few words, it really helps us get visibility in this massive marketplace. Happy learning! Lun https://i.imgur.com/Vxq8CXj.png

First, this update contains more small fixes. Hope everyone's playing experience is smooth, but if it isn't, be sure to let me know on the Steam discussion boards, on Twitter, or Reddit (where my username is LunCalsari). Second, we're planning to "officially release" the game sometime at the end of August or in September. What does this mean? Mostly it means we've accomplished what we've wanted in Early Access, the game is feature and content complete, and we finally have some semblance of a marketing plan in place to celebrate the big day. For you, the player, nothing will really change whether you buy the game now or after the official release. As always, a big thanks to everyone who has left a positive review! If you liked the game and want more content like this, please consider leaving a review for us, even if it's just a few words. Happy Learning! Lun

This update introduces some small fixes as well as some updates to make the beginning section of the game a little less tutorial-heavy. We are getting closer and closer to settling on an official release date. The dream is to find a way to get featured on Steam's front page, so I'm applying lots of brain power towards this goal and wish I'd started sooner. Thanks to everyone who has posted a positive review on Steam! If you want to support the game and haven't reviewed it yet, that's a great way to help us out, and we certainly appreciate it! Happy learning! Lun

"Warm Up Mode" is now available in the latest update (Version 2023-6-4).

How do I use it?

Press the Ctrl key during the first few seconds of any battle to activate Warm Up Mode

What does it do?

While in Warm Up Mode... 1. Enemy attacks always miss 2. Your attacks do 0 damage 3. Your hiragana and words will not level up

Why is this helpful?

It lets you extend battle drills for as long as you like. Thus, it's a convenient way to get lots of extra practice or to warm up if it's been awhile since you last played.

How do I exit Warm Up Mode?

Just press the Ctrl key again Thanks again to everyone who has left a positive review and has followed us on Steam and/or Twitter! It really helps us! Happy Learning! Lun

Just another small fix based on feedback received on the Steam discussion board. Thanks again to everyone who contributes to making this game better! Happy Learning! Lun

More small fixes as we try to polish this game to perfection. Don't ever hesitate to reach out on the Steam discussion board, Twitter, or by email ([email protected]) if you have an issue. We want to help! A big thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a positive review! It means so much to us! Happy learning! Lun

Hey Steam gamers and seekers of Japanese wonder, We are still prepping for our official release. Seems we were bit optimistic in our initial projections, but that's us, always the optimists! We don't have an exact date yet, but will keep you posted. The good news is that the Early Access version of the game is essentially feature complete. Most of the work we have ahead of us involves devoting energy to our least favorite task (starts with an 'M' and ends with "arketing"). If you're a fan of the game and would like to see more content like this in the future, you can do great things for us simply by writing a positive Steam review. Even a 1 or 2 word review is great! すごい！ Positive reviews help give us more visibility on Steam and attract more players to the game. Happy learning! Lun

Hello! We're pleased to announce that we are preparing to officially release Learn Japanese RPG: Hiragana Forbidden Speech on Steam in March. No exact date yet, but that will be determined very soon. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback through the beta testing and Early Access phases of this project. In preparation for the official release, we will be updating the price. We've kept the price down during Early Access because it didn't feel right to charge early adopters full price for a game that wasn't feature complete and still had many potential bugs lurking about. With the game now in a more polished state, we still didn't want to blindside early wishlisters on the official release date with a price update, so we're letting everyone know ahead of time that we're planning to price the game at $19.99. We arrived at this number through our own market research and based on the feedback of testers. The new price will take effect no sooner than March 9th, so if you want to buy before then you can still get the current Early Access price. It's important to us that you get great value out of the game if you decide to purchase. That's why we provide a free demo with around three hours of gameplay and the ability to start from your last save point when you purchase the full product. With Steam's refund policy, that allows you to play the game for about five hours before deciding whether the game is for you. This game is an introductory Japanese course designed to immerse you and get you comfortable hearing, reading, and understanding basic Japanese sentences. We've invested a lot in professional voice acting and worked very hard to make the story, conversations, and tutorials both entertaining and highly educational. We've also included a lot of features to help you tweak your learning experience to your liking. For example, you can change the battle encounter rate at any time, adjust the rate that new hiragana and words are learned, put the game into reading mode (voice overs only play if you press a button), skip tutorials at your convenience, change the font, and more. Battle drills have also been optimized for speed. No long, slow animations bog things down. We also introduced the "auto-accept" feature to reduce keystrokes and save you even more time. Many of these features are designed to eliminate any grind and make playing the game as convenient as possible. We especially wanted to make second playthroughs a breeze. Because the game adapts how much Japanese you see based on your learning level, a lot of Japanese is hidden from beginners during the beginning and middle parts of the game. (If you're curious how much, start a new game in Max Japanese Mode). That content is just waiting to be found, but we knew no one would do a second playthrough if it was a grind. Once you learn everything the game teaches, you can essentially configure it to play as an interactive novel that only contains Japanese that you've been taught, sort of like the ultimate starter anime or manga. We believe the game offers a great value and we hope you'll agree! This has been a long journey from inception to official release and we couldn't be more excited. Thanks for your support and happy learning! Lun

Just a few minor changes to improve the overall experience! If you've enjoyed the game, please consider leaving us a positive review. It helps the game get visibility on Steam. Happy learning! Lun

First, there are now more Encounter Rate options to provide finer tuning for how often you have battles. You can toggle through the different rates using the 'Q' and 'Z' keys. Second, the 'Q' key will raise the encounter rate. The 'Z' key nows reduces the encounter rate. Previously, they both increased the rate and it looped back to no encounters once you reached the max encounter rate. Not exactly great. So hopefully this is a little more convenient and intuitive. Happy learning! Lun

The game now supports three additional TrueType fonts:

• Sarasa Fixed J
• UD Digi Kyokasho N-B
• BIZ UDGothic

If these fonts are installed on your system they should be selectable from the Font submenu. However, the game engine depends on system specific search paths (meaning the fonts must be installed to be available to the game). So results may vary on different systems. If you're having trouble with fonts, let me know on the Steam discussion board. I'm trying to put together a troubleshooting guide that will help people quickly resolve any such problems. Happy learning! Lun