January 24th, 2025 (Tokyo, Japan) - Rice Games Inc is excited to announce that Shujinkou's Combat Overview trailer has released on PlayStation and Rice Games' YouTube channels!
PlayStation YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtKa-1w0MZA
Rice Games Channel: https://youtu.be/sukZmnjthfM
Press Release Media Kit: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1VBczBFi2kwdzZPL_HkT-VQDa__DFC5WU
The overview covers the following major mechanics (video's script):
Kanakae - Elements & Ontology
Kanakae Orbs are scattered throughout the labyrinths. Each orb is imbued with one of seven elements and one Japanese character (hiragana, katakana, or kanji). New Japanese words are often introduced in the dialogue when the party finds new Kanakae Orbs.
Once you collect the orbs, you can equip them in the Party Menu. Each party member is able to wield up to five orbs at once. You can save your orb layouts as Kanakae Sets, which will become convenient when the party begins to amass many orbs.
Shujinkou's combat system is turn-based. Every Akuma has a name. Use the Kanakae Orbs to reveal their names. Doing so deals extra damage and can shift the momentum of the battle. There! We figured out that the "Ookami" akuma is weak to か (ka) and お (o)! Not only that, but the Fire element was also super effective!
Striking an Akuma's name is called striking an Ontological Weakness.
Striking an Akuma's weak element is called striking an Elemental Weakness.
Akuma names may include hiragana, katakana, and kanji. The 7 elements correspond to the seven days of the week (in-game). It's not just about "learning" -- strike those weaknesses!
Striking Ontological and Elemental weaknesses will help you earn GR (Language Points). Maximize your GR to awaken through the Kakusei mechanic.
Awakening your hero will trigger a brief Action Cue, where your performance affects how powerful your hero's special move will be. These powerful moves can shift the tides of battle in many ways. Aiming for various weaknesses will take you a long way!
You can view each hero's Kakusei move, and a whole slew of other combat, field, and other statistics in the Party Status menu.
Koushou - Akuma Negotiation
After reaching a certain point in the story, the party will be able to negotiate with the Akuma. The Akuma will question your morals and tastes. Their preferred answer will change depending on their Alignment. If dissatisfied with your answers, they may escape or attack the party. Otherwise, expect to earn Gin, Kin, free healing, items, or new knowledge.
Different Akuma have different speech types. Experience 1000s of interactions covering over 15 speech types. If LEARNING is enabled, the Akuma may also occasionally ask questions relating to Japanese kana, kanji, grammar, culture, and more.
Arawasu - Skill System
The term "Arawasu" means to manifest. Nearly every Arawasu skill is named after a Japanese verb or phrase. Learn them through the Arawasu Tree menu and awaken the beast from within.
Then, select the skills during battle and use them to help the party prevail! Skills may use TR (Health), MR (Mana), or GR (Language). Various Arawasu skills can trigger during a battle. Some skills can inflict enemies with devastating status ailments.
Leveling up heroes increases their AP (Arawasu Points). Invest AP into various skills to upgrade their power and deal massive damage.
Other Features and QOL
- Another important combat mechanic is the Kanakae Set Swap. Swap Kanakae Orbs to skillfully strike more Ontological Weaknesses!
- Check an Akuma's affinities and more through the Enemy View.
- Analyze the battle's state at a glance by using the Battle Status.
- Speed up combat and expedite item farming through Auto Battle.
- Combat speed can also be changed in the Options Menu.
- Review what previously transpired through the Sequence Log.
- The world of Shujinkou is a dangerous one, filled with over 300 Akuma.
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Other Images (can be found in the Media Kit)
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Shujinkou releases digitally on PS5/PS4/PC on February 13th, 2025.
Pre-orders are currently available on the PS5, with three selectable editions.
PlayStation: https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10003429
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1386630
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Base Edition - $59.99
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Deluxe Edition - $69.99
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Super Deluxe Edition - $79.99
PlayStation's pre-order launch trailer has garnered over 30,000 views and positive feedback:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kFYUyVRKRY
A Nintendo Switch version is currently in-development and is slated for TBD 2025.
You can learn more about Rice Games, the studio behind Shujinkou, on their official website:
https://www.ricegames.net/
Pre-order launch press release can be seen below
https://www.gamespress.com/Shujinkou-is-now-available-digitally-for-pre-order-on-the-PS5