In terms of games that try to teach Japanese, Wagotabi might be the real deal

I started learning Japanese over a decade ago since I was tired of not being able to play games that weren’t getting localized. From there, I developed an appreciation for Japan’s culture and soon went on a two-week exploration by rail. Thanks, Okaeri Chibi-Robo.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, perhaps), games not getting localized became more of a rarity. I could name a few that haven’t been translated into English, but more titles, big and small, have been making the jump. Aside from maybe Game Center CX: Arino no Chousenjou 1+2 Replay and a heap of retro games, there are none that I consider pressing enough to jump back into studying. I still lean on my basic comprehension occasionally, but my learning has stagnated for years now.

Part of the issue is I hit a level of advancement where I’m having trouble finding appropriate materials. Drilling vocabulary doesn’t work unless I can apply it somewhere, and it’s hard to find reading material specifically at my level of understanding. When I feel motivated, I typically use Satori Reader, which provides articles written at a range of comprehension levels along with a system that helps teach grammar and vocabulary whenever you’re stuck somewhere. However, it’s still hard to stay motivated.

A game that teaches Japanese would be ideal since my brain has been conditioned to learn gameplay mechanics far quicker than I can learn anything else. However, every single one that I’ve tried sucks, to put it bluntly. Many are nothing more than fancy flashcards, and that’s not helpful. But my study resource, Satori Reader, pointed me to Wagotabi, with the opinion that it’s the one. It figured out how to combine video games and language learning. And having played the PC demo, I think they may be correct.

Wagotabi is immense and multifaceted.  Well, perhaps “immense” isn’t the correct word. Right now, there are 210 words and grammar particles and only 110 Kanji, which is probably beneath my level of advancement. It’s technically beneath the N5 certification level, which is the lowest certification level in the language. A very far cry from fluency. The team plans on building up from here, so, as of right now, it’s mostly a good way to begin your journey into the language.

But what I mean by “immense and multifaceted” is that it approaches the subject from all angles. However, being a video game, the interactive element is where it gets the most leverage, and everything else is more supplemental. It looks, perhaps, like what you’d expect: It’s kind of RPG-ish with a perspective that reminds me of Dragon Quest. You’re dropped at an airport, arriving in the Kagawa prefecture, and your first goal is to get through customs.

But it’s more than just dialogue and subtitles. As you go, people you talk to will give you bits of grammar and vocabulary and have you immediately apply it. Moving further means going through different kinds of tests while picking up more and more tidbits of the language that are applicable at that time. To progress, you have to actually apply what you’ve learned.

Supporting this are more conventional ways to study. Lessons that go into how things function, mini-games that allow you to drill on things like the alphabet, and various quizzes that test your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. In fact, progression is often gated by a test you have to pass, which is a bit inelegant but effective nonetheless.

I may not be the best person to remark on how well something can teach you a language, but even with my existing familiarity, I could feel its effectiveness. I felt a lot of satisfaction just from being able to apply my knowledge in this way, as it’s rare that I’m required to use it. I can’t really tell you if it remains as compelling when you hit a point where progression comes less easily, unfortunately.

Wagotabi is also butt ugly. It employs a mash of different styles and design elements. Its mixing of fonts and sinful combination of pixel art with high-resolution elements is rather hard to look at. However, since I’m not looking at it with the same scrutiny as your typical game, I find it easier to forgive. It’s still breaking every aesthetic rule in the book to terrible effect, but whatever.

Really, my main complaint is that it doesn’t go quite far enough, currently. The iOS/Android version has been released, and a demo for the PC version is available on Steam, but the full PC version isn’t planned for release until early 2025. And with four more prefectures that they have planned just to bring it up to N5 level, I feel like I’ve got a while to wait before I’m really able to use it to expand my current knowledge.

But that’s a personal thing. If you’ve wanted to learn Japanese and haven’t been able to find a good vector to get into it, or if you haven’t been able to maintain your focus long enough to get past kana comprehension, Wagotabi might be exactly what you need. It combines a lot of conventional study methods into an interactive experience with a more practical way of applying what you’ve learned. As of right now, it won’t get you to the finish line of fluency, but it’s a good start.