Rice Games has announced that its debut title, Shujinkou, will launch digitally on Nintendo Switch on October 2. A new trailer highlighting the cast of Japanese actresses is live on the studio’s YouTube channel, and the game is already available to wishlist on the eShop. Pre-orders begin September 18 and come with a 10 percent discount across all editions, according to a press release.

Since its original release in February on PlayStation 5 and PC, Shujinkou has received hundreds of bug fixes and quality-of-life updates based on player and critic feedback. Those changes will be included in the Switch version when it arrives next month. The game will be offered in three editions. The Standard Edition is priced at $29.99, the Deluxe Edition at $59.99, and the Super Deluxe Edition at $69.99. Players who pre-order will be able to save 10 percent, bringing the Standard Edition down to $26.99, the Deluxe Edition to $53.99, and the Super Deluxe Edition to $62.99.

Unlike the earlier PlayStation and PC versions, the Switch edition splits the game’s two story arcs. The Genya Arc comes as part of the base game, while the Sabaku Arc will be sold separately. Rice Games explained that this lower barrier to entry is intended to draw more players into the series, whether they are primarily interested in the role-playing content or the integrated Japanese learning systems. The Sabaku Arc is priced at $24.99 and follows directly after the events of the Genya Arc with its own lengthy narrative.

Across both arcs, Shujinkou offers more than 80 hours of dungeon crawling and story content. The Genya Arc centers on the fight against the language-devouring Akuma threatening Shu’s homeland, while the Sabaku Arc explores diplomacy, prophecy, and survival in a new desert nation. Each arc introduces new protagonists, companions, and antagonists, with hundreds of quests, puzzles, and minigames to discover. The Platinum trophy typically requires around 250 hours to complete, reflecting the scale of the content.

The title’s reception so far has been strong, holding a 90 on Metacritic and a 94 on OpenCritic. While sales have been modest on PC, PlayStation performance has exceeded expectations, and the development team continues to support the game with regular patches. Thousands of players have praised the integration of language-learning features, with some even crediting the game for inspiring them to begin formal Japanese study or finding new career opportunities through their passion.

On Switch, players will also have the option to use the touchscreen to practice writing hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Other features include first-person dungeon crawling, evolving turn-based combat, side quests, fishing, crafting, cooking, and an art gallery and jukebox that allow players to revisit key moments.

Shujinkou has been in development for more than six years by the multilingual team at Rice Games. With members spanning the United States, Japan, Australia, and Europe, the studio has drawn from a wide range of perspectives to build the first entry in what is planned to be a full trilogy.

Shujinkou launches on October 2 on Nintendo Switch, with pre-orders opening September 18.