I’m within the gradual strategy of studying Japanese. With the assistance of Rocket Languages and my continuous immersion into Japanese video games, motion pictures, and music, I’m attending to the purpose the place I can sometimes dispute the English subtitles on the display screen. I can hear the distinction between the Japanese phrases for “paper” and “god.” I do know “wa” from “ga.”
However I can’t learn Japanese. That’s the place I’m hoping Kana Quest will help. With out complicating issues (and certain getting the reason incorrect, anyway) the Japanese alphabet consists of syllabaries: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. The latter makes use of symbols to signify a whole phrase or that means. Hiragana and katakana use symbols for syllables—one for monographs (ka, ki, ko), two for digraphs (kya, kyu, kyo).
Am I boring you already? Sorry. The purpose is that there are a number of kana to study, to not point out all of the overlap. It’s robust, however Kana Quest needs to assist. And it does…to an extent.
Kana Quest makes use of match-em puzzle mechanics to show you the symbols and their sounds. The aim is to attach the kana by their shared sounds in as few strikes as doable. The image for Ka, for instance, can match subsequent to any tile that begins with the Ok sound and ends with “ah.” So, for instance, it might probably match up with the symbols for ku and na. Slide all of the symbols collectively, and it’s on to the subsequent stage.
In fact, it’s not going to be that simple, as there are two elements at work. First, it’s good to acknowledge the kana. That’s the place the academic half comes into play. Kana Quest permits you to faucet a tile to listen to its pronunciation at any time, and also you’ll have to depend on this early and infrequently.
Symbols could ultimately stick to repetition, but it surely’s simple to overlook them for those who don’t stick with it. I reached the purpose the place I may establish sounds with their tiles whereas enjoying the sport, however couldn’t write the character from reminiscence when not enjoying.
It’s additionally price noting that Kana Quest doesn’t do a lot with phrase development or definitions. You’re studying to establish symbols, however you’re not placing them collectively in a approach that teaches you to learn them. It could be unfair to anticipate the sport to offer that stage of schooling.
What you may anticipate, nonetheless, is a reasonably enjoyable puzzle recreation. You possibly can’t simply drop the tiles wherever you need; they’ve to slip within the cardinal instructions to the touch or swap with others. So, when you’ve recognized the tiles that ought to match, you must determine how one can get them subsequent to one another in a approach that permits you to correctly chain the tiles on the board. Some tiles can’t transfer in any respect, forcing you to carry the others to them. Some hold transferring till they hit one other object. Some may be merged to create new kana.
Kana Quest does an excellent job of ramping up the problem with new tile mechanics, and the builders don’t overlook you’re purported to be studying right here. They decrease the puzzle issue as new kana are launched that can assist you get comfy with the symbols. Additionally, there aren’t any exams; as with most puzzle video games, you’re graded on the variety of strikes you took to resolve every stage. Simply continue learning and enjoying. And for those who’re having bother, you may all the time rewind or restart a stage.
All of that is offered with colourful, cheerful graphics that may really feel proper at residence on the Sport Boy Advance. The visuals clearly have an Japanese aptitude, and who would’ve thought that merely including little legs and arms to tiles would give them a lot character. Within the palms of a U.S. academic developer, they might’ve ended up with sun shades, bandanas, and attitudes in an try and be cool. I recognize this scaled again, friendlier strategy.
I’m undecided how useful any of this can be with out supplemental academic supplies. Paired with my Rocket Languages classes, nonetheless, I discovered Kana Quest to be an effective way to get some image memorization follow in. And yeah, so far as match-em puzzles go, the gameplay is enjoyable and pretty distinctive. Some could also be entertained even when they’re not studying Japanese. Recognizing and matching symbols is what we’re doing in mahjong, in any case; Kana Quest simply makes that step a part of the problem.