Easy Japanesey 2 Switch Review: Touchy, Feely, Japanesey

久しぶり! Still have that itch for the Japanese language and want to be put through the trials of death to prove that you are undoubtedly the bestest Japanese learner on the planet, and when the natives say 日本語は上手ですね, they bloody well mean it? 皆さん: Easy Japanesey 2 for the Switch.

It’s familiar territory on so many levels. The layout is the same, the presentation is the same, and once again, you ideally need to have a grasp of the language. As easy as the title makes out, it’s not – you have to put in the hard work before playing the game.

Again, Easy Japanesey 2 isn’t a conventional game; it’s more of an Anki study guide conveniently located on your Nintendo portable rectangle. With a house full of Japanese speakers, playing through the TV would have been nice, but it’s touchscreen only. 

Easy Japanesey 2 Switch Review – ぺらぺら

Perhaps studying a language title isn’t the definition of a party game, so keep your software to yourself, brainiac. It’s a missed opportunity as there are so many study aids on our mobiles, but who wants to crowd around a phone? ISOL Games and Thalamus Digital might consider an alternative to touchscreen in the future.

Right, what are our options in Easy Japanesey 2 aside from the obvious? There are four game modes: Endless, Timed, Challenge, and Campaign. They are variations of the same thing, which is sentence structure, a.k.a. grammar.

As you read this article, you’ll no doubt pick up on my butchering of grammar. I could do with a reset on the Japanese side of things, too, and this is a decent companion piece to your studies.

A Side Dish

Think of Easy Japanesey 2 as a way to reinforce what you already know. If you get stuck on any of the games, don’t worry about the hint system; highlight your weak points and study independently. There’s no way you’ll learn Japanese without a decent understanding, as there’s no flashing (tee hee) or other drilling methods. 

Instead, your options are to select from a selection of words, articles and punctuation points to complete a sentence correctly. You can make three choices in the Endless and Timed modes that let you focus on a grammar point or the first or last part of a sentence.

With the other modes, such as Challenge and Campaign, you can select which of the five JLPT levels you wish to cover or mix and match with a level five and a one to make your life a bit more exciting.

And that’s all there is to Easy Japanesey 2. Really. The music and sound were irritating, so I turned them off immediately. It’s not something you’ll actively play, but this is a decent companion to your studies, as well as the first game in the series. It’s just disappointing that it’s exactly the same in terms of presentation and touchscreen only.