Easy Japanesey Review Switch: Easy When You Know

Easy Japanesey is a decent, no-frills Japanese language companion on the Nintendo Switch. Thalamus Digital haven’t paid me to write that. I haven’t had any input in the game’s development, nor is someone threatening to spoon natto in my mouth if I don’t declare it. I love natto. Bring it on.

Seriously, though, this is one of the most beneficial study aids (in the form of a game) I’ve experienced thus far. It’s not without its flaws, and it won’t suffice as the only thing to make you ぺらぺら, but regardless, it’s solid in strengthening your vocabulary – perhaps it might even help you pass your JLPT proficiency exams.

Easy Japanesey doesn’t live up to its namesake, however. You do need to know the Japanese beforehand to begin to appreciate it. For starters, the game has no flashcards, so the only way to build up your understanding is through repeated plays. As a bare minimum, you’d need to know hiragana, and if you’re reading this with interest, chances are you’ve already mastered that and katakana. 

Easy Japanesey Switch Review: Easy Peasy

Kanji characters are present here, and if you’re searching for something that’ll teach you the strokes and the onyomi and kunyomi, you’re out of luck. Consider this supplementary to your existing studies to support your learning and understanding through a bit of routine. It’s not a fun experience. As mentioned, it’s no-frills, so there aren’t any cherry blossom images, Mount Fuji pics, or cringey shamisen tunes each time you start a round. It’s a bit like an easily accessible Anki.

I’m not so great on the JLPT and am at level 3, and I have been for some years, purely because I left Japan and don’t have as much use for it. Despite having the JLPT 4, I struggled with the JLPT 5 challenges! Rusty or what? It’s a great refresher, but again, you need some Japanese foundation to build upon. When I started learning, I tried the Heisig method so I could make a few guesses when I couldn’t read the kanji.

Easy Japanesey is split into four sections: Endless, which is self-explanatory and organised into three further sections: English, kana, and kanji. Timed… the same, Challenge, which breaks down Japanese into further sections listed in a moment, and Campaign. That’s broken down into short, medium, long, and full. Each of these has eight levels in total. That list for the Challenge includes:

• JLPT1-5
• Adjectives
• Verbs
• Verbal Nouns
• Nouns
• Interjections

Now You’re Learning

It’s possible to select multiple categories in Challenge mode or focus on verbs on their own, for instance. The actual UI for Easy Japanesey is touchscreen-based, so don’t expect to play this in docked mode. Also, the presentation is pig-dog-ugly. There are three tabs at the top for English, Kana, and Kanji. In the centre are the tiles you need to select for the target word, then at the bottom is a timer and how many you have correct.

At the end of a session, your score is calculated and will go on the scoreboard, but it’s local only, so if you’re playing alone, I don’t know – make up some names to make yourself less lonely? And that’s about it. Besides novelty music by the infamous Kevin Mcleod, I’ve covered everything in Easy Japanesey. Again, it’s not a game per se, well, it is, but it’s a companion piece to your studies, as is the sequel. Newbies would be advised to look elsewhere, but if you have the patience, you could still learn through repetition. In my opinion, this is best suited to JLPT learners, and in that context, I think it’s worth it.