• Price: $20.00 USD (currently on sale for $18.00 until September 10th)
  • DLC available: $5.99 (also on sale for $5.39 until the 10th)
• Developer/Publisher: Autumn Pioneer
• Release Date: September 3, 2024

Photography puns about exposure aside, Shashingo: Learn Japanese with Photography does need more visibility on Switch. Developer Autumn Pioneer posted on Twitter (X) that they really appreciate all of the support they’ve received in the process of creating the game. Launching Shashingo on Switch “seemed far too out of reach for someone like [him],” said game dev Ryan.

It has already sold 25,000 units on Steam, and he’s hopeful that he can achieve the same level of success on Switch. While it just launched on the console yesterday, the game could use a boost. Apparently Shashingo cannot be viewed on the European eShop or the Nintendo EU website at the moment. You can still purchase it via the eShop on your Switch, though, so check it out if you can, my European shutterbug friends!

But What is “Shashingo”?

The subtitle already tells us some of what we need to know: it’s a game that tries to teach the player some Japanese through photography mechanics. Explore 3D Japanese streets and take pictures of items that stand out to you. Once you’ve taken the picture, the game translates the name of the item into English and Japanese for you!

You can choose to display romaji, kana, furigana, or kanji to help you learn. There are lessons included in your photo album, and the game also tests your memory and tracks your progress. Japanese audio is even included to aid your memorization and pronunciation.

It looks like the photo album also includes related words – adjectives and verbs – to further expand your vocabulary. That’s a nice touch! I just really appreciate edutainment games like this, and Shashingo seems to offer features that teach you some Japanese through a fun…lens. 📸 😉 I hope it does well.