- Update Schedule Change & Save File Issue - 19 September 2026
Hi everyone,As many of you know, I'm the solo developer of PLAYNESE.Over the past few months, I've been putting a lot of effort into releasing weekly updates. While this has allowed me to add new content quickly, it has also left me with less time to thoroughly test new features, fix bugs, and catch the occasional typo before release.Unfortunately, in last week's update, a mini-game called Bug House may have overwritten save files for some players who triggered certain events. This did not affect everyone, but if it affected you, I sincerely apologize. I've removed the mini-game from the game and do not plan to bring it back, as it had caused loading-related issues in the past as well which I could fix.If you were affected, I'm very sorry that you may need to start a new game or continue with fewer items than intended.To help prevent issues like this in the future, I've decided to move…
- WEEK 25: 📚 JLPT N5 - Complete Grammar Guide | Compatibility - 19 September 2026
From the DeveloperThe largest additions is a brand-new JLPT N5 Grammar Study Tool, which has taken quite a while to build. Rather than a simple reference page, it functions more like a grammar study book built directly into the game.Alongside that, I've continued work on several larger learning features that are planned for future updates.There have also been important under-the-hood improvements aimed at helping players who experienced display issues, dark visuals, or startup problems related to graphics compatibility.As always, thank you for all the feedback, bug reports, and suggestions. They continue to help shape PLAYNESE every week. :> LightNEW: JLPT N5 Grammar Study Tool 📚A new grammar learning system has been added to the JLPT N5 Room.This is the first version of a larger grammar system that is planned for all levels from JLPT N5 through JLPT N1.Features90+ JLPT N5 grammar poin…
- WEEK 24: 🐛 Bug House: Nihongo Hunt - 12 September 2026
From the DeveloperThis week has been focused on finishing a project I've been quietly working on for a while.A lot of Japanese learning systems and content are currently in development, but before moving on to those larger features, I wanted to finish polishing this new mini-game and make sure it felt fun to play.As usual, my son was the first playtester. He spent plenty of time shooting bugs before school, which is always a good sign. 😅There are also several larger systems continuing development behind the scenes, including:JLPT Grammar systems (UI implementation already completed)JLPT N1 Q&A contentAnki Decks for JLPT N5-N1And, as always, a very long list of notes filled with future features and improvements.If there's a feature / content you've been waiting for, please let me know. Community feedback continues to play a huge role in deciding what gets prioritized next.NEW: Bug House…
- WEEK 23: ✈️ Jet Fighter Japanese Challenge PLUS - 4 September 2026
From the DeveloperThis week's update adds a new game to the Game Center, and it ended up becoming much bigger than I originally planned.I'm also continuing to build larger systems behind PLAYNESE, including Kanji quizzes, JLPT N1 and other Q&A handling, Anki deck data, content management tools, and systems that will allow me to add new content much faster.As PLAYNESE has grown into a massive project in pretty much every possible way, I'm also working on better ways to keep everything organized and trying to avoid relying on too many manually created Q&A images, trying to turn them into data, which also helps keep the overall project size under control.There's a lot going on behind the scenes, excited to show you more.Fun Dev Fact 😅At one point this week I had some issues and lost all of my data. Luckily, I make regular backups, so nothing was actually lost. It took about a day to sort…
- WEEK 22: スーパー JukeBox Audio Player PLUS - 29 August 2026
From the DeveloperThis week's update brings a major new audio feature to PLAYNESE.There are also many larger features currently completed, being tested, or actively in development, including the new JLPT N5–N1 Grammar Study Tool and JLPT N1 Q&A. These features will be implemented over the coming weeks.NEW: JukeBox | Audio Player 🎧A new Audio Player has been added to PLAYNESE!This was a recommendation from joeye318 - thank you!The Audio Player lets you purchase, organize, and listen to Japanese songs, podcasts, and instrumental background music while you're playing, studying, or doing something else.Currently available:Purchase 46 Japanese songs from the Music Room4 long background instrumental tracksPurchase instrumental background music with no vocals10-second demos before purchasingCreate your own playlistsRepeat the entire playlist, repeat forever, or repeat a single trackShuffle mo…
- WEEK 21: +50 New Kanji | Gon, the Little Fox - 23 August 2026
From the DeveloperThis week's update mainly brings +50 new kanji to the Kanji Room, and a new Japanese classic to the Library. I'm also working on some larger features listed below!Kanji Room: Floor 6 (#251-300)+50 kanji have been added to Floor 6 of the Kanji Room!Includes:Kanji sheet with meanings displayed on the wallJLPT level and Japanese school grade levelEnglish meaningCrafted mnemonics that connect together like a storyStroke orderRadicalKun-yomi and On-yomi readingsTwo real-life paintings decorationComing Soon・Example sentences still need to be added to the new kanji and will be coming in a future update.・Kanji Q&A quizzes after each set of 10 kanji are also being added. For many of the new kanji, these still need to be implemented, and a new UI may be introduced to make the quizzes easier on the eye, and better for me to add / edit.LibraryA new Japanese classic has been added…
- WEEK 20: Kanji Bots | Stories Plus - 15 August 2026
From the DeveloperThis week's update brings a new mini game to the Game Center, two new Japanese stories to the Library, a new song in the Music Room and some improvements.・For next week's update, I'm hoping to add 50 new kanji with mnemonics as well as the JLPT N1 Q&A set.New Mini Game: KANJI BOTSA brand-new mini game has been added to the Game Center!KANJI BOTSIn KANJI BOTS, you'll shoot enemies, answer Japanese quizzes, earn money, and use your rewards to upgrade.The game supports all levels:Hiragana & Katakana, JLPT N5 to N1How It WorksShoot the incoming KANJI BOTSAnswer Japanese quiz questionsEarn money for your progressUse your money to upgradeThe current quiz section contains all Hiragana and Katakana, with additional N5-N1 vocabulary planned to be added over time.Also includes a new background song.LibraryTwo new Japanese stories have been added to the Library.Story 1羅生門 (Rashou…
- WEEK 19: Library Expansion | Kanji Tower Floor 2 | New HUD Plus - 7 August 2026
From the DeveloperThe biggest additions include several Japanese classic stories in the Library, Kanji Tower Floor 2, a brand-new on-screen HUD, and many quality-of-life improvements requested by the community.Thank you again for all of your Steam reviews, bug reports, suggestions, and encouragement. Every update helps shape PLAYNESE into a better Japanese learning experience :)Library ImprovementsThe Library has received several improvements to make reading much more enjoyable.Copy & Paste SupportYou can now select text inside the Library to easily copy and paste it into other applications if you'd like to look up words or study elsewhere.(The Bible currently does not support this while additional improvements are being developed)Keyboard shortcuts:Ctrl + A - Select all textCtrl + C - Copy selected textFeel free to paste stories into Word or other documents for offline reading or study…
- WEEK 18: Main Menu Overhaul | UI Improvements Plus - 29 July 2026
From the DeveloperThis week's update is releasing earlier than usual because several important fixes needed to be addressed as soon as possible. Expect a large update next week!While adding new features is exciting, fixing major mistakes and improving the overall player experience is just as important. Thank you as always for your patience, bug reports, Steam reviews, and suggestions. Every report helps improve PLAYNESE during Early Access. :)Main Menu ImprovementsNew Intro Song・A new opening theme has been added using traditional Japanese-inspired instruments.・A new song in the main 1-1 classroom added.Improved Kanji DisplayThe Main Menu text display has been updated:Before:All kana readings were displayed, which could become visually confusing.Now:Furigana is displayed only above kanji characters. A few furigana didn't pick up among the hundreds of sentences and will be added in next…
- WEEK 17: Library Stories Expansion | Online Tower Defense | Anki N5 Idle - 25 July 2026
From the DeveloperThis week's update expands PLAYNESE's Library system with the addition of new long-form reading content, including classic Japanese literature and religious texts.A major improvement behind the scenes is a new text-based book system, allowing larger novels and books containing thousands of pages to be added efficiently without requiring large image files. This will make it much easier to continue expanding the Library over time.The goal of the Library is to give Japanese learners a place to discover stories, history, and different types of writing while studying Japanese naturally.Thank you as always for your suggestions, Steam reviews, and continued support during Early Access. :)Library ExpansionNew Adult Content NoticeThe Steam Store Page for PLAYNESE now includes an adult notice.As the Library grows, some stories may include:Dark themesReligious themesHorror elemen…
- WEEK 16: Phrase of the Day | Space Kanji Destroyer | New Songs - 17 July 2026
From the DeveloperThis week's update: The biggest addition is a new Main Menu featuring a randomized Common Phrase of the Day, alongside a space-themed mini-game that combines arcade action with advanced kanji practice. I've also added three new original songs, expanded the Survival Shooter, and continued polishing the overall experience.As always, thank you to everyone who continues reporting bugs, suggesting new ideas, and supporting PLAYNESE during Early Access. :)LightNew Main MenuThe Main Menu has been redesigned and now includes a new Common Phrase of the Day feature.\Every time you launch the game, a random useful Japanese phrase, sentence, or character is selected from the growing study library.You can:Reveal the English meaning whenever you want.Skip to another random phrase once during each Main Menu visit.Quickly study useful Japanese before beginning your adventure.Current P…
- WEEK 15: Multiplayer Co-op | 4 Mini-Games | Anki Idle Expansion - 10 July 2026
From the DeveloperThis week's major update introduces the very first playable version of PLAYNESE's Multiplayer Game Center!This is only the beginning of ONLINE PLAY, and I'd like to grow it carefully over time. Rather than releasing dozens of unfinished multiplayer features, I've decided to start with a smaller foundation, gather feedback, fix issues quickly through the weekly updates, and continue expanding the Game Center with new cooperative and competitive activities.Because this is the first public version of multiplayer, please save your game before playing online for the time being. While I've tested the system extensively, unexpected bugs or connection issues may still occur.If you discover any bugs, connection problems, typos, or have ideas for future multiplayer games, I'd greatly appreciate hearing about them on the Discord server. Your feedback will directly help improve fu…
- WEEK 14: Coming Multiplayer Mini-Games | Inventory | Anki Idle N5 - 3 July 2026
From the DeveloperNext week you'll be able to play Multiplayer Mini-Games! Since PLAYNESE revolves around your own personalized save file, with your own progress, scorecards, shops, difficulty settings, story progression and much more, it isn't practical to simply turn the entire game into a shared world. BUT...Instead, I've begun building a separate online Game Center where players can enjoy multiplayer mini-games together while keeping their personal worlds completely separate.This is the foundation I'd like to build upon over time.Please keep in mind that this is the very first implementation of multiplayer coming to PLAYNESE in next weekends update.Multiplayer Mini-GamesUnlike many of the game's features, multiplayer has required a huge amount of work behind the scenes. Because of this, new multiplayer content will be added gradually over time rather than all at once starting next w…
- WEEK 13: Custom Anki Deck Plus | Tank Mini-Game - 28 June 2026
From the DeveloperThis week's update focuses on giving players complete freedom over their Japanese studies by introducing fully customizable Anki flashcard deck, a new tank battle mini-game and more.The biggest addition this week is the ability to create your own custom study deck directly inside the game using your PC, allowing you to study exactly what you want, whenever you want.Create Your Own Custom Anki Flashcard DecksMany Japanese learners use textbooks, novels, websites, or other resources that don't always follow the JLPT path. This new feature allows you to build your own study deck inside PLAYNESE and review them anywhere, including on the Steam Deck.It's also perfect when discovering new vocabulary while playing. Create a new card and continue studying it using the built-in review system.New FeaturesCreate your own custom study deckAdd, edit and delete flashcards directly o…
- WEEK 12: Anki App | Mini-Games | 1st Person Zoom | Card Art | Performance - 19 June 2026
From the DeveloperThis week's update is major and packed, focuses on expanding study tools, adding new mini-games, improving performance and introducing several quality-of-life improvements across PLAYNESE.The biggest addition this week is the launch of the new Anki Study Deck system, designed to help players review Japanese using spaced repetition directly inside the game just like the phone / pc app.New Anki Study DecksWhat is Anki?Anki is a flashcard system that uses spaced repetition to help you remember information long-term.Instead of reviewing every card every day, Anki schedules reviews based on how well you know each card, showing them again right before you're likely to forget them. This makes studying much more efficient and helps build long-term memory.PLAYNESE now includes its own growing collection of Anki-inspired study decks. Don't confuse this with the other system whic…
- WEEK 11: Kanji Tower Opens | +250 JLPT Cards | Music | Library Toggle - 13 June 2026
From the DeveloperThis week's update introduces the first floor of the brand-new Kanji Tower, expands the Anki Idle card collection, adds new study songs, and brings additional quality-of-life improvements to the Library.The biggest addition is the opening of Kanji Tower Floor 1, a new challenge area focused on testing and reinforcing kanji knowledge through quizzes, rewards, and battles. :>Kanji Tower Now OpenKanji Tower Floor 1 is now available to explore.This new challenge area introduces a brand-new Drag & Drop quiz mechanic designed specifically for kanji study.Each floor currently contains approximately 50 randomly selected kanji questions covering the same 50 kanji taught throughout the corresponding PLAYNESE school content.Players earn and lose Japanese currency based on performance:+3円 (えん) for each correct answer-3円 (えん) for each incorrect answerFloor 1 also includes:New backg…
- WEEK 10: +840 JLPT Anki Idle Cards | Study Toggle | New Songs - 5 June 2026
From the DeveloperThis week’s update focuses mostly on a major expansion of the Japanese Anki Idle cards, and new tracks to the Music Room.A large amount (+840) of new vocabulary has been added across multiple JLPT levels for the new Anki Flashcards Idle system. While some but not many words may overlap between levels, many are included intentionally to increase exposure and reinforce learning through repetition.It's important to note that there is no single official JLPT vocabulary or kanji list. The current content is based on older exams, textbooks, and commonly accepted study resources. Access these cards by pressing "F", then the "Memorization" button at the bottom.Current flashcard totals:JLPT N5: +140 cards added (180 total)JLPT N4: +470 cards added (510 total)JLPT N3: +110 cards added (150 total)JLPT N2: +60 cards added (100 total)JLPT N1: +60 cards added (100 total)All JLPT dec…
- WEEK 9: Anki Flashcards Idle | +50 Kanji (Floor 5) - 1 June 2026
From the DeveloperThis week’s update focuses on expanding Japanese learning content with a large new kanji floor and a brand-new idle flashcard system designed to help players study while exploring the world of PLAYNESE.Floor 5 has been added to the Kanji Room and introduces 50 new important kanji, continuing progression from Kanji #201–250. In addition, a new Anki Flashcards Idle feature has been added. This system allows players to review Japanese vocabulary, kanji, hiragana, and katakana while continuing other activities in-game or even while working on something else outside the game.I’ve also continued working on a large amount of future Japanese learning content, including additional example sentences, quizzes, stories, kanji rooms, and other learning systems that will gradually be added over future updates. (Oh and card battles!)As always, thank you for all feedback, suggestions,…
- WEEK 8: Item Shop | Equipment Sets - 22 May 2026
From the DeveloperThis week’s update focuses on equipment, item progression, and preparation for larger battles and future exploration systems.As enemy encounters continue to expand, including future space battles, stronger monsters, and more advanced combat cards / equipment will become increasingly important for survival and different playstyles.The new Castle Shop introduces the first major equipment sets in the game, including headgear, body armor, and boots with different themes and future gameplay possibilities.Many future systems are also already being planned around these items, including crafting, upgrades, faction-style mechanics, and special environmental effects.I’ve also continued working on a LARGE amount of Japanese learning content behind the scenes, including new stories (as mentioned before), kanji mnemonics, JLPT quizzes, and more that will appear in future updates. P…
- WEEK 7: Story Library | Spider Cave - 17 May 2026
From the Developer: This week’s update is a bit smaller, mainly because I’ve been working on a large amount of new content behind the scenes that didn’t make it into this release yet.That includes more stories, JLPT quizzes, songs, maps, and additional gameplay content that will appear in future updates.Also, there was a request to add Japanese pitch accent quizzes into the game. I do plan to add this, but I want to approach it properly by working with Japanese natives and possibly Japanese teachers to make sure the system is accurate and genuinely helpful.Pitch accent is an important topic for many learners, so I want to make sure it’s done right rather than rushed.Story Library & Study Tracking UpdateThe Stories Room / Library has received a new study tracking system to make it easier to follow your progress while learning Japanese.Players can now visually mark completed or known stor…
