PLAYNESE: Master Japanese ยท published ยท build 26363438
Welcome to the Major November Update!
This update brings smoother movement, new 3D models, major Music Room improvements, new Japanese learning content, custom card artwork, new themes, and more.
The next major update is scheduled for:
๐
December 1st
Important: You do NOT need to start a new game! All changes will be available in your existing save files. Please report anything in the comment section, in the Discussions or even better, the Discord if you find any errors or bugs.
I've also received quite a bit of feedback. Several requests are already being worked on, including Steam Deck improvements, better-balanced mini-games, UI changes, and much more.
First, a bug fix:
Fixed an issue preventing some players from loading saves with certain music settings.
As always, thank you for your support, feedback, reviews, and bug reports!
:> Light
Smooth, non-tile-based movement is now the default!
Move freely without being restricted to tiles.
Smooth movement across land, sea, and spaceships.
Your character now faces the exact direction you're moving.
Activate chests, NPC conversations, and other events diagonally from any direction.
First-person movement now allows you to walk backwards by pressing back instead of turning.
Interacting with the wrong objects or events can now trigger them, so watch where you're going!
Note: If your character faces the wrong direction after loading an older save or changing movement settings, go to Options and refresh your character.
More environments and objects are gradually being upgraded with 3D models.
New models include:
Spaceship with extremely smooth steering and floor landing, replacing the previous sprite.
Fishing boat with smooth steering, replacing the previous sprite.
Computer, laptop, bed, chess pieces & a large JLPT N5 Grammar Book.
This is just the beginning! Most environments will gradually become 3D if performance is fine.
No AI-generated artwork used!
All cards now feature custom-made artwork as PLAYNESE continues moving towards artist-created content.
New artwork for every card.
Updated card backgrounds.
Revised card names and selected descriptions.
Damage, mana costs, and gameplay effects remain unchanged.
English translations are not included on cards yet.
There wasn't enough time to implement the English viewing system. Japanese gameplay is encouraged, even when you don't immediately understand every card.
Please leave feedback on where you'd like English translations or explanations to be accessible!
A completely refreshed main menu inspired by autumn in Tokyo!
New theme: ็ง = ใใ = Autumn.
Additional Japanese vocabulary.
Extra space below quiz for new artwork.
New monthly Fun Fact.
Furigana added to previously unsupported kanji.
New main menu song composed by ELVgames & pegonthetrack!
New introductory menus inspired by Tokyo during autumn, featuring:
Tokyo-inspired signs and scenery.
New theme song.
Updated user interface.
New quiz and Fun Fact.
Tokyo's Tree.
Clickable creatures and falling leaves.
Moving train.
Other changes:
Study Mode and Immersion Mode have been mostly removed in many areas. You can now control your study preferences through individual menu toggles throughout the game.
New Retro Font (ON LEFT BELOW), selectable in the Options menu or during the initial setup.
A new Night Autumn theme for the Save / Load menus, featuring small hidden Japanese cultural illustrations.
Special thanks to Universum on Discord for feedback that helped inspire many of these improvements!
New Auto / Wait settings after correct and incorrect answers.
Refreshed mini-game main menu with grouped buttons and themed shading.
Incorrect answers now pause and display the correct answer with a short explanation.
Word Builder no longer reveals answers beforehand.
Word Builder now displays every kana's reading after completing a word.
Added 20 new vocabulary words to Word Builder:
ใใ (morning), ใใ (night), ใปใ (book), ใใก (mouth), ใใ (umbrella), ใใ (house), ใฟใก (road), ใใ (face), ใชใพใ (name), ใใใใ (teacher), ใใใใ (student), ใใฏใ (rice / meal), ใใใ (vegetables), ใจใใ (clock), ใใฐใ (bag), ใใค (shoes), ใใใจ (work / job), ใงใใ (telephone), ใใใ (tomorrow), ใณใใใใ (hospital).
Kana Order rewards:
6ๅ per perfect question.
12ๅ per perfect question with the timer enabled.
Also improved text display and ensured your saved themes and unlocks are preserved.
More mini-game improvements are included!
Improvement to music previews and theme selection!
Improved Music Previews
Music demos no longer clash with background music or ambience.
Previewing a track fades out the background music and ambience.
Your jukebox song pauses during previews.
Everything smoothly fades back in when the demo ends.
New Theme Selection Menu
The theme button now opens a dedicated menu displaying all 10 themes, each with its own colored preview card.
4 NEW Animated Japanese Themes!
Each costs 100ๅ in-game:
๐ฎ Matsuri ็ฅญใ: Festival lanterns float into the night.
๐ Hanabi ่ฑ็ซ: Fireworks burst behind the menus.
๐บ Youkai ๅฆๆช: A parade of ghosts, foxes, and tengu with glowing foxfire.
๐ Ukiyo-e ๆตฎไธ็ตต: Traditional woodblock-print artwork with rolling waves.
The 6 existing themes remain free.
Your saves, selected themes, purchased songs, and imported music are all preserved.
The Music Room has received a massive overhaul!
The old individual music pictures have been removed. This saves disk space and eliminates the time-consuming process of creating and aligning separate pictures / furigana for every track.
๐ค Japanese Lyrics & Reading Support
Japanese lyrics with furigana and English translations.
Show Meaning on Hover underline toggle.
Customizable display modes.
Numbered lyric columns.
Adjustable text size.
Hover over most vocabulary to see its meaning.
๐ง Full Music Controls
Play, pause, stop, and volume controls.
Auto-play and repeat.
CD artwork and track information.
Rewind and forward by 10 seconds.
Display of music playback time.
Missing music files or pictures now trigger a warning instead of crashing the game.
๐ง Vocabulary Quizzes
A/B/C vocabulary quizzes with randomized answers .
Earn ๅ for correct answers while listening.
Lose half the correct reward value when answering incorrectly.
Upgrade your income.
Optional mistake review system.
๐ Dancers & Rewards
Purchase mini dancers at the bottom of the room.
Receive a small bonus gift when you unlock the maximum number!
๐จ 12 Animated Music Themes
Unlock and preview music-inspired themes, including static and animated versions.
Available themes:
๐ธ Sakura / ๐ค Karaoke / ๐ J-Pop / ๐ผ Treble Clef / ๐ฎ Festival (Fireworks) / ๐ Ocean / โ๏ธ Snow Night (Aurora) / ๐พ 8-bit Arcade / ๐ Galaxy (Flying Spaceship) / ๐ฆข Origami / ๐ฑ Obentou / โช Music, Live, Opera, Nature, Hell, Witchcraft, and Heaven.
๐ฎ Full Input Support
Mouse, Keyboard, Controller, Steam Deck.
Your settings, themes, and upgrades are saved automatically.
Performance & Navigation
Automatic Performance Mode on Steam Deck and lower-end PCs, reducing animations and on-screen activity.
Room number boards added to every Music Room, making it easier to identify which floor you're on.
12 new Japanese songs arrived!
็ก้
ใฒใใใชใใชใณ
ใฉใใใฆ
่ฝใกใฆใใ
ๆฎ้ใใใชใ
ๅใๆฌฒใใ
ใญใใใใฎใชในใ
ๅฐ็ใธ่กใใ
็ซๆ
ๅฎใๆขใ
็ทใฎๅฆๆน็ฎ
็ตใใใใใชใ
No AI-generated artwork used for any new item!
Four new glove sets are now available for purchase at the castle shop:
ๆ ไบบๆ่ข = ใใณใณใจ ใฆใถใใ = Traveler Gloves
้ญๅฐๆ่ข = ใพใฉใ ใฆใถใใ = Sorcery Gloves
ๆช้ญๆ่ข = ใใใพ ใฆใถใใ = Demon Gloves
ๆฐทๆ่ข = ใใใ ใฆใถใใ = Frost Gloves
Each glove set has its own matching equipment set, but you're free to mix and match your gear!
Equipment Menu Improvements
English labels added beneath equipment categories (e.g. ๆญฆๅจ = WEAPON).
ๆ (Hands) slot renamed to ๆญฆๅจ (Weapon).
ๆฌ (Book) slot renamed to ๆ่ข (Gloves).
More equipment slots are planned for future updates!
Steam, Discord, and YouTube now have:
New icons, Hover descriptions, Animations. (Patreon is excluded)
Several important improvements have been made to the in-game clock!
Your in-game date and time are now saved. Loading a game continues exactly where you left off instead of resetting.
The clock pauses in menus, Options, Save / Load screens, and battles.
Fixed time jumping forward after Alt-Tabbing, minimizing the game, or experiencing lag spikes.
Fixed the clock briefly disappearing after closing certain menus.
Sleeping after midnight now wakes you at 07:00 the same morning instead of skipping an entire day.
Improved map performance, especially in areas with many events.
Saves created before this update will initially start at 07:00 on April 1st. From then onwards, your in-game date and time will save normally.
Updated loading screen artwork.
Changed the Japanese floor-transition message from ๅบใพใ to ๅบใ (standard form).
There is plenty more being worked on! Here's a look at what's planned for December 1st and beyond.
NEW: Jump Button & Animations
Jump Button!!
Jump using SPACE on PC or the corresponding Steam Deck control.
Charge your jumps to leap onto and over walls, etc.
New jumping and landing sounds with varying pitches.
NEW: Better Onboarding Experience
Improved introduction for new players.
More options and explanations.
In-game Wiki to explain gameplay and how to interact with different systems.
NEW: JLPT & Story Content
New JLPT questions and stories.
New question formats, following the Music Room's transition from individual pictures to data-driven content with customizable toggles and themes.
NEW: New Year Theme
Additional improvements:
Exchanging selected AI-generated paintings (many of which are actual photographs) for artist-created artwork or photographs I've taken myself.
More UI improvements.
More learning content and gameplay features.
Known Issue / Planned Improvement
Scorecard progress currently does not include points earned from Hiragana & Katakana Room quizzes.
A larger Scorecard redesign is planned for a future update.
And much, much more that I can't share just yet!
ใใใใใ้กใใใพใ๏ผ
Thank you again for supporting PLAYNESE during Early Access. Every review, suggestion, and bug report helps shape the future of the game.
Enjoying PLAYNESE? Please consider leaving a Steam review and sharing your ideas or feedback here or on Discord.
I'm developing PLAYNESE solo, and there's still a massive amount of content planned. Thank you for being part of the journey!
See you on December 1st!
ใใใใใ้กใใใพใ๏ผ
ใฉใคใ = Light ๐ฎ