Upcoming Kanji Games

Remember those days back when there was only one or two kanji games on the market? Well, it looks like they are over. We've even got sequels out already in the form of games like Kanken DS 2 and Tokoton 2. Are we heading for market saturation? I hope so. Without all these kanji games, I would have nothing to do with my Nintendo DS. Let's take a quick look at some upcoming games.

なぞっておぼえる大人の漢字練習 完全版 is the sequel to なぞっておぼえる大人の漢字練習, which we reviewed here at Naruhodo! The first game is one of the best kanji games out right now, great for intermediate learners up. The first game paid careful attention to teaching each character within the Joyo set one by one, focusing on writing and readings. The sequel appears to use a similar format and has added an additional 316 characters, bringing the total number of kanji in its curriculum to 2261. It will also be loaded with loads of great features such as models showing the proper way to write each character and a useful light dictionary function. Looks to be packed with minigames as well. You can even change the color of your writing. Very slick.

なぞっておぼえる大人の漢字練習 完全版 comes out November 22nd.

読めそうで読めない漢字DS looks to reinforce the diminishing kanji ability of native speakers due to the expanding use of electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones. With machines writing kanji for us, many of us have forgotten characters that have our ancestors turning over in their graves. The title looks to feature a number of drills aimed to help you remember how to read and write characters used in daily life and more difficult ones. (But somebody really needs to teach these guys how to make a user-friendly website.)

読めそうで読めない漢字DS comes out November 22nd.

陰山メソッド 正しい漢字かきとりくん 今度は漢検対策だよ！ is a follow-up to 陰山メソッド 正しい漢字かきとりくん, which received a good amount of praise. The first game focused on teaching elementary school-level kanji and was extremely approachable even for low-level learners. The sequel, as the name suggests, turns its attention from elementary kanji to Kanji Kentei training. I haven't been able to track down the official website, so I'm not too certain of the details, but from screenshots the game is looking pretty nice and even seems to contain a dictionary with definitions.

陰山メソッド 正しい漢字かきとりくん 今度は漢検対策だよ！ comes out November 29th.

まる書いてドンドン覚える　驚異のつがわ式漢字記憶術～基礎学習編～ aka Tsugawa Method DS: The Basics is a follow up to まる書いてドンドン覚える　驚異のつがわ式漢字記憶術. Tsugawa Method DS featured a simple mnemonic device for remembering how to write troublesome kanji. All you had to do was draw a circle around the parts of the character you had trouble remembering. Then you spent a moment concentrating on it, after which you'd be able to write the character with no problem. The first game featured mostly difficult kanji, making it hard for low-level learners to get much use out of the software. The Basics, however, will feature kanji taught in the elementary and junior high school curriculum, making it much more beginner-friendly.

まる書いてドンドン覚える　驚異のつがわ式漢字記憶術～基礎学習編～ comes out December 6th.

Looks like there's a game for almost any learner in this batch.