Super Toaster X Demo

Learning a new language is a pretty interesting process, because although it would seem like everyone can do it, there are no real guidelines when it comes to what’s the quickest method. Naturally, it helps if you are exposed to the language as much as possible, which is why it’s recommended to visit the country in question and hear the language in its natural environment.

Super Toaster X is a 2D action-adventure game that aims to teach you Japanese in a fun way, while also providing you with quite a challenge in regards to gameplay mechanics. Thus, the game is a combination of platformer and adventure game, with calculated battles that allow you to combine special abilities and improve your Japanese at the same time.

Before you begin your journey, it’s important to go through the tutorial, especially if you are entirely new to Japanese. On top of that, the gameplay mechanics are a tad confusing as well, so the tutorial is a must. In short, the combat is all about matching the symbols with the correct translation, which is particularly difficult if you don’t take the time to study the flashcards beforehand.

Whenever you get close to an enemy you have to options at your disposal, which are attack or defend. Each option comes with multiple choices as well, which are represented using special abilities. Your energy level dictates how many special abilities you can use one after the other, so it’s also important to take that into consideration before you start spamming attacks.

The whole thing can be very disorienting, on the other hand, because it’s unclear how the damage system works. On top of that, there’s very little feedback from the game when it comes to gameplay, especially since you cannot jump or do anything of the sort. Thus, even if the graphics are not bad at all, there’s no real sense of exploration when all you can do is walk in a straight line.

In the end, Super Toaster X can be a great tool if you want to learn a bit of Japanese, but as an actual game it’s pretty disappointing at this stage. Granted, this is merely an early demo, so things are bound to change by the time the full version is released. Until then, you can support the developer by backing the game's Kickstarter campaign.