A mobile game built around Japanese language, folklore, and cultural traditions is out now on mobile globally. It launched in Japan late last year. Called WamojiSword, it’s developed by an indie team from Japan under the banner GGJ/Gogyo Japan.
WamojiSword is an action game and a cultural showcase!
The idea behind the game came from a desire to share traditional Japanese culture, regional cuisine, artisan crafts, and long-preserved heritage with players outside Japan. It offers all these through an interactive format.
WamojiSword centres its gameplay around Kanji. It’s the Japanese writing characters that form the foundation of the game’s combat and progression systems.
The main thing is a mechanic inspired by traditional Japanese naming customs and concepts. It’s done through Onomancy, a form of fortune-telling related to names. You enter your own name or nickname, which the game then transforms into a personalised Kanji-based sword.
That sword then unlocks Kaiun, or good fortune, abilities. The system analyses the entered name and generates a weapon with traits and meanings linked to the characters used.
The game includes more than 2,000 Joyo Kanji. They are the standard everyday Japanese characters taught and commonly used in Japan. You can collect and combine these Kanji to create customised attack styles. The meaning of individual characters affects combat behaviour and sword abilities.
WamojiSword is set in ancient Kyoto. You play the role of an Onmyoji, a figure associated with traditional Japanese mysticism and spiritual practices. During battles, you fight Yokai while using powers connected to Kanji and the Five Elements system, consisting of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.
Check out WamojiSword on the Google Play Store for Android and the App Store for iOS devices.
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