Kana Quest is a puzzle game for PC that aims to assist the player in learning to read Japanese. Learning to read and write the language is an incredibly hard task at the best of times, so it’s a pretty lofty goal. Its two most frequently used alphabets, Hiragana and Katakana, each have 46 basic characters to memorise, to say nothing of the thousands of different kanji characters. The idea behind the game is to create a fun and engaging way to learn it all, instead of staring at a textbook. The game can be played with both Hiragana and Katakana, and can be instantaneously switched between the two.

It’s made by a local Melbourne developer, Theodor Kipen, who calls Kana Quest a mashup of dominoes and a match-3 game. Certainly, the adorable Kana blocks look the part of a domino game. But I find that description to be selling it short, and doesn’t quite advertise just how complex the puzzles can get in Kana Quest. The game quickly turns into a devilishly difficult logical conundrum that, especially in the more advanced levels, will have your brain tied up in all sorts of logical knots.

In Kana Quest, you match blocks containing Japanese characters (called Kana) all in a row, making sure that each block matches its neighbour using either its consonant or its vowel sound. For example, the “Ka” Kana will match with any other block containing either the “K” sound (like “Ko“) or the “A” sound (like “Sa“). To complete each level, you’ll need to create a complete chain of matches (or “friends”) using each Kana. There are more than 300 levels across multiple worlds, which each introducing a new puzzle mechanic plus more Kana to memorise. All the while, your ears are treated to an amazingly chill lo-fi chiptune style soundtrack.

The beginning levels start you off with simple swapping mechanics, which at first can seem a bit too simplistic. If you’re in it for the game and not for learning, the fun might start to wear away a bit too quickly. But I recommend sticking with it – the slow pace is there to help you memorise those Kana at a reasonable speed. Each new world you unlock will reward you with more complex mechanics: Mystery Kana, Ice Kana, Ghost Kana, and even more. Each one changes the way you interact with your Kana blocks, making for some real brain-teasers. The Kana are drip-fed to you at an easy-going pace, and in an easy to understand order. For example, the first world only contains Kana with the consonants K and N, so you can remember each one more easily. If you need more practice, you can replay a stage at any time, and a table of both alphabets can be viewed from the menu. There’s even a guide on how to write each character with the correct strokes. Some real thought has gone into this.

A trip to Japan in your pocket with Kana Quest

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Puzzle games like these are great to play whenever you have a free few minutes. To that end, I can imagine the mobile version of this game (currently planned to release later in the year) to be the superior platform. As fun as the puzzles are, I’d prefer to take them on the go rather than sit at my computer for a dedicated play session. There were even a few graphical blips that I don’t think would have cropped up on a phone. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable time, and even if I didn’t get as much out of it as I hoped, I feel way more justified in playing this than a simple time waster like Candy Crush.

More than anything, Kana Quest gives me hope for the future of educational video games. It’s fun, it’s creative, and yeah, it’s technically homework, but it didn’t feel like it was. I think if I were a kid, I would love Japanese class if it included a couple of sessions with this game.