Description

This is a meld-building card game wherein the rules of play are the rules of Japanese syntax. The game has solo, collaborative, and competitive modes. The cards each have a Japanese word printed on them, and are color-coded by part of speech (e.g. all verbs are red).

Each card has a point value, and playing the cards according to a color pattern results in a grammatically correct Japanese sentence that awards the player points equal to the sum of points on cards played. In solo mode, the player tries to reach 20 points in the fewest amount of hands. In collaborative mode, players work together to build and improve sentences until the deck runs out of cards. In competitive mode, the points a player earns on his or her turn ("turn points") allow the player to eliminate cards from opponents' sentences or entire sentences if enough turn points are available.

This deck of Japanese: The Game differs from other decks in vocabulary and art. The vocabulary is in the theme of Japanese folk tales and mythology: sentences like "Momotaro defeated all the Oni on the island" and "The elderly woman healed her companion". This is in contrast with, for example, the Original Core Deck of Japanese: The Game that creates much more general sentences like "My dog will eat the doll" and "Your friend is fun."