So I was bumming around on the Japanese Switch store and discovered this little gem:
The name of the game is Tetjis. While it’s sort of a cringey title I get what they’re going for.
It plays very similarly to Tetris in that the radicals “fall” from the top of the screen and you press the y button to change their shape/size. The goal is to create the most kanji in the time allowed.
The first real level is just the “tree” radical and you switch it around into different arrangements to create 木, 森, and 林.
Then they throw more radicals into the mix and all hell breaks loose! The more complex the kanji you make, the more points you get. You need a minimum score to make it to the next level and open up more radicals.
I’m not going to lie, this game is pretty challenging. But with practice things start to get smoother. And if you’re someone like me who frequently stumbles over similar kanji, its helpful to build them from the ground up.
Note:
This game is 600 yen in the Japanese switch store if I remember correctly. It might be available on Wii as well but I’m not 100% sure.
If you don’t yet have a Japanese Nintendo account, I really recommend it!. There are lots of tutorials out there for creating one.