Nintendo DS English Training Game Shows The Dark Side Of Akihabara

Study guides for the TOEIC test are big business in Japan. Most of them have the dry feel of a SAT study guide, but not Nanami’s Teach English DS: Aim to be a Toeic Test Master. This game’s story begins in Akihabara. In the 70s it was a hub for the semiconductor and 80s the IT industry took over. However, in the 2000s, little by little the district changed and became a fantasy world.

While the trend began in Akihabara, it spread throughout Japan leading to massive unemployment and a sense of apathy throughout the country. (Is this a bleak prediction?) In 2031, leading engineers met in secret and built androids to train future leaders to save Japan. Nanami is one of those androids and she’s here (from the future?) to teach you English.

The plot may be dark, but developer Media5 made a chipper trailer.

Players level up as they master the game’s 4,005 words, 999 phrases, and answer the 576 questions. Your reward for gaining a level is an item, more specifically costumes to dress Nanami in.

Nanami’s Teach English DS: Aim to be a Toeic Test Master comes out on March 24 in Japan.