A new game has been released that not only uses Esperanto for world-building but even teaches it as part of the game. However, some people were worried about the quality of Esperanto used and if any changes were made to the language.

So I made a review of the game and examined the quality of the Esperanto used and included a lot of gameplay clips so you can see for yourself. I discuss whether the game would help people learn Esperanto as well as the overall quality of the story and gameplay. In short, is it any good?

https://youtu.be/kBVytTvMYyA

I also interviewed the publishers for Libera Folio, which you can read here (in Esperanto) https://www.liberafolio.org/2019/06/17/animea-ludo...

The English version of the interview can be read here: https://whistlinginthewind.org/2019/06/11/using-an...

I watched the Youtube video and read the article from Libera Folio. The very first question I asked myself, while I watched the video, was "why was this made?", but the longer I watched, I realised, that my gut reaction was simply caused by the fact, that I do not belong to the target audience. Neither technically nor content-wise could I see anything wrong in it (well, perhaps excluding the bath room scene, where a person sits outside the bath tube, as mentioned in the video).

Having said that there are a couple of aspects I wonder.

Is it so that the name "Esperanto" is a turn-off for many and therefore you must call the language by another name?

Why the default setting is those invented glyphs? (According to the article there is a setting to use the standard glyphs.) Since those glyphs are not known to any outside the game (please, correct me, if they are used in other games or anime series or…), isn't it counterproductive to isolate the gamers more? Or is the idea to create a sense of community by having "secret" letters?

In the article Craig Donson, a programmer of the English version, says "Mi devas substreki, ke pro la rakonto, kelkaj ŝanĝoj estis faritaj al nia versio de la lingvo, ĉefe la fikcia alfabeto kaj iuj ŝanĝetoj al la gramatiko kaj vortprovizo." Ok, the glyphs, but what are these ŝanĝetoj? Are they listed somewhere?

My biggest point is the other language. Ok, the game is initially developed for the Japanese market, which explains the language of the original release. There certainly are enough native English-speaking kids, that qualify for the target audience for an English version of the game. But how about the others? Have the company plans to release other language versions? How easy those can be turned out? (I understand, that the game will never be published in my native language, should my kids even be young enough to get interested in the game.) Or is the progress in the game somehow tied to the Japanese or English way of sentence construction? There was some discussion in the video about the order, in which the things in Juliamo are introduced. That the order might not be a natural one for E-o or English (which one remained unclear to me).

Metsis:The very first question I asked myself, while I watched the video, was "why was this made?"

For fun, to entertain people, the same reason people make all games.

Metsis:Is it so that the name "Esperanto" is a turn-off for many and therefore you must call the language by another name?

Maybe they wanted to emphasise the foreigness of the alternative universe and make it seem even more exotic.

Metsis:Why the default setting is those invented glyphs?

I think it gives the game a futuristic science-fiction feeling. They probably wanted to make it more exotic than just the usual latin alphabet.

Metsis:Ok, the glyphs, but what are these ŝanĝetoj? Are they listed somewhere?

I don't know what these changes are because I've played the game all the way through and didn't see any changes at all. As far as I can tell, the game uses completely standard Esperanto.

Metsis:Have the company plans to release other language versions?

I don't know. Translation is a lot of work and the publishers seem to only do English language games. However, it could be possible.

I don't think there are just one reason to make games. There are hobby-based games, that are created by enthusiasm, as a proof that "we can do it", that are aimed for the team itself or their closed community. On the other end of the scale are games, that are created just to make money. A lot of games are somewhere there between. I was genuinely wondering, where this Amrilato stands on that scale.

The game is surely is a fresh approach to get people interested in E-o. I don't know, how it's in other parts of the world, but here E-o is a granny thing – in the negative sense of the word. If this game can turn the tide then excellent! If this is really the goal of the game, that explains the name Juliamo and the exotic glyphs, because E-o as it is currently displayed has an outdated look, the best before date was long ago. E-o doesn't appeal to masses, it doesn't sell.

I just wanted to make clear that washing yourself outside of the bathtub is how Japanese bathe themselves.

Hot water is expensive there, so every member of a family clean themselves before they enter the bathtub. They only bathe for relaxation. And since every member will bathe in the same water, it is very important that you are really clean before you get in. The same rule applies to public baths, onsens and so on (a tip for you who will visit the country). Getting in a bathtub uncleaned is a big no no over there.

So from that perspective the scene is not strange. And Japanese people are generally more comfortable with nudity than westerners. But that said, it is a little weird to share a bath with a perfect stranger even there so if anything the scene is very far fetched for the sake of fan service.

I watched your review of the VN (visual novel; calling it a game is generous), and immediately sought a Long-Play video on YouTube. Thankfully a user has uploaded their playthrough. I'm about an hour into the story and I really find the entire thing interesting.