Before reading: If you are interested in Hanafuda and playing this game I recommend watching Summer Wars. It won't help you figure out the game but it is a great film that includes elements of Hanafuda in it. Additionally, it is also a great story and slice of life in general.

The Review:
Have you ever wanted to learn more about Japanese culture and history while having a good time? Well Hanafuda is the way to go. This game is great compared to other versions of Hanafuda on steam (looking at you Hololive Hanafuda). After all, this was (technically) the first Nintendo game made by Fusajiro Fukui.

This is a traditional take on Hanafuda and makes it a great start for any new players. It is a relatively easy game to play and one that has beautiful cards. The cards are called Flower Cards and there are 48-cards in the deck representing different months. The point system is fairly easy to understand. If you score anything above 7 it multiplies x2.

Heres the more important part, how is the game?

Well it is in early access as of writing this in the month Iris of 2026. The story is very short and supposedly at the end, the developer has wasted 200 hours on another card game??? Wondering if the developer wasted time on Yu-Gi-Oh! Pokémon, or MTG. They remain anonymous about this fact... yet I am curious.

Hanafuda:
I am now realizing that the developer included rules on how to play the game which is really nice. I went into this game already knowing how to play and did not look for instructions. But there are instructions which is a plus. However, I do wish that the instructions were on the main menu rather than the configuration settings. (By the way, when you open this menu up it is then spelled "Configulation." I honestly think Configulation is a cooler word.)

There's a No Sake game mode. I recommend all new players to play this. The Sake can really mess up the flow. Its essentially an automatic win if you don't know what cards to target and or prevent the opponent from winning.

The Art:
The game has a classic retro theme and some people may not like this. At first, it was hard to tell which card goes to which but after 4 minutes I got use to it. This may be a problem for new players getting into Hanafuda. My advice is to look at real Hanafuda cards online. There are many websites that are helpful in showing how to score points and each month in Hanafuda. I personally love the retro look of the game but I could understand people moving away from it.

Online Gameplay:
I have yet to play against a fellow player on this game. There are only 4 user reviews and this one being the 5th. Don't let this move you away from the game. As I stated originally this is a great game to start traditional Hanafuda and you can play against the CPU. It will be your best friend in teaching you how to play Hanafuda.

The Music:
One of the cool and unique things about this game is its music room section. This part of the review has nothing to do with Hanafuda but I really respect that the developer did something cool when selecting music room in the main menu. When you look at the playlist you see 5 or 6 pianos playing the music. This is another great addition to the retro aesthetic of the game. Seeing 5-6 different midi keyboards playing separate parts of the music is awesome. It shows how much thinking goes into layering music and the different instruments. As a Jazz Studies Piano major I really enjoyed this. I don't see many games doing this.

Conclusion:
This game needs more attention, It is the easiest and most convenient version of Hanafuda on Steam. I was waiting patiently for this game to release. It needs more attention and new players to join. I would enjoy playing with other people. I know I am creating a bias when I say this but I dislike how Hololive has made Hanafuda. As i stated earlier, Battle Hanafuda is a more traditional take and there are different ways you can play Hanafuda. I enjoy the traditional game compared to others. If you think this game isn't your type of thing I can respect that. The advice I would provide you all with is to at least try it. With a price tag of $7 its great. It is a calming and passionate game. It has a story to tell through the flowers/cards.