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Localizing video games is an important process that goes beyond simply translating the text. Because of cultural differences, dialogue is often reworked to be more understandable and familiar to western players. However, sometimes details get lost in translation, and sometimes a character can end up speaking dialogue that feels out of place or may have a completely different personality altogether. Content can also be removed during localization, an action that is often described as censorship.
No game series represents issues with localization more than Nintendo’s Fire Emblem series. Fire Emblem: Fates, in particular, has come under fire for its removed content and odd localization that portrays characters differently than intended. However, localization isn’t always controversial, and many changes have instead been improvements over the original.
10 Improving The Story When It Needs It
Localizations usually stick to the original story as much as possible when translating games, though there are times when stories need to be changed to make sense. If a character’s background is changed in translation, the story may need to be changed to reflect this. The localization teams do have the ability to rewrite the story if necessary.
The Black Knight letting Ike win in Path of Radiance is widely considered by fans one of the best story changes made in localization. In the Japanese release, the Black Knight claims that Ike only defeated him by accident due to a nonsensical teleportation mistake leaving Ike fighting his armor without his physical body. The localization team changed this into the Black Knight not killing Ike on purpose because he had the potential to be his father’s equal, changing their relationship for the better.
9 Renaming Characters To Make More Sense
Names of characters are often changed in translations, sometimes even unnecessarily. However, for every name change that doesn’t work, there is a name change that works out for the better. Some names just sound better, like Marx being changed to Xander in Fates.
Some names aren’t just changed to fit the character better; some are also changed to fit a reference better. Iago from Fates was originally named Macbeth, but Iago fits his personality much better as a Shakespearian reference.
8 Keeping Consistency Between Games
The quality of localization can make all the difference between a great game and a poorly-received one. It may seem insignificant, but keeping consistency between games really adds to the quality of a game. Even some Fire Emblem games in Japan have had certain names and skills change unnecessarily between games. Unfortunately, these aren’t always caught in translation.
Some characters have been referred to with different names, as is the case with Kyza in Radiant Dawn being referred to as Kysha in Path of Radiance. Consistent localization adds an extra layer of connectivity and polish between games.
7 Gameplay Changes In Some Localized Versions
Some Fire Emblem games received updates during localization that improved certain aspects of gameplay for western players. Radiant Dawn is one of the titles that received a large amount of quality of life changes upon localization, including the ability to play the game in widescreen mode and save during battle on easy and normal modes.
Additional changes included bug fixes, new weapons, and new conversations between characters at the base. Further quality of life changes included changes to unit promotions. Rather than needing an item to promote, units could simply do so by reaching the max level.
6 Improving Characters’ Personality And Dialogue
Sometimes personality doesn’t translate well during localization. Though localization has made some dubious changes to characters over the years, they have also made some well-received changes.
One character that most fans feel improved in localization is Marcia and her colorful word choices in Path of Radiance. Much of Marcia’s dialogue is not bad in the Japanese version, but it is rather unremarkable. In localization, Marcia was changed to use made-up words like “dungheel” and insults like “cheese-eating rat,” which certainly proved to be more memorable for players.
5 Aging Up Some Characters
Some popular Fire Emblem characters were originally underage in the Japanese release, meaning the romantic options could lead to uncomfortable situations. Lyn from The Blazing Blade was aged up to 18 from 15 because one of the endings mentions her having children.
Likewise, Elise from Fates clearly acts like a child, yet the localization was changed to have Leo mention that she is “technically” an adult. Though childhood marriage may realistically fit the time period that inspired Fire Emblem, the localization teams made the right call to change younger characters into legal adults.
4 Removing Cultural Insensitivities
Localizations often have to be careful not to include anything that could prove insensitive to players due to cultural differences. Changes from various Fire Emblem games have included cutting offensive references to crossdressing. However, the most often discussed change is the support conversation between male Corrin and Soleil.
Soleil is the daughter of womanizer Laslow, and she inherited her father’s tendency to flirt with other women, though she gets nervous and faints when she’s too close to them. In the localization, Corrin helps Soleil by blindfolding her and having her pretend she is talking to another woman. However, in the original version, Corrin gives Soleil something in her drink without her consent, which did not go over well with the fandom.
3 Adding More Diverse Speech Patterns
It may sound strange to say that changing speech is a good change the localization team made, considering that is the job they were hired to do in the first place. However, the Japanese language has different patterns of speaking based on gender and age, among other differences. These don’t easily translate to English, leaving the localization team to fill in the gaps.
What the localization can do that the Japanese version can’t is to give characters different manners of speaking in English. The Fire Emblem franchise is full of diverse cultures and characters, and localizations can better reflect this diversity. Gregor in Awakening, who speaks with a Russian accent, is an example of this change that adds diversity to the game.
2 Coming Up With New Jokes
Like with speech patterns, jokes often don’t translate well between languages. The jokes that the localization team comes up with are sometimes hit or miss, sometimes the humor can seem out of place, and it becomes obvious that was not what the developers intended, an example being a villager randomly mentioning taking his cat for a walk.
Much fuss was made about the localization replacing the C support conversation for Saizo and Beruka with a joke that could only be seen in the Revelation route. Saizo and Beruka are two quiet and cold-hearted assassins, and the original conversation had them talk about how many people they’ve killed. Hilariously, the localization replaced the entire conversation with a few lines of ellipsis.
1 Removing The Face Petting From Fates
One of the most high-profile instances of content removal between Japanese and localized versions was the removal of a romance minigame from Fire Emblem Fates. The game utilized the touch screen of the 3DS, allowing players to touch the face of NPCs that they initiated a romance with. This proved to be a controversial choice, as fans have been debating the removal of the face touching since the game was released.
However, looking at it objectively, it is clear the localization team made the right call removing this one. Petting Pokémon on the touch screen may be fun, but petting romantic partners just comes across as creepy.
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