The best kinds of localisations are the ones you don’t notice in the first place, a mixture of translation mixed with some flair in such a way that it feels like the work is experienced exactly as intended. Many people get confused about exactly what a localisation actually is though.
Translation is the simple act of taking the information conveyed in one language into another. Localisation does the heavy lifting of retaining the feeling of the translated text, carrying over cultural nuance to apply to another audience. And today, we’re celebrating some of the best examples.
As the article you’re reading is in English, the localisations we talk about will primarily be centered on works made in one language and localised into English.
8Pokemon
It’s easy to forget because of how massive Pokemon actually is that it is a product made almost exclusively in Japan. Being as massive as it is, that comes with some intense work for each and every game. Older games had a tendency to translate into English, and then use the translated English as the basis for all other languages. Not Pokemon.
Almostevery single Pokemon in the series has a unique namein every language so that the puns carry over. Alakazam is Foodin in Japanese. Drampa is Sen-Long in German. Scorbunny is Flambino in French. Apply that to 1,000 Pokemon and you have a series that appeals to so many languages of the world without anyone even noticing.
7Unicorn Overlord
With 13 Sentinels, Vanillaware finally got international recognition, making Unicorn Overlord a game that people the world over were hotly anticipating. It also came with a torrent of people who didn’t quite understand what the role of a localisation was.
Unicorn Overlord has very theatrical language, like that of a play. That works great for the game’s presentation which has characters standing opposite each other in conversation. It pays homage to earlier Vanillaware localisations as well, such as the actual stageplay-styled game, Odin Sphere.
6The Witcher
The Witcher is one of the biggest RPG series in the world at the moment with developers CD Projekt Red only growing in fame with each game. They’re stellar games with voicework that only becomes stronger with each entry. So well done is this that many people may forget the games are Polish in the first place.
The Witcher games are based off The Witcher series of books, which pulled heavily fromPolish folklore and myths. The games are equally as heavy on this. For example, The Witcher 3’s Lubberkin is based on the Polish Kłobuk. In fact, countless locations and monsters in the game are taken directly from Polish, yet localised to feel as if they’re from the world of The Witcher instead.
5Final Fantasy 12
With every Final Fantasy games comes a new form of dialogue. They change from pseudo-contemporary to outright medieval, each game taking a new identity through it. The Ivalice games are the most well-regarded in this, having a localisation that makes each game in that world feel so alive.
Final Fantasy 12 in Japanese uses varying Japanese accents to make each area distinct. In English, rather than relying on the typical American accents, uses a variety of accents for each region so even by ear it feels like a whole other country. For example, the people of Bhujerba speak in Sri Lankan accents.
4Earthbound
It’s hard to discuss at times what made Earthbound so special when so much of its wonder has been sothoroughly absorbed into the gaming industryat large. It’s impossible to see an RPG indie game using a top-down perspective that isn’t inspired by it.
A large part of what made Earthbound so beloved in the West was the quality of its localisation. It was sharp and witty, unafraid to throw out cutting quips. So much of Earthbound was deeply cultural and contemporary in Japan, so the English localisation made some astounding choices to make it work just the same. Can you envision the final collapse of Capitalism?
3Ace Attorney
To understand why Ace Attorney is so popular in Japan, you need to understand its legal system. Cases are only brought to court if they can be won, and thusly the conviction rate hovers around 99%. The joke of Ace Attorney is to have a lawyer so stalwart that they will not stop until you are acquitted.
Of course, this isn’t quite the same for North America, so the series got some dramatic changes. Suddenly, the games are set in America. Naruhodō Ryūichi becomes Phoenix Wright. Names that are puns in Japanese become equally competent puns in English. What other games give you an assassin called De Killer?
2Xenoblade
For the longest time, and even still, the English dubbing industry was dominated by North America. The only English market that needed to be appealed to was that of America, those other English-speaking nations be damned. You can translate the English language, but you can only localise it by culture.
Xenoblade Chronicles signalled something new. You didn’t need to use American voices, and could make a game as equally good by localising to a British standard. The games get better as they go, too, adding Welsh and Scottish accents and slang to the mix.
The British localisation only occurred because Xenoblade Chronicles was not originally going to be brought to North America.
1Like A Dragon
If there’s anyone that deserves their awards for their work in localising what should be impossible scripts, it’s the people behind the LIke A Dragon games. Those games are so deeply Japanese, from its characters to its settings, and to make those puns works is an astounding achievement.
It’s greatest achievement is in how they retain the Japanese identity, yet manage to make the cultural side understandable to everyone. An example of particular note is the famous crossword from Yakuza 0, where Majima says “Back up, what the hell is gravy?”. That is also a question that will get you many different answers depending on where you ask it, and is why localisation is so damn important.
