Culture Apparently ‘Unicorn Overlord’ Already Has Issues With Its Localization - For some reason, Japanese games are particularly affected by overly invasive localizers, trying to make their creative mark where it should not exist.

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'Unicorn Overlord' doesn't exactly have a very accurate localization. Atlus, Vanillaware

In yet another case of Japanese games receiving bizarrely edited localizations, it seems that Unicorn Overlord is the latest of these to be affected.

With the release of Unicorn Overloard pretty imminent, fans are eager to play the full version of Vanillaware’s latest and greatest gaming epic.

As I already covered the excellent demo, it seems that some fans are understandably upset with the game’s highly edited localization.

The full breakdown of this situation is worth a read, but the following Twitter/X thread (shown below) also goes into a lot of helpful detail.

Unicorn Overlord had a free demo released. After playing it, I can say quite confidently that the localisation is abhorrent. Here begins a thread of numerous examples.

Put simply, it seems that the localization changes a lot of the intent from the various characters and consequently the game’s story. This is a real shame but by no means the first instance of this happening in gaming.

For some reason, Japanese games are particularly affected by overly invasive localizers, trying to make their creative mark where it should not exist.

Localization is a complex and difficult process at the best of times, having people misunderstand their role and try to inject their own creative take on a translation far exceeds their remit and negatively impacts the games they are work on.

In that, localization is an important but entirely separate discipline from game development, and if localizers want to make games so badly then they should just apply for actual game development jobs instead.

In the meantime, it seems that arguably one of Vanillaware’s best games is already plagued with interference from people who should have been just translating the game properly.

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They changed the script to a “final fantasy tactics war of the lions” styled Victorian thing. Which makes some sense, as the game is very blatantly inspired by Tactics Ogre.



The script is really annoying at first, but it becomes tolerable later.
It’s not woke as much as it is really verbose. Some of it is genuinely funny.
 
David Stewart said that it's not really the localizer's fault, as much as it's that the initial script is godawful.
 
Gayops that you can see miles away.

Kotaku still supports SweetBaby and wokeshit injecting translations, you can't fucking fool us.

"no u see they're the bad translators who are destroying japanese authenticity not us, we're hip and in with memes and the social justice fight" Motherfuckers there are ROM emulator translation groups who translate better than you fucks, shut the fuck up and neck yourselves.
 
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"sweet"

Yeah, because that is a common difficulty description in games /sneed
 
Disappointed you can't walk around in towns and essentially its just the world map you can talk to ppl and stuff.
Oh and there's some controversy too regarding Scarlet due to the localization
 
Foxxo said:
David Stewart said that it's not really the localizer's fault, as much as it's that the initial script is godawful.
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This is one of so many fallback lines these parasitic scumbags try using to gaslight their critics.
If it were really so bad, it wouldn't sell in Japan.
 
I saw that Twitter thread a week or so ago. If it isn't Fire Emblem Fates bad where they change everything or remove dialogue for *:3 tail wag* I couldn't give a shit.
Maybe that says more about me that the bar is set low
 
Breadbassket said:
For some reason, Japanese games are particularly affected by overly invasive localizers, trying to make their creative mark where it should not exist.
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Part of the competency crisis. Back when programming was more specialized; the Japanese gave you X-amounr of text boxes that are so big. You need to find a clear enough font and fit as much info in those boxes as possible. Now-a-days they'll resize boxes and just add more if needed.

One guy did all of Secret of Mana in a weekend. Story, items, gear, locations, everything. It was far from perfect as a lot if finer story details were left out, but was entirely functional. Without restrictions, you're able to have sloppier writing.

Breadbassket said:
Localization is a complex and difficult process at the best of times, having people misunderstand their role and try to inject their own creative take on a translation far exceeds their remit and negatively impacts the games they are work on.
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Some things just don't carry over across languages or culture. But I'd rather have some obscure 1990 sumo reference than modern Internet memes. For everyone yelling that round eyes don't understand it, fictional world argument; I can dismiss it as something lorewise I don't understand, as easily as I can dismiss a fantasy world with dragons and BMWs, but no black people.

Breadbassket said:
In that, localization is an important but entirely separate discipline from game development, and if localizers want to make games so badly then they should just apply for actual game development jobs instead.
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These retards can't code, and while they may have the chops for conversational translation; I doubt they have the aptitude for tech shit in a foreign language that is already on the more difficult end from English.
 
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Night Crawler said:
I take it this is about some sort of SJW faggotry being put in the game through translation not just a poorly translated Japanese game. Back when I was younger in the 90's Japanese games were full of errors with the translations. I watch videos about them, and I never even noticed back then.
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Make ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US great again!
 
I read a bunch of the examples. I didn't see anything obnoxious or eye-rolling, it just looks unnecessarily flowery and wordy. Like they just just hired some overly eager kids straight out of college.

It's not optimal, but it doesn't make me not want to buy the game. It's nowhere near sweetbaby tier garbage.

Edit: I won't be playing it, because it's not coming to PC.
 
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Chin of Campbell said:
VANILLAWARE PUT FUCKING DRAGON CROWN ON STEAM NOW, GODDAMN IT, NOW
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I have a physical copy of that on the Vita. I agree they should put them on Steam. I never played it much but it would be cool to have on PC. Odin Sphere and one other game would be nice as well.
TowinKarz said:
Make ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US great again!
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Those old 90's JRPG's were full of translation errors. I still never noticed.
 
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