Plus-Alpha

Plus Alpha is the localization company that has been responsible for translating Dragon Quest games into English for North American and European territories, starting with Dragon Quest VIII. They are well known for their use of British English, a variety of puns, and pop culture references to, in their own words, "give our products a fresh flavour". Though this method of localization has garnered acclaim from many gamers and critics, it has caused issue with older fans for changing familar names.

Staff

Plus Alpha consists of two individuals: Clare Saracine and Will Blatchley.

Games Localized

Plus Alpha has performed localization work on the following titles for Square Enix:

• Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
• Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies
• Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
• Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
• Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
• Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker
• Dragon Quest Swords

It is believed they are working on the English localization of Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie.

Controversy of Localization Changes

With the arrival of the English version of Dragon Quest VIII, it was clear that many things had been changed in the transition from "Warrior" to "Quest". Nearly all character, monster, location, item and spell names of the Dragon Warrior era of Dragon Quest have been replaced with a template that prefers the use of puns, onomatopoeia and general silliness than precise description. While the opinions of the more scorned fans are perfectly valid, it should be known that all of Plus Alpha's edits are done under supervision from Square Enix, and permission must be given by Yuji Horii himself before any change can be made official.

Nintendo Power Support

Nintendo Power has claimed that the DS localization of Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen is closer to the original Japanese version than Dragon Warrior IV. However, this has been proven false.

Selected Reviews

"This localization is as impressive as all of the recent efforts by Square Enix, and is truly a treat for Western gamers, especially those Dragon Quest fans who were stuck with the terrible original translation." - review from RPG Site

"Those who welcomed the removal of Frog's medieval accent in the recent Chrono Trigger revival may balk at Sancho's comically thick Spanish accent, but we can't help but feel that it displays a charm that elevates Hand of the Heavenly Bride to a uniquely characterful adventure." - IGN UK's review

"Localization, the translation of games from Japanese to English, is often a slapdash affair. Pun-filled wordplay and cheeky video game references abound in this game's smartly written script." - review from A.V. Club

"It's singularly remarkable that Square Enix went to the obvious trouble of writing English humour into the game instead of just dumping a straightforward translation onto the cartridge. This, clearly, is the right way to bring us games from Japan"- review from Yahoo! Games

External Links

Plus Alpha's Official Website

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