Dragon Quest localization history

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Revision as of 19:55, 7 June 2008 by NekoKnight (talk | contribs) (Dragon Quest English Localization Lack of Uniformity)
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Introduction

 Hello and welcome! I'm NekoKnight, and this is the very first internet article I've ever written! For a long time I've been too shy to really submit any kind  of  article  to  the internet, but seeing that this page had nothing written on it, I felt compelled to write my  own article about the "Lack of Uniformity" in the English localization of Dragon Quest, a       topic I and many others feel strongly about. This article will list many major and unusual changes that Square Enix made for the English release of Dragon Quest, as well as what          changes have upset fans the most. I would like to express my deepest thanks to Dustin Hubbard, The Dwaine, Woodus, zenithian, and all the others who have worked so hard to create truly fantastic sites and spread the word about Dragon Quest throughout the Western Hemisphere, and also for allowing people like us the oppurtunity to be able to create articles like this. And remember, I'm new to this whole article writting thing, so if I do something wrong or make a mistake, please go easy on me!^_^ 

Now, let's get down to business.

A Brief History

 In 1989, around three years after the first Dragon Quest game was released in Japan, Nintendo of America decided it was time to introduce North American gamers to the Japanese RPG genre. So they localized "Dragon Quest" and renamed it "Dragon Warrior" (TSR owned the name Dragon Quest at the time, so they had no choice but to change the name to something else.) Shortly after, Enix of America took root and decided to bring the second game stateside, following the third and fourth.
 Sadly, Enix did not localize any of the Super Famicom DQ games, which meant that U.S. fans missed out on two of the best DQ titles, V and VI. And with the success of the Final Fantasy series, Dragon Warrior was beginning to fade into obscurity. It wasn't until the year 2000 that Dragon Warrior miraculously returned in the  form of "Dragon Warrior Monsters" for the Gameboy Color, which helped to immerse several new American fans into the series, including myself. The games' translation was also improved, with the names of characters and such being more faithful to the Japanese version, one example being that "Erdrick" was renamed "Loto", which was a more faithful translation of his Japanese name, "Roto". Enix continued to release almost all Dragon Warrior/Quest titles here in America, and it seemed as though the series was here to stay. But then, something unimaginable happenned.
 On April 3rd 2003, Enix and Square merged into one company to form Square Enix. Many people were ecstatic, and others had high hopes for Dragon Quest's future. Perhaps now that Square and Enix  have  merged,  Dragon Quest  would  finaly get the  recognition it  deserved, or so  many thought. Little did we know just what the new Square Enix USA had in store for our beloved series.

The Post-Merger Confusion

  Shortly after the merger, the fans began asking questions about the future of Dragon Quest in America, and if we would be getting the PS2 remake of Dragon Quest V. However, most of the people in the newly formed Square Enix USA were former Square employees, many of whom had never even heard of Dragon Quest before the merger, and didn't really seem  to  care. The fans were crushed. It seemed as though their voices were falling on deaf ears, and the future of Dragon Quest looked bleak. But when SE announced that Dragon Quest VIII for the PS2 would be coming to the states, the fans once again rejoiced! But their rejoicing wouldn't last long, as the English localization of Dragon Quest VIII had the fans confused and dismayed at the several changes made that contradicted both Dragon Warrior and Dragon Quest Tradition. And while some of the changes were welcomed, others only brought confusion and frustration to many fans who almost felt insulted by Square Enix for their sometimes awkward translation.           
  The follwing sections will look at how the series was altered from both it's American and Japanese traditions, almost to the point of being unrecognizable at times, as well as point out some of the advantages of the new localization over the old. The purpose of this article is NOT to bash Square Enix, but to evaluate how they've handled the localization and the fans reaction to it.

Script Writing and Voice Acting

  First, let's begin with Dragon Quest VIII, the first Dragon Quest game localized by Square Enix. I would like to commend Square Enix USA for truly going the extra mile with DQ8, by the implementation of voice acting and the symphonic soundtrack.
   Now the original Japanese version of DQ8 had no voice acting and simply used synthetic music, and the added voice acting for the English version is a subject that many fans have mixed feelings about. You see, Dragon Quest games have always been about being natural and casual. And even though they take place in a medieval-like setting, they don't really take place in medieval times. Rather, they take place in their own world with their own culture and language, a language that is usually very modern and easy for people to relate to.
   Enix understood this and transfered this casual atmosphere over into the Dragon Warrior games. With the exception of Dragon Warrior 1-3 for the NES, the script in the Dragon Warrior games was very straight forward and Americanish. Dragon Warrior Monsters even used the word "dude" in the character script, something that would be unheard of in medieval England!
   But when Square Enix took over, they rewrote the script with a much more medieval "slant" to it, as well as adding voice acting from a British acting group to accommodate the new script. And the new script definitely has a lot of advantages over the old and all to often straight forward script of Dragon Warrior. However, some of the names were translated without much regard to the actual Japanese, and many fans were sad and frustrated to see the names of monsters, spells, items and such, had been changed. One example, is that the Hero's pet was named "Toppo" in the Japanese, but renamed "Munchie" in the English.  
   And while the voices for characters like Trode and Yangus were entertaining, others were not so, and the British voices at times seemed very over the top and goofy, which can really detract from the game's more emotional parts. Sure, I don't mind a British accent here or there, but I think that Americans can relate better to characters who sound a bit more...well...American. But perhaps the most annoying aspect is that the characters simply TALK TOO SLOW. Sometimes it'll take a character ten seconds to say just five words. Normal people, British and American alike, just don't talk that way. The voice acting reminds me of those old Rankin Bass action cartoons from the 80's like Thundercats and Sliver Hawks, both of which had dreadfully slow paced voice acting. But then again, I guess it's a matter of taste. Also, the voice acting doesn't quite fit the anime style of the game. Perhaps SE should have looked into say... The Ocean Group or something to do the voices instead.
   Now let's tackle the game's script. A good scriptwriter knows that coherency is a major factor in writing a good script. But some parts of the script are written with broken up English that you can hardly read, like the dialogue of those guys with the yellow masks. The script doesn't quite capture the spirit of Dragon Quest, and I don't think that Square Enix truly understands the series all that well. It feels like their trying to take a traditional Japanese RPG, and put a Western "spin" on it if you will, by changing the script around to make it feel less Japanese and more like a western-style almost "Tolkien-ish " RPG. Not that I don't like Tolkien, just that this is Dragon Quest, not Tolkien.

Changes

   Square Enix also changed the names of many monsters, spells, and items to reflect this more "Western" style. And it wouldn't be so bad if the changes weren't so ridiculous! Why would Square Enix change "Battle Rex" to "hacksauraus" or "Golden Slime" to "gem slime?" The series went through so many changes that many fans almost felt insulted by Square Enix for disregarding so many of Dragon Quest's Traditions. And why on earth are the names of monsters and items not capitalized? Final Fantasy's monsters and items are always capitalized. And come to think of it, Final Fantasy's script is usually very modern and casual, too. So why doesn't Square Enix localize Dragon Quest the same way they localize Final Fantasy? Another thing that really upset the fans is that all of the traditional battle and spell sound affects were removed, sound affects that have been around since the first DQ game and had become a staple in the series. Now anyone who has played a Zelda game recognizes that "doodly doodly doo!" noise whenever you unlock a secret. That noise is something that Zelda fans have come to expect from the series. It just wouldn't be a Zelda game without that beautiful noise! Yes well, DQ fans feel the same way about the sound effects in DQ. Removing those sound effects makes the game feel less like Dragon Quest, and we are not happy to see them removed.
   

God is in His Heavens, All is Not Well with Square Enix

  In Square Enix's new localization, all references to "God" are replaced with "Goddess", and Christian crosses have been distorted to look almost like forks. While it may be safe to assume that Square Enix made these changes to avoid controversy, it still provides a problem for the future of the Dragon Quest localization. For instance, "God" plays a major role in Dragon Quest VII. And should that game ever be remade (for the DS perhaps), how would Square Enix handle the localization? Would they change His sprite to a female and call Him "Goddess?!" This is the kind of problem you run into when you replace an originally masculine term with a feminine one. If Square Enix had opted for a different term such as "The God" or "The One", this problem could be avoided much easier.
  It also seems very unusual, since many video games contain references to God. Such games  include "Megaman Legends", "Megaman Battle Network 2", and even Square's very own "Threads of Fate." So why would Square Enix preserve references to God in one of their own games, but not the others? Even the Dragon Warrior games since Dragon Warrior Monsters maintained all of the Judeo-Christian symbolism, and "Dragon Warrior VII" leaves in all the references to God. And so far, I have heard of no such outcries from peoples concerning these religous themes.
  Religion has always played a significant role in the Dragon Quest series, and while Square Enix hasn't quite thrown out all of the religous themes, they have thrown out some of the greatest traditions in the series, and it makes the games feel once again less like Dragon Quest. An interesting side note is that Japan has taken notice of these changes and have started using the distorted "Fork Crosses" instead of the Christian ones themselves, although the references to "God" have remained intact. 

Remaining Faithful

  I and many others beleive that when Japanese video games are localized, they should remain as faithful to the Japanese version as much as necessary. Of course, Japanese games have to go through some sort of "Americanization" when brought over to the states, but they still need to maintain their Japanese identity. Which is why I believe that you should only change names and such when they really don't make sense or don't sound good in English. For instance, changing "Kukule" to "Angelo" in DQVIII. But localizers should't be changing names just for the sake of changing names, especially when the names they came up with don't even sound that good! The names are what the original author Yuji Horii intended them to be. And I feel that to just change them like that for no real good reason is very disrespectful to the author. How would you like it if you wrote a book and got it published, only to find that the publishing company changed the names of all your characters to what THEY like? You would't be very happy, 

would you?

In Closing

  One good thing about the new localization, is that it did seem to help Dragon Quest get more high tech if you will, with DQ Swords having voice acting of it's own and DQ 4-6 DS having character portraits in battle. And we're getting almost every new Dragon Quest title released in America! But their localization, I feel, is in need of serious revision. I think Square Enix should really listen to it's fans opinions and take them in, and we in turn should remain firm in our belief that Dragon Quest needs revising. But we should never be mean or rude to Square Enix, and we should always thank them for bringing our beloved series statewide. There are so many things left to write about, but I'll have to cut this short for now. I hope this article was helpful to anyone who has played Dragon Quest, or is interested in knowing more about the Dragon Quest series. Thanks for reading!