Yasumi Matsuno knows a thing or two about troubled localizations. Final Fantasy Tactics, arguably his magnum opus, struggled with an infamously bad English translation before eventually being reworked on PlayStation Portable.
So it was notable to see Matsuno weigh in on an X/Twitter discussion on Monday around the translation of Unicorn Overlord, a new tactics RPG from Vanillaware that received a demo last week. Responding to claims that Unicorn Overlord sacrificed accuracy for flowery prose, Matsuno said he endorsed a degree of localization as long as the original creator approves.
“I believe that it is unacceptable for someone to alter a work without considering the original author’s intent. However, when the market or language is different, a direct translation may not convey the intended meaning accurately. This is especially true for humor. Therefore, I think some degree of alteration is unavoidable,” Matsuno said. “The issue lies in whether the original author has consented to these alterations. Has anyone confirmed whether the author of Unicorn Overlord has approved its English translation?”
He added in a separate tweet, “The insistence that you should comply with the original no matter what, and the claim that it is good to free translate if it matches the market. I know that there has been a fierce debate for a long time. I don’t stand for either claim. The discussion should be done by the players.”
This is my personal opinion, but may I share it with you?
I believe that it is unacceptable for someone to alter a work without considering the original author’s intent. However, when the market or language is different, a direct translation may not convey the intended meaning…
— 松野泰己🐈⬛ (@YasumiMatsuno) February 26, 2024
The instances observed in the thread mostly involve attempts to enhance otherwise straightforward dialogue. In one example cited in the thread, the hero Clive says, “I think fighting Renault with our current strength would be difficult,” while the English localization reads, “Casting the gauntlet at Renault’s feet would only send us all to an early grave.”
IGN has reached out to Atlus for additional context on Unicorn Overlord’s localization.
An age-old RPG debate
While Matsuno was careful to avoid commenting on Unicorn Overlord itself, he was weighing in on an age-old discussion within the RPG community regarding the English localization of Japanese games, particularly role-playing games. It’s a debate that stretches back to the days of RPGs on 16-bit consoles, when stories became more sophisticated and fans began to debate the intent behind various localization choices. Like so much of the rest of games industry discourse, it’s a discussion that at times has become toxic.
In talking about his own experience with Final Fantasy Tactics, Matsuno pointed to the direct translation of Hokuten Knights, which might have been more accurately localized as “Order of the Northern Sky.”
“Given the character limit, it’s easy to imagine that it was a difficult task. Moreover, the schedule for translation was likely tight as well. That’s why I wanted to consult with me before making a decision. I think it would have been okay to change the name of the knight order to something more suitable for an English-speaking audience in the English version. I don’t blame the translators; I believe the responsibility lies with those who assigned the task,” Matsuno wrote.
In a separate tweet, Matsuno said that his experience with Tactics led him to send the names of special moves, items, and other terms to the Vagrant Story localization team in order to align them as closely as possible with the English version. He praised localizer Alexander O. Smith for the “high level” of the work on Vagrant Story, which has been praised over the years for its excellent translation.
One way or another, Matsuno says that he’s “really looking forward” to Unicorn Overlord, which is a strong endorsement coming from one of the acknowledged masters of the tactics RPG genre. Indeed, Unicorn Overlord is in many ways a direct tribute to Matsuno’s own work, particularly the much-loved Ogre Battle series, while featuring the lavish art that Vanillaware is known for.
Unicorn Overlord is currently slated to release on Switch, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on March.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
