- Games
- JRPGs
- Dragon Quest
The series had its ups and downs with localization
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Square Enix)
- Copy link
- X
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Signup +
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Signup +
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Signup +
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Signup +
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Signup +
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Signup +
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletterLocalization is a tricky process. You've got humor, tone, and social dynamics to contend with amid the surface translation. JRPG legend Yuji Horii, creator of and continuous lead developer on the Dragon Quest series, believes something is often lost when games transition from Japanese to English.
He spoke about it to Famitsu, as translated by Automaton. "When it comes to English, the flavor tends to get lost in many ways," he states. "Things inevitably end up sounding simplistic." Making games since the early '80s, and having designed, directed or contributed to almost every entry in the Dragon Quest franchise, he's made his peace with how the writing fluctuates across regions.
"I’ve come to accept that English is a simple language, so there’s no helping it," he adds. Though this comes across a touch skeptical, cynical even, I can understand why his feelings aren't wholly positive. The Dragon Quest games have a mixed history when it comes to their releases for English-speaking territories.
You may like-
Dragon Quest 8 translator's decision to make the JRPG British English didn't go down well with Square Enix's US office
-
Final Fantasy's Yoshinori Kitase and Dragon Quest's Yuji Horii are both on board with Square Enix's multiplatform push
-
Dragon Quest visionary Yuji Horii is getting his own RPG-style manga detailing his journey to creating the iconic JRPG
Watch On
The games were re-titled to Dragon Warrior when put out by Nintendo in the US, and underwent a number of changes between coming out in Japan and elsewhere. Various teams across Nintendo, Enix and Square Enix have taken different approaches to translating the JRPGs, the British-English MO of Dragon Quest 8 becoming a standard-bearer for the modern era.
There isn't a huge amount of consistency, and fan-translations of the older entries tend to be preferred by fans because they more readily capture the intended feel of what Horii and his fellow devs were going for. The quality has increased, as the last installment, Dragon Quest 11, is celebrated for how good the localization is.
Meanwhile, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake provided a redux of those classics with renewed attention from translators. But Horii can probably remember when his games didn't get such treatment. Maybe someone should show him how fans have translated the first few releases.
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined convinces Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi to do the unthinkable and drop FF14, at least for now: "Somehow I eventually cracked"
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ NewsletterContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. CATEGORIES PC Gaming PS5 Xbox Series X Nintendo Switch 2 Platforms PlayStation Xbox Nintendo
Anthony McGlynnSocial Links NavigationContributing WriterAnthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.
View MoreYou must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
Logout Read more
Dragon Quest 8 translator's decision to make the JRPG British English didn't go down well with Square Enix's US office
Final Fantasy's Yoshinori Kitase and Dragon Quest's Yuji Horii are both on board with Square Enix's multiplatform push
Dragon Quest visionary Yuji Horii is getting his own RPG-style manga detailing his journey to creating the iconic JRPG
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined producer says the dev tried to preserve the "cuteness" of Akira Toriyama's original designs
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined is having a great time on Steam, but it's no Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined convinces Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi to do the unthinkable and drop FF14 for now
Latest in Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined convinces Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi to do the unthinkable and drop FF14 for now
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined producer says the dev tried to preserve the "cuteness" of Akira Toriyama's original designs
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined "isn't meant to supplement or improve upon" previous versions of the classic JRPG
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined is having a great time on Steam, but it's no Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D
Dragon Quest 8 translator's decision to make the JRPG British English didn't go down well with Square Enix's US office
I've fallen in love with Dragon Quest 7 – not the JRPG's breezy new remake, but the 25-year-old PS1 original
Latest in News
Dragon Quest creator says English is "a simple language," so "the flavor tends to get lost" when translating games
Resident Evil Requiem is too scary for series veteran Hideki Kamiya, who argues Capcom "should make a 'non-scary' mode"
The next big Switch 2 exclusive, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, gets a May release date out of nowhere
One Piece season 2 answers a near 30-year-old manga mystery in surprisingly straightforward fashion
MMO raises subscription prices less than 2 months after ditching microtransactions, causing a RuneScape fan revolt
One Piece season 2 is a live-action adaptation to treasure as it debuts to perfect Rotten Tomatoes score
LATEST ARTICLES- 1One Piece season 2 answers a near 30-year-old manga mystery in surprisingly straightforward fashion
- 2Corsair's two best gaming chairs have been hit with discounts in Amazon's Spring sale
- 3Resident Evil Requiem is too scary for series veteran Hideki Kamiya, who argues Capcom "should make a 'non-scary' mode"
- 4The next big Switch 2 exclusive, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, gets a May release date out of nowhere
- 5MMO raises subscription prices less than 2 months after ditching microtransactions, causing a RuneScape fan revolt
