Despite being funded as Kickstarter’s top project of 2020, generating millions of dollars, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes embarked on development with immense hype and expectations.
However, four years later, the game’s release has disappointed those seeking authentic translations, as it largely feels like a colonized Western imitation rather than a true spiritual successor to classic JRPGs like Konami’s Suikoden franchise.
The aim was to revive an era of JRPG greatness that many believed had faded. With the passing of series creator Yoshitaka Murayama, there were doubts about whether the game could fulfill its lofty ambitions and serve as a fitting final legacy.
Developed by Rabbit & Bear Studios and published by 505 Games, any good and service Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has provided to JRPG fans seeking a nostalgic revolution has been overshadowed by the game’s atrocious localization.
We’re all too familiar with Western influence taking control over Japanese games, even during their development process, with translations often undermining the creators’ intentions with localizations that stray far from the original script.
Colonialist localization manifests in various ways, whether it’s introducing political jargon and identity politics upon Japanese media for Western audiences, censoring “problematic” elements deemed offensive and discriminatory, or, primarily, through malicious localization. In its most common form, the translation team imposes Western slang, insults, and euphemisms into the script to make the localized product conform more to the preferences of “modern audiences,” or rather, to the preferences of themselves.
Take, for example, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, which incorporates the Western term “simp” in its English release, a reference to Dora the Explorer no less. Additionally, the translation significantly alters dialogue interactions between white women and men with dark skin, completely removing any praise the men give to the women, such as complimenting their white skin as beautiful. Instead, the scene suggests that the women need to “get some vitamin D.”
Shiravune, a division of DMM games publishes adult visual novels in Western markets, also faced criticism for their English translated releases of various Visual Novels like NUKITASHI 1 & 2. These translations were marred by the malicious insertion of Western slang, including terms like “incel,” alongside other inappropriate words such as “virginfag,” “poggers,” and “nutting.”
Alongside whatever the fuck this is supposed to be.
There have also been instances where localizers have revealed their true intentions. JelloApocalypse openly boasted about being contracted to revise the dub script for Lovely Complex, proudly expressing his disdain for the original show and claiming that his deviated scripts “made it better.”
This is clearly a deliberate effort. Localizers will try to gaslight fans by claiming they love the product as it is. However, they cannot resist deviating wildly from the script, incorporating their own lingual preferences or political agendas for no other reason than to cater to themselves, rather than to the fans.
The most egregious instances of localization occur when translation teams excessively embellish the original Japanese dialogue. Unicorn Overlord serves as a prime example, with embellished translations that distort the original context and meaning of many in-game character dialogues, effectively rewriting entire characters.
Evil tends to destroy rather than create. Instead of crafting something original, they seek to corrupt the media you enjoy and claim it as their own.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is set to officially release on April 24th. However, players who have pre-ordered the Digital Deluxe edition are currently enjoying a 48-hour early access period. Already, discerning fans with keen eyes and functioning brains have noticed that the localization is amiss.
Countless steam forum threads have been created by users who’ve noticed abhorrent translations, plagued with Western buzzwords and lingo, these threads have since been locked.
Users have pointed out that the English translation for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes significantly embellishes the original script by introducing Western buzzwords and lingo. This effectively alters characters and creates entirely new personalities for them.
Another post on the Steam forum suggests that the game also includes the word “chud” in its dialogue. However, there’s currently no image evidence to confirm this. Give it a couple of days, and I’m sure someone will confirm it once the game officially releases, though given the extent of how bad the translation is I wouldn’t put it past them to include the phrase somewhere in the game.
For example, in the English rendition, the character of Lian appears overly zealous and quirky, frequently using the English nursery rhyme “rub a dub dub” whereas a imperial soldier is seen calling the player “sus” a Western abbreviation of suspicious.
For comparison, in this particular scene, the original Japanese dialogue roughly translates to “Alright, leave it to me this time. Magic lens, come on out! Open sesame!!”
“Open sesame” is a significant departure from “rub a dub dub, open ya schlub,” which is such a ludicrous translation that even those who don’t speak Japanese can tell something’s off.
Since the game hasn’t officially launched yet, it’ll take some time before more people notice the absurd English translation and compare it properly to the Japanese dialogue. Another notable example of localization brilliance revolves around Francesca’s interaction with three thugs.
Games like Corpse Party are infamous for their heavily altered English translations that often diverge significantly from the original narrative for the sake of over-the-top interpretations. In one instance, Francesca insults three men, threatening to “BREAK THEM” and labeling them as “gropey little pasty-faced, pigeon-licking, garbage-breath punks” while suggesting they “fall off the motherforsaken map.”
This nonsensical gibberish is utterly unreadable, crafted solely to pander to the localization team’s audience rather than those who actually speak English in the first place. It’s a mishmash of absurd insults that are unbelievable, childish, and clearly aimed at rewriting characters and imposing new personalities on them.
Once again, the translation deviates significantly from the original Japanese script, which roughly conveys the message “You guys, don’t mess around. You just touched me with your filthy hands earlier. Looks like you need some punishment after all.“
There’s no mention of “pasty-face pigeon-licking garbage breath” whatsoever, demonstrating the unnecessary insertion of crude remarks and witticisms in the translation.
As the dialogue interaction progresses, it takes a turn for the worse. After Francesca beats up the three thugs, the subsequent frustration is inaccurately portrayed with phrases like “does your friend suffer from chronic stupidity,” and further deviates from the original Japanese script with euphemisms such as “yo hands” and “outta my zone.” In the original Japanese dialogue, Francesca is depicted as threatening to beat the shit out of the thugs.
Before descending into further childish language, in the Japanese dialogue, Francesca states, “did you not hear because your ears were plugged? or is your brain not enough to understand.”
This was significantly altered to “Or did I breaka your widdle heady wid my big big words?” because once again, resorting to infantile language is somehow an attempt at adding “personality.”
You don’t even need to speak Japanese to know that this is absolute dogshit.
In another example, with direct comparisons to the original Japanese dialogue, we can see the deviation and embellishment present in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Lian is trying to activate a magic lens.
The first line is somewhat accurate, as Lian asks Nowa whether he also has a lens. However, it quickly takes a turn from there. Lian tries to make the lens shine by rubbing it, but she struggles to do so. The Japanese line “ふっふーん、 わたしも・・” roughly translates to “Heh, and I…” which indicates she’s in possession of one but is having difficulties activating the lens.
However, in the English release, this is changed to “well, ladies and gentle wolves so do I,” which is a stark deviation and seems quite out of place. The following line, “ほーら、 出ろ出ろ出ろ!!“, loosely translates to either “Come on” or “Come on out” times three, further highlighting her frustration in activating the lens.
However, in the English release, this is changed to “rub a dub dub, don’t be a flub,” which goes beyond embellishment and straight to being nonsensical, destroying the immersion to satisfy imposing a specific personality upon the character that she otherwise doesn’t normally carry in the Japanese version.
Supposedly years in the making, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes boasts a significant portion of English dialogue that either deviates from or makes no sense in relation to the Japanese language. Another drastic change can be seen in Perrielle’s dialogue.
Perrielle, being an aristocrat, apparently needs to have an over-the-top and pompous attitude. This dialogue interaction, much like the preceding one, starts off fine but is embellished and deviates as it progresses further.
The second line of dialogue in the Japanese version loosely translates to “This joint operation must yield results by all means necessary. It’s necessary. It can also be used as a bargaining chip with the Empire.“
However, in the English version, while it conveys the same meaning, it includes the notion that “we must pull our weight on this co-expedition” rather than simply “produce results.” This inherently isn’t terrible however we haven’t even gotten to the real issue yet.
Following this line, the Japanese dialogue proclaims, “Well, I won’t say anything about the primal magic lenses… But if you find the Rune Ruins, I’ve arranged for a bonus to be provided, so please do your best!“
However, the English translation puts minimal effort into conveying this, stating, “I don’t expect you to find a primal lens but if you locate the Runebarrows I’ll see you’re paid extra,” before incorporating the random line of “Jingle jingle and all that, yes?” which is completely out of place and uncharacteristic of the original character.
Perrielle then proclaims “I’m expecting great things from you, handsome.” However, this line was overly embellished in the English translation to convey “Now get out there and show me some results” before then adding “Dazzle me, handsome.” Lian then asks who that was in the Japanese language, which was completely discarded in the English translation where she now proclaims “Well, THAT was a thing.”
While the game itself might be well-received, the usual journalists who have already reviewed or are in the process of reviewing the game unanimously agree that Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a great game for fans of iconic turn-based JRPGs.
However, for purists who wish to avoid abhorrent localization that deviates widely from the original script and imposes barbaric personalities upon characters with nonsensical insults, slang, and slurs, this is certainly enough to deter them from purchasing the game.
Dogshit localization like this should serve as all the incentive you need to learn Japanese or perhaps another foreign language, such as Spanish, which usually features more accurate and respectful translations from Japanese which is actually quite sad if you think about it. Unlike in English translations, you sure as shit won’t encounter Spanish slurs or cultural references that are out of place in Japanese games, that’s for damn sure.
The egregious alterations from Japanese to English not only appear blatantly disconnected from the original material but also, due to the excessive use of Western slang, predominantly cater to younger demographics. Individuals who are seemingly disinterested in turn-based JRPGs.
The English translation in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is effectively predated, disregarding its cringe-inducing nature.
This egregious localization amounts to vandalism of the source material. Those responsible are forcibly injecting Western “cultural” elements into the original content and reshaping entire characters based on their own subjective judgments.
Anyone who unironically condones or supports such translations isn’t an ally but rather an enemy.
They often argue that it adds more “personality” to the character, because apparently to such people nonsensical baby talk, crude language and witticisms somehow passes as personality.
However, the crucial question remains: who exactly is responsible for these abhorrent translations?
The publishers of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes are 505 Games, who collaborate with Bonus Stage Loc(alization), a company dedicated to helping developers reach a “global audience.”
The red flag is already waving.
Bonus Stage Loc describes itself as having a team of creative individuals from diverse backgrounds in music, film, and video games. Their purpose? To provide game localization with the highest standards of “quality, affordability, and flexibility.”
While AI-driven translation is the cheapest option, its widespread adoption has yet to materialize. Bonus Stage Loc represents another global outlet that seeks to subvert your source material into a globally acceptable pile of manure.
As we all know, cheap labor is good labor. Hence why so much of their localization exhibited thus far revolve around retarded insults and fanfiction.
Their services cover a wide range, from Japanese to English translation and curation to planning and coordinating audio recordings. However, the main concern arises from their consultation services. This likely explains why some harsh language in the Japanese version has been radically altered into incomprehensible yet polite drivel in English.
Their team consists of individuals from diverse backgrounds, with many members hailing from outside Japan. Take Andy Kavanagh, for example, who has previously worked on games such as Star Ocean 6: The Divine Force and Star Ocean: The Second Story R.
Then there’s Yuhei Nasu, the CEO of Bonus Stage Loc, who brings experience from his time at Electronic Arts. While his work on titles like Battlefield V, Need for Speed Payback, Titanfall, and even the Saints Row Reboot once garnered attention, it’s now viewed more critically within the industry.
It appears that Tomoya Nasu and Joe Everitt are also known for their contributions to Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order and Star Wars Squadrons, they coincidentally share a similar background with Yuhei Nasu. This common experience may have played a role in their decision to establish Bonus Stage Loc together.
While I don’t have specific information on the quality of Japanese translations produced by these individuals, I can personally confirm that their Japanese to English translations for games they’ve worked on since forming their collective, like Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, are exceptionally poor.
While I can’t speak Japanese myself, even a faux degree in “ChatGPT” feels more authentic and credible compared to anything Bonus Stage Loc has churned out with Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.
Their translation sporadically veers off script, injecting its own bizarre interpretation into much of the game’s dialogue, littering it with western slang, childish remarks and make believe insults.
“It’s personality bro, you just wouldn’t understand, chud.”
This not only subverts the source material but also breaks immersion, effectively creating entirely new characters, or bastardizing their persona. These individuals are nothing short of cultural vandals, paid to purposefully butcher translations, imposing their own retarded fanfiction upon Japanese products specifically to cater it towards toddlers and Redditors.
I refuse to support any company that employs such individuals, and you’d be wise to do the same. If you’re one of the many who’ve waited years for this game to come to fruition, I feel sorry for you, you’ve waited years to be ruthlessly bent over and treated like a fool.
