Suikoden I & II HD Remaster is out tomorrow. I’ll have a review up soon, but I wanted to post some quick thoughts on the new translation.
“For the original games, the size of the dialogue box was quite small and there wasn’t a lot that we could fit in there,” producer Yasuo Daikai told IGN back in 2022. “Japanese is a language that can say a lot in a very short amount of space, but for English and other languages, you need a lot of space to say the same thing usually. So in this game we have expanded the size of those dialogue boxes, and that has let us retool and work on the localization to get us more in tune with the Japanese script,”
I wasn’t able to check all or even most of the dialogue, instead pausing occasionally to compare the remasters to footage of the Playstation originals. But most lines I did compare are different. It’s a fine translation, but one that sometimes sacrifices idiosyncratic character for what feels like cautious legibility. Considering how difficult these games are to own legally, my ideal package would have been one that preserved the original scripts in some form.
Sometimes, the stilted becomes the colloquial in ways that feel sensible and deft. Viktor’s “Prepare yourselves for a surprise” from Suikoden 1 is now “you might wanna sit down for this”. Sometimes, the poetic becomes more commonplace. “Not that I see our reunion in the stars,” Leknaat tells the hero in the original. “Not based on an astrology reading,” she says now. Odessa’s “Our tiny newborn hope must be kept alive” is now “that small flame of hope must be kept alive.”
Other changes are more subjective, depending on how much you like Suikoden’s goofiness, but seem clear examples of extra space being used. Instead of the hero having the option to tell Emperor Barbarossa “I don’t wanna”, he can now say “not if I can help it”.
I’ve only played a little of Suikoden 2 at time of writing, but every line I compared in the introduction is slightly different. Again, these strike me as a translator using the extra space that Daikai mentioned to craft more precise lines. Jowy’s “Me too. I thought about going back to Kyaro and I couldn’t wait to get out of that uniform” is now “Me too, actually. No way I could stay in that uniform any longer knowing we’re headed home to Kyaro.” Luca Blight’s “I wish I had joined the ambush. All I’ve had to fight lately is that old man. I’m getting rusty” is now “I wish I had joined the ambush. All I’ve had to fight lately is that stupid old man. I’m falling out of practise.”
Since review embargo is up, I can tell you I’m having a lovely time revisiting two games that are precious to me beyond words (which is awkward because I have to write about them). There are also plenty of features in support of preservation: music, cutscene, and cinematic galleries with concept art backgrounds. There’s no lack of love or care here. Suikoden I character designer Junko Kawano’s new portraits are a real treat, especially. But – speaking purely in terms of preservation – there’s something irreplaceable about a fourteen year old answering an emperor’s request with “I don’t wanna”, and I’d have loved to see an original translation menu toggle.
(Yes – the dragons still sound like elephants.)