Dragon Quest Creator Worries Language Barrier Could Hinder Series’ Appeal

Nintendo and Enix (now Square Enix) are no strangers to the challenge of getting the Dragon Quest games over with a Western audience. They teamed up once before to try to capture just a bit of the same lightning in a bottle that has made the series so popular in its native Japan, but to no avail.

The first time, when the game was known as Dragon Warrior in America due to trademark concerns, Nintendo of America gave the game a heavy push, even offering the title to those who subscribed to their Nintendo Power magazine. Though it was received well, it did not explode into the phenomenon which had encompassed Japan.

Fast-forward 21 years later, and the two are teaming up to try their hand at spreading the game’s popularity westward once more. Mere days following the release of the latest entry in the series, Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, series creator and game director Yuji Horii told MTV Multiplayer that he thinks the series has not caught on previously due to the language barrier:

“We really focused the Japanese ‘Dragon Quest‘ game on human beings and human nature. How we achieved that had a lot to do with the Japanese language itself. To say, ‘Oh, it’s so nice today,’ depends on who is speaking. If the grandfather or the granddaughter or a young man is speaking, it’s different how it is expressed in Japanese.

In the Japanese version, the characters used these magic words to communicate, but there was a language barrier when they were trying to localize it in English. In the, US they couldn’t communicate and it was more about impressive graphics, so there was that barrier.”

Horii went on to explain why he thinks that, maybe this time, the game will catch on. One way is through the use of the Celestrian, who is an angel-like character that is a recognizable figure, and one which players should be able to “get into” and “connect with.” In addition, it is a character who has not been used in the previous series titles.

Will their latest endeavor succeed? Only time will tell… though this writer is perhaps more interested in their new game than he has been in any of the Dragon Quest titles prior to it.

Source: MTV Multiplayer