The irony in this is I would argue with you on the point wanting to localize like this it makes them seem incredibly Jingoistic imo despite the fact these types will make protestations that they are VERY understanding to other cultures.....yeah right. We call that hypocracy.

I played some of the beta as a backer, and I didn't get past LIan's first tirade into sillyness. At the time, I had no idea that this was unintentional. I doubt it, but really hope for a fix for the English translation. It really changes the tone of the game and impacts the characters in a negative way. Also, I did end up switching to Japanese voices and that helped a bit with getting a feel for how the characters were meant to act. 505 did some real dream killing and legacy busting with this.

They're not getting my money, these people never learn.

You received the pre-order bonus (Pioneer Pack) for pre-ordering. You may lose it if you refund only to re-purchase.

I looked at the first 3 screenshots / posts and uh...

Yes, while some of the translations are trying to do content/context vs literal... I also find some of the poster's Japanese literal translations to be inaccurate.

So IMO English speakers shouldn't even be freaking out about this if they don't even know what the Japanese originally said. You're already relying on an interpretation as your source.

I don't need to see an accurate Japanese translation to see the English version is completely drowning in insipid, embarrassing current-dayisms that instantly break any sense of immersion.

The link in the OP from Swedrami has a ton of examples, besides that one joke. If you can't see the character personality changes or some of the mistranslations/insertion of modern day-isms in the examples, I don't know what to tell you. Probably nothing, considering the last part of your post...

The example I posted was from a different game, but done by the same guy, who was one of the localizers on Eiyuden:
https://nitter.poast.org/pic/orig/media%2FGL0o69ia4AAbpxt.png

Would you trust someone like this to do their job responsibly? Only you can decide.

Also apparently, the character's name, Nowa, should properly be translated into Noah. Wonder why that one got filtered... *thinking emoji*.

Going by all the available information, concerns about the game's localization integrity are very well justified in this case, at least IMO. But everyone can make up their own mind of course.

I think, a localization is going to far if the heritage of the creators and their mentality is lost. Fans who want the "true taste" will surely never be happy, reason why fan-translations are so popular for many games... on top of a generally faster translation. Although, the publishers could care less because as soon as the mainstream is "locked out" the few fans may not matter anymore. Now, what is the mainstream? Well. those who say "everything should become americanized and the rating should exclude a M for the sake of the childrens, teens and maybe even pets". Just as i said, the minorities only matters if they got a brutal kind of might... but not the sort of minorities almost as stripped down considering their moneybag just as everyone else. As i see it, they was able to become a 10+ rating in the US, so it is considered green for the publisher, i guess. In Europe the rating was 12+ and probably not even censored nor dismantled in a way the true intention is unable to become understood in many occasions, which is surely not satisfying.

Sure, i will get the game... and i can play it in german too, no issue. However, not sure if i get it right at the launch because some stuff is unclear... and indeed, a offline installer is a harsh demand, no excuse... in case something is screwed up there.

I mean, it is becoming less and less common for me buying stuff at launch due to many reasons, including "fear of fear of missing out (my greed is not big enough anymore)", "bugged like always seen before", "new final versions, much more supreme than anything ever before and no update to the final version for launch-buyers" and indeed... weak localizations. So... i guess the publishers should level up soon or maybe it is just me not being that satisfied with;... according to the reviews not really the case.

However, i am pretty sure it is a great game... if we exclude the "usual issues".

I don't see any discount. For me it shows the full price.

In the US there is a 10% discount, but not sure same counts for other region-locks. On top of that, the discount is ONLY valid for the standard version.

Clearly pricey because i could get the PS5 version priced exactly the same (including physical disc and physical delivery), compared to the Steam or GoG-version. Still, GoG got the DRM free bonus, which makes it more valuable to me. Although, zero clue why i should pay the same for a DRMed digital copy, if i got 2 "better options"... unless i am a big fan of a certain launcher (not the case).

On one hand, this release includes Japanese audio and text, so I don't have to worry about ideologies forced into the script. However, on the other hand, this release also contains butchered localizations, which I cannot support.

Injecting a single individual's ideologies into a game of Japanese origin to make it politically correct for the Western market has no place in my view. Players outside of Japan who are unable to understand the language deserve better value for their money.

This leaves me with the choice of either buying from Japan or not buying at all, and at the moment, I'm leaning towards not buying at all. Any money spent would only further enable the employment of individuals like this activist/translator for future projects, potentially leading to more ideologically-driven games being butchered for the foreign market.

If I could offer one piece of advice to anyone reading this, it would be to learn Japanese, consume original media, and form your own opinions to broaden your horizon. Cultural wars, waged to the detriment of the gaming public seeking solace in another world, should be given no space or precious time and consideration when the real purpose is to relax and play games.

Gog probably messed up again since I don't see the discount either and I'm in the US. Quite fortunate since this was gonna be an instabuy and I was waiting for said discount to materialize. Now, I've managed to dodge the bullet.

Anyone waiting for the discount should contact Gog support or a blue. This entire missing a discount thing happens on Gog far too often.

Localization the developers and publishers hired, guided, and approved. It's not like this is a random team that somehow got rights and just released it without input. (Which has happened, and explains a lot of the NES/SNES era issues.)

While I think some people tend to overblow localization and pulling hairs about stuff that doesn't matter in the bigger picture, this one is pretty bad. The changes don't enhance the story/characters at all and the word choices are jarring. There's a mix of archaic and modern language choices (e.g., farthead, yelly, yo' hands, buttercup, grandma's backside, etc. vs jingle jingle, chud) that feels too inconsistent and distracting.

Localization should be used for more important literature works like novels where literature syntax, figures of speech, nuances, sociocultural references, hidden messages, etc. are super important and can enhance the work for certain audiences like Sabin_Starge's SEGA example. Or Harry Potter's 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' anagram in other languages.

Based off Swedrami's screenshots, this seems like another iteration on the Star Wars IV formula. A late elementary schooler could probably comprehend a translated Standard English text no problem, which makes me question why localization was necessary in the first place.

I'll also be waiting for a retranslation mod to come out before getting this game.

Jingle jingle? I dont even know what it means, it is just tasteless. Some of the other stuff sounds like some slang... perhaps it has been translated by a teen of the "modern age", who was struggling to find some archaic words. Still, i could care less... the german text is most likely better and the audio can be used in the original Japanese... everything perfect for me!

People should not exaggerate, this is still a good game and they should look at it as a "whole piece". Most likely someone will provide a new translated text at some point; all will be fine after, i guess.

So, enjoy the game... or simply wait for those changes to arrive.

I think they did screw up because i got some proof of a 10% reduced USD-price. Apparently not everything or everyone is affected for whatever reason. Most likely a bad code and some "inconsistency"... i mean they put as close as no coins into this platform, so it is always somewhat "on life support". The big cash flow is going into the mainstream-games... of CDPR.

However, as far as i can see... on Steam (at least my country-spec) there is not even any price cut at all (just for a collection, but this is another thing), so it is not something that can be expected

Digital price is in general to expensive, unless there is a price cut... to be honest. I mean, the cost of publishing is clearly lower compared to a physical copy, yet... launch games are not cheaper at all. It is simply that expensive because "they can" and many people buying it. Additionally, no matter if EGS or even GoG is offering a 10% publishing cut only... most publishers still prefer Steam at a 30% cut (it can vary, this is surely the upper number) because, even at a huge cut... still more "income"; works as easy as that. Sure, sometimes they simply say "there is so and so much coins required in order to get the license", no matter how its done... the issue is the same and with increased customers in general the margin will increase as well, because "they can".

Anyway... i already told many times, DRM free is simply a bonus and always worth extra coins for me.