Final Fantasy XVI Gets Localization Right

We’ve all been there. You’re playing a game you really like; the action is tight, the visuals are impressive, and the systems are engaging. Then a character opens their mouth, and the dialogue and how it’s delivered is so cringeworthy that you’re ready to jump ship. Sometimes that’s bad writing. But when we’re talking about a game from a different part of the world, it’s just as likely that questionable localization is the culprit. 

It is hard to do localization and translation well. It is extremely difficult to do it well. In many cases, even minute differences between cultures can have a significant impact on how stories are told in other places. These differences, when combined, can be enough to alienate people from another culture. Language, facial expressions and emotional tones in different media can also be very diverse. In short, it’s no small task to take a game and make it accessible and palatable to an audience from a different part of the world. 

From early on in Final Fantasy XVI’s development, the team expressed an interest in telling a story rooted in Western fantasy archetypes and cinematic narrative. More than once, HBO’s Game of ThronesThe developers cite the show as their main inspiration. If you’ve watched that show, the comparisons are almost inevitable after just a few hours of gameplay.

Final Fantasy XVI does more than cite inspiration from a popular English language show. The game captures English nuance and the story in a manner that is far superior to previous Final Fantasys. I’d go so far as to say it outdoes most Japanese-produced titles I’ve played in hitting the sweet spot. 

Michael-Christopher Koji Fox and his team deserve a lot of praise for making the English version of the game so vibrant. A stellar cast of voice actors and talented writers deserve huge praise as well. I suspect another major factor in the game’s success is how the game’s VO was recorded. Koji told Wesley LeBlanc in our Final Fantasy XVI cover story that the English-speaking team recorded dialogue first and completed facial capture second. I’m confident that one decision helped the game nail that “Western fantasy” aesthetic more than almost anything else because the pacing and flow of character interactions were rooted in delivery from English actors. 

Japanese media is full of tension, engaging characters, and gripping storytelling. But it’s often been challenging for many Japanese-produced games to capture some of that magic, and much of that can be attributed to the challenge of localization. Prior Final Fantasy games are as guilty as any of a mismatch between the gravitas of its story and a narrative delivery that doesn’t match, at least as it comes across to an English-speaking audience.

Final Fantasy XVI has the most awkward dialogue, from the way it is said to the pace of the conversation. It’s the first game I’ve played in a series where something was not at least a bit off-putting. Romantic scenes keep tension high and the focus on them. Big emotions don’t feel as overwrought as they often have in past entries. Even if they take on a medieval fantasy feel, casual conversations are still easy to have.

Some of us remember fondly the relationships that developed between characters in previous Final Fantasy games. But compare the bumbling romantic overtures between Tidus and Yuna in Final Fantasy X with similar character dynamics in Final Fantasy XVI, and it’s clear that a notable evolution has unfolded in the interim. The character relationships in Final Fantasy XV and even more recent games, such as the brothers’ friendship between the two leads, seem a bit juvenile in comparison to this new installment.

During the earliest hours of Final Fantasy XVI, Cid’s pitch-perfect cadence and delivery helps sell the outlandish fantasy narrative, grounding it in a character you like and like to listen to. Clive plays the taciturn Final Fantasy leader, but he does not become the emotionally distant and unapproachable figure of previous protagonists. Shopkeepers, quest givers and other minor characters feel more believable than cartoonish. 

Plenty of games and other media are undoubtedly best served by remaining rooted in the stylistic and language conventions of the place where they’re created and set. Like A Dragon, for example, is more likely to adopt different localization considerations than Final Fantasy games that aim to take liberally on Western fantasy. But I’m happy to see the challenging discipline of localization continue to confront those subtleties on a case-by-case basis; in the case of Final Fantasy XVI, it has paid dividends. 

Given the prioritization of the English language in Final Fantasy XVI, I’ve found myself wondering how the game has been received in Japan by longtime fans. Is it off-putting to overseas players used to Japanese first? Or are there enough American movies and television shows that are popular in Japan that it’s not as noticeable? 

Regardless, even as I continue to make my way through the game, I’m impressed. This is the first Final Fantasy that I have played where the storyline and presentation are engaging. And while I don’t have any problem with the more mature nature of the story (with its more realistic violence, sexual content, and language), I don’t think those are the features that have me the most hooked.

Instead, it’s how the language and character interactions feel thoughtfully constructed and grounded in their presentation. I’m still making my way through the game, and not every single story moment works, but the difference is apparent. Clive’s adventure across Valisthea gives me what I love about the long-running Final Fantasy franchise, but with far fewer compromises to stilted moments and scenes that have so often pulled me out of the narrative. And with that immersion, I’m far more drawn into the fantasy and my desire to know what happens next.