Trails through Daybreak II's Localization Editor talks Swin, Nadia, and challenges in getting a script right
At PAX West 2024, NIS America debuted the first English gameplay demo for The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II that was recently announced at Anime Expo 2024. NIS America let us go hands-on with the title as it showcased the first dungeon in the game.
Several noticeable gameplay enhancements were made since the first Daybreak, including the ability to use Arts during the real-time combat portion of the hybrd action/turn-based battle system that was introduced in its predecessor. Plus, the same character can no longer chain their S-Crafts continuously since they must consume two Boost gauges to now activate a single S-Craft.
Van and Elaine were the only two party members available in this first tutorial dungeon. Their English voiceovers continue to be excellent and Elaine's voicework, in particular, shined throughout some of their dialogue exchanges. I won't go into the nitty gritty details to avoid spoilers.
After the hands-on demo with Trails through Daybreak II, RPG Site was able to chat with its Localization Editor, Andrew Wallace. Enjoy our in-depth exclusive interview about the localization work going into The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II; it is still slated to release in early 2025 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam, Epic, GOG).
RPG Site: Usually when it comes to localizing direct sequels, it can prove to have its own set of challenges - especially when it comes to Falcom’s intricate worldbuilding. Were there any unique challenges that the localization team faced in Daybreak II that they didn’t previously encounter in the first Daybreak?
Andrew Wallace, Localization Editor at NIS America: That’s an interesting question. Probably the biggest thing that’s definitely different is that there’s some big dramatic stuff in Daybreak II. There is this time-rewinding feature, and so there are a lot of these character death scenes. I remember when I was going into this, I was thinking “oh wow there’s a lot of really intense content”, so I was making sure to keep the tone and making sure that was all preserved in the game.
Andrew Wallace, Localization Editor at NIS America: That’s an interesting question. Probably the biggest thing that’s definitely different is that there’s some big dramatic stuff in Daybreak II. There is this time-rewinding feature, and so there are a lot of these character death scenes. I remember when I was going into this, I was thinking “oh wow there’s a lot of really intense content”, so I was making sure to keep the tone and making sure that was all preserved in the game.
RPG Site: When it comes to the word choice on depicting the intensity of those scenes, do you feel that the script, in relation to the first Daybreak, is generally much more intense as a result? For instance, will swearing be a more prominent element in Daybreak II’s script?
Wallace: If you’ve played the first Daybreak, you definitely notice there is a lot more swearing in that one because you have characters like Aaron Wei who is… y’know.
RPG Site: He lets loose.
Wallace: Yes yes, absolutely. You have those characters. But you also have characters like Kincaid and if characters like Kincaid swear, that just sounds weird right? It all depends on the character. On someone like Van and Aaron who are a little bit more rough around the edges, they can definitely swear a little bit more, but some characters have a little bit higher diction and are more formal and polite in terms of how they appear in the Japanese script. We need to make sure that you have that differentiation because otherwise, that wouldn’t feel like the character.
Wallace: If you’ve played the first Daybreak, you definitely notice there is a lot more swearing in that one because you have characters like Aaron Wei who is… y’know.
RPG Site: He lets loose.
Wallace: Yes yes, absolutely. You have those characters. But you also have characters like Kincaid and if characters like Kincaid swear, that just sounds weird right? It all depends on the character. On someone like Van and Aaron who are a little bit more rough around the edges, they can definitely swear a little bit more, but some characters have a little bit higher diction and are more formal and polite in terms of how they appear in the Japanese script. We need to make sure that you have that differentiation because otherwise, that wouldn’t feel like the character.
RPG Site: Were there any new characters in Daybreak II that you found challenging in translating from Japanese to English in terms of their mannerisms or the way they speak, in general?
Wallace: I’m trying to think about that. The big new characters are the twins - Ixs the Glinting Bullet and Jorda the Shadow Eater. They aren’t necessarily challenging, but they’re much younger characters and they are assassin-like characters. Ixs is someone who is definitely a very intense character - almost in a similar vein to Melchior, though Ixs is a bit more vulgar.
Then, you also have someone like Jorda that is much more… what is it… she is kind of that “emo” character, so she’s not necessarily as vulgar as Ixs, but she has these really sarcastic lines, so she has all these snide remarks. We wanted to make sure that for her character that we had this difference in terms of both of their vulgarity, how they speak, and how they appear.
Whenever I go into a script and look at a character, I go “ok, what is their politeness? Are they formal or are they rough? Is this the type of a character that swears or not?” For example with Leona for Reverie [referencing Leona Renee, the Localization Project Manager of Trails into Daybreak and Trails into Reverie], one of the firm choices that she made was that Swin and Nadia do not swear. You could probably argue that Swin could probably swear but for Leona, knowing how these characters feel in the Japanese script, they don’t have that level of vulgarity so we’re making that firm choice.
Wallace: I’m trying to think about that. The big new characters are the twins - Ixs the Glinting Bullet and Jorda the Shadow Eater. They aren’t necessarily challenging, but they’re much younger characters and they are assassin-like characters. Ixs is someone who is definitely a very intense character - almost in a similar vein to Melchior, though Ixs is a bit more vulgar.
Then, you also have someone like Jorda that is much more… what is it… she is kind of that “emo” character, so she’s not necessarily as vulgar as Ixs, but she has these really sarcastic lines, so she has all these snide remarks. We wanted to make sure that for her character that we had this difference in terms of both of their vulgarity, how they speak, and how they appear.
Whenever I go into a script and look at a character, I go “ok, what is their politeness? Are they formal or are they rough? Is this the type of a character that swears or not?” For example with Leona for Reverie [referencing Leona Renee, the Localization Project Manager of Trails into Daybreak and Trails into Reverie], one of the firm choices that she made was that Swin and Nadia do not swear. You could probably argue that Swin could probably swear but for Leona, knowing how these characters feel in the Japanese script, they don’t have that level of vulgarity so we’re making that firm choice.
RPG Site: And that’s interesting that you mention that with Swin and Nadia because they’re coming back in Daybreak II. From Reverie to Daybreak II, how do you feel when translating these returning characters now that they’ve grown a bit since fans have last seen them from Reverie?
Wallace: One of the biggest things when I was playing and familiarizing myself with Reverie - because before Daybreak II I had to make sure we get all of that right - is that those two characters have very distinct voices in English, especially Nadia. She's this really, really goofy character, so you go in and try to make sure that you keep all of that consistent [between Reverie and Daybreak II]. I looked at exactly how the Reverie localization team handled it and made sure that it was perfectly retained. I didn’t work on Reverie, but I played the game as a fan; I love these characters and I want to make sure that is all perfectly preserved.
But the characters in Daybreak II, their relationships have evolved a little bit because a couple of years have passed. You actually see these characters have some fluctuations in their relationship, so they ultimately feel the same basic characters, but the circumstances changed. Therefore, I listened to the Japanese audio because on Daybreak II, I went in and helped out with the dub on that. I went to confirm how the lines sounded in Japanese and tried to make sure that all of the choices made with the English audio preserved how it was reflected in the Japanese script.
Wallace: One of the biggest things when I was playing and familiarizing myself with Reverie - because before Daybreak II I had to make sure we get all of that right - is that those two characters have very distinct voices in English, especially Nadia. She's this really, really goofy character, so you go in and try to make sure that you keep all of that consistent [between Reverie and Daybreak II]. I looked at exactly how the Reverie localization team handled it and made sure that it was perfectly retained. I didn’t work on Reverie, but I played the game as a fan; I love these characters and I want to make sure that is all perfectly preserved.
But the characters in Daybreak II, their relationships have evolved a little bit because a couple of years have passed. You actually see these characters have some fluctuations in their relationship, so they ultimately feel the same basic characters, but the circumstances changed. Therefore, I listened to the Japanese audio because on Daybreak II, I went in and helped out with the dub on that. I went to confirm how the lines sounded in Japanese and tried to make sure that all of the choices made with the English audio preserved how it was reflected in the Japanese script.
RPG Site: It’s an intriguing challenge too, because Swin and Nadia are forging a lot of new relationships as well, because they’re interacting a lot with the newer characters introduced in the Calvard arc, along with returning characters from older entries. How do you balance the tone and characterization of so many clashing personalities that all have a history behind them?
Wallace: With Swin and Nadia, I look at how they behave and how they respond to the other characters. Are they being polite? Does Nadia use a nickname for these types of characters? Sometimes she does use a nickname and sometimes she doesn’t. Sometimes Nadia is addressing a character in a way that’s, for the most part, neutral - but then there’ll be a character that she has an utter disrespect for.
Especially, you’ll see that early in Daybreak II when Nadia goes and talks to a CID operative like Kincaid. She is just immediately antagonistic. So yeah, I look at the Japanese script and go look at how they depict that interaction, so the English script reflects that reaction and all of that is preserved. If a Japanese player’s reaction to that scene is “oh, Nadia is really laying into him!”, you want the English player to have that same reaction, too. That’s part of the comedy; Swin and Nadia are almost like a little bit of a comedy duo.
It’s just interesting to see the contrast in the way that Nadia reacts in Reverie - like with Lapis, Nadia goes “she’s a cute little adorable thing”, unlike her introduction with C filled with complete disrespect until a certain point. Swin and Nadia have an existing relationship with Van going into Daybreak II, so they have history together. I just like to go in and see how they relate; I ask questions to the translators and see what their thoughts are on all of that, so I make sure that I’m understanding all of it perfectly.
RPG Site: Having that back and forth with Falcom too, just in case additional context is needed from them.
Wallace: Yes, that’s something we have to do when we’re doing term checks. A lot of the time when we run into a term and it’s not immediately apparent what it is, we go and talk to the developer and be able to get exactly what they had in mind.
RPG Site: Thank you so much for your time Andrew and for the incredible insights on Daybreak II’s upcoming localization!
Wallace: With Swin and Nadia, I look at how they behave and how they respond to the other characters. Are they being polite? Does Nadia use a nickname for these types of characters? Sometimes she does use a nickname and sometimes she doesn’t. Sometimes Nadia is addressing a character in a way that’s, for the most part, neutral - but then there’ll be a character that she has an utter disrespect for.
Especially, you’ll see that early in Daybreak II when Nadia goes and talks to a CID operative like Kincaid. She is just immediately antagonistic. So yeah, I look at the Japanese script and go look at how they depict that interaction, so the English script reflects that reaction and all of that is preserved. If a Japanese player’s reaction to that scene is “oh, Nadia is really laying into him!”, you want the English player to have that same reaction, too. That’s part of the comedy; Swin and Nadia are almost like a little bit of a comedy duo.
It’s just interesting to see the contrast in the way that Nadia reacts in Reverie - like with Lapis, Nadia goes “she’s a cute little adorable thing”, unlike her introduction with C filled with complete disrespect until a certain point. Swin and Nadia have an existing relationship with Van going into Daybreak II, so they have history together. I just like to go in and see how they relate; I ask questions to the translators and see what their thoughts are on all of that, so I make sure that I’m understanding all of it perfectly.
RPG Site: Having that back and forth with Falcom too, just in case additional context is needed from them.
Wallace: Yes, that’s something we have to do when we’re doing term checks. A lot of the time when we run into a term and it’s not immediately apparent what it is, we go and talk to the developer and be able to get exactly what they had in mind.
RPG Site: Thank you so much for your time Andrew and for the incredible insights on Daybreak II’s upcoming localization!