Now that Nocturnal Revelations: The Legacy of Shin Megami Tensei's First Localization has been fully completed and published on Persona Central, it's time to put it to work!
Not familiar with Nocturnal Revelations? It's an exhaustive look at the best and worst of Nocturne's journey into English, with a special focus on how the choices made over a decade ago have affected the Shin Megami Tensei series' localizations going forward. Short descriptions and links to all three parts are available below!
Part 1: The Demons
The outstanding hits and misses of Nocturne's demonic compendium. Includes:
- Basic primer on common issues faced in localization
- The Mithra problem
- The real names of Chinese four holy beasts
- Who are demons like Gurr, Purski, and A(l)ciel?
- Why it's great to be Bishamonten, and more
Part 2: Demon Races
The inevitable losses in demon race translation and why that can sometimes work out for the better. Includes:
- The importance of demon races in the series
- Why "Deity" is better than its Japanese equivalent
- Why some races were left untranslated--and suggested translations for them
- Patterns of demon race localization, and more
Part 3: Characters, Story Terminology, and Other Miscellany
Discusses the rest of Nocturne's terminology deserving closer analysis, like character names, skill terminology, locations, etc. Includes:- "Amala" or "Amara"?
- Nocturne's one possible instance of censorship
- Why we're better off without "nakama"
- Why "Freikugel" was such an ingenious localization choice
- A reveal of Shin Megami Tensei's biggest localization secret
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