Dear Reader:
Natsume discusses how they approached localization with River City: Tokyo Rumble
A portion of a TinyCartridge interview with US producer Taka Maekawa...
“A lot of factors went into how we approached the localization. Times have changed – in the 1980s, games were still being strictly Americanized when brought over to a Western audience. So when the NES game came out, the idea of putting Kunio and Riki into t-shirts and jeans and giving them English names (Alex and Ryan) made a lot of sense
As for jumping into the story, we definitely wanted the game to feel welcoming for newcomers without diluting the experience for veterans of Renegade or River City Ransom titles. We kept that balance in mind as we chose how to introduce characters and themes in Tokyo Rumble – and there are some good Easter Eggs scattered around for veterans of past games.”