If you, like many people outside of Japan, have only had the opportunity to play the English release of NIER, or rather NieR Gestalt, then you don’t need to worry about missing out on anything vital in the Japan-only release of NieR Replicant.
There is no significant difference between the two.
I’m not exactly sure why this has become such a hot topic over the years, but there seems to be a lot of NieR fans who believe there is a significant difference between the scripts for NieR Gestalt and NieR Replicant. This is not entirely accurate.
The main differences between the two versions are obvious:
- Gestalt depicts the story of a father and his daughter Yonah.
- Replicant depicts the story of a brother and his sister Yonah.
Additionally, Father and Brother have different birthdays, but it was essentially a mistake that was overlooked:
The games also take place at different times (and likely slightly different timelines, unconfirmed):
- NieR Gestalt – 3361
- NieR Replicant – 3465
I’m not sure if people are unhappy with the localization of NieR Gestalt for some reason, or maybe they’re angry that the script for NieR Replicant is slightly different and it’s never been released outside of Japan, but I think they’ve got it in their minds that Replicant is drastically different from Gestalt that they’re are upset that there’s never been a translation.
I believe this misconception stems from the lack of understanding the fundamental difference between translation and localization. Both take the original source material and translate it into another language, but localizations–especially those intended to market a product to a specific region and/or audience–have to make additional changes (while staying true to the author’s intent) to keep the natural fluency of the target language, making additional and often necessary edits to uphold local cultural norms. For example, topics on sex or sexual orientation are not necessarily considered “touchy subjects” in Japan whereas they certainly could be in other countries/cultures. These “touchy subjects” would thusly have to be edited or removed. There simply is no way to avoid this.
There are generally two schools of thought behind what makes a good translation. Some people believe that a translation should stay as close to the the original source material as possible, including preserving sentence structure and phrasing even if it feels unnatural or clunky in the target language. Other people believe that some editing and restructuring should take place to create a piece that is more natural and flows well in the target language; but it’s this act of editing that is often received negatively, that these translations tend to “make stuff up” and deviate away from the author’s intent. Although this could potentially be true from time to time depending on the translators and/or companies involved, this is certainly not the norm.
I believe many people envision localizations as almost a butchering of the original source material and they feel as though they’ve been forcefully spoon-fed a false product that does not accurately represent the original. I believe this notion comes from not fully understanding how things have to be localized for a specific target audience. Rudimentary knowledge of the original language can also lead to misinterpretations. People are often enraged when lines don’t seem to match up or that specific words or phrases are in changed or rephrased. Although I can understand the passion fans have for the original source material, I do think that some of these ideas are a little impractical. It’s not wrong to have these opinions, but they are largely based on limited knowledge.
Additionally within the narrative, the MC is sometimes a father and sometimes a brother depending on when his Replicant perished and was reconstructed. This will change the apparent age of the character and therefore the familial relationship with Yonah (See also: Yoko’s statement in the May 10, 2010 issue of Famitsu magazine).
I recently asked Yoko Taro if he was able to comment on whether or not there were any significant changes to the scripts between Gestalt and Replicant in this thread on Twitter:
Rekka: Sorry for the sudden question. I’m not sure why, but it seems like the differences between NieR Gestalt and Replicant has become a hot topic recently, I’d be elated if you could confirm this. To your best recollection, there is nothing significantly different between the two scripts, correct? Merely, the MC’s relationship with Yonah differs between the two, right?
Yoko: The scripts are roughly the same. The “brother/sister” vs “father/daughter” dynamics are different, plus the Japanese and English versions have been localized for each cultural region.
Since we have…
- Replicant (Japanese audio & subtitles)
- Gestalt (English audio & Japanese subtitles)
- Gestalt (English audio & English subtitles)
Among these three versions, the meaning of what characters say may differ in places.
So, hopefully hearing it from the man himself will help people understand that even if some lines differ, nothing significantly vital has been altered. No butchering has occurred.
As a quick representation of how these versions differ, here’s a look at a particular scene from the beginning of the game:
So, as you can see, the lines are different to accommodate the localization depending on the specific cultural region. I suppose it’s this discrepancy that people aren’t satisfied with, and it’s what makes them want to experience these small nuances and differences; however, in the long run, the differences have little impact.
The content of the above scene depicts the MC getting ready to go out to work, Yonah is uneasy about being left home alone, both mention something about borrowing a book… The only thing that is actually left out of Replicant (not the other way around) is Yonah talking about her silly dream of them flying on a pink cloud. As for the overall purpose of the scene, the details matter very little. You still get the idea that Nier is a doting brother/father to a very ill Yonah.
Another point in the story that people tend to bring up is the scene between the MC and Emil before the wedding. I translated this bit back in 2015 but did not compare it with the scene in Gestalt.
Now, granted, I never finished playing through the Japanese version of Gestalt, nor have I ever played the English Gestalt, so I get why some people might not readily take my word when I say that there is no significant difference between these versions. That being said, I have researched this topic thoroughly in the past, also making comparison images like the one above, plus I have played NieR Replicant through to the end (although I didn’t bother 100%-ing it), so hopefully I am a slightly credible source for this information.
But, I do get the sentiment that people want to experience these minor differences, and without knowing Japanese, it’s very difficult to do this, hence the push to make a fan translation for Replicant. I’m not entirely against the idea; the slightly different nuances in the dialogue are fun to see, but it essentially changes nothing overall.
So, if people want to put in the time and effort on this project, then good luck and enjoy the ride! Just please don’t be surprised if you run into resistance and skepticism. Not everyone is able to donate their time to a largely implausible cause.
This post is an editorial, and as such, the opinions of the writer are expressed herein.
Please feel free, within reason, to add your own opinion in the comments below.