Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time and its 40+ endings is out now, but Atlus started working on the verbose PSP game last summer. Mason Hyodo, Project Lead, spoke to Siliconera about localizing Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time and has a funny story about Remus.

When did Atlus start working on Growlanser: The Wayfarer of Time?

Mason Hyodo, Project Lead on Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time: We actually started to localize Growlanser last summer. Since the game has a large amount of content, we decided to take cautious steps. We tried our best not to overlook any small details, and worked to keep the tone of the Japanese text intact.

How much text is there in comparison to say Persona 4: Golden?

It’s hard to tell which one’s bigger just by looking at the text files, but from the amount of story text that you’d see in the game, there’s about the same amount.

Can you tell us about the localization process? What’s your favorite scene that you localized?

My favorite scenes would be any that feature Vester. I always love working on villainous characters. It’s fun!!

We have a funny episode that can share with you! Everyone in the localization team who played the game for the first time thought Remus was a girl. It was fun to watch our QA team members mumble in unison “Remus is… whut?” Yes, I know he’s a cute looking character, but Remus IS a boy. Please treat him as such!

For fans of the Growlanser series, who are the new characters in the PSP version?

There are many new characters created exclusively for the PSP version, and I won’t be able to introduce everyone in that list here today. But allow me to pick some of the hottest characters for you without spoiling the story.

Magnus, Pamela, and Meline are seen for the first time in the PSP release. Magnus is a wandering swordsman on an important mission. Pamela is a beautiful woman who seems to have a strong resolve in her heart. Meline is a mysterious girl with strange eyes who seems to have a dramatic past. Oh, and the PSP version also has a new Familiar type! Her name is D-MD. That gives you a total of 4 Familiars to choose from in Wayfarer of Time!



Mangus, Pamela, D-MD, and Hien.

And… since Growlanser has dating sim elements, who would you want to spend more time with?

Hahaha. This is something the WoT localization team talked about quite often. My answer would be Pamela! There’s no way I could resist her charms…! Translator Mai Namba chose D-MD for the cool/cute demeanor that she adores. However, QA Lead Scott Williams had a different idea for his fave. He chose Hien… I believe he wants to learn under Hien to become a master swordsman or something. In Growlaser: Wayfarer of Time, you can cultivate a friendship with all almost any main character. Hope you find your best partner!