The score for this review is not for the game. Personally, I think the game is quite good, although it does have its flaws, and it introduced a number of things that were well-received when they re-appeared in later Fire Emblem games. The score for this review is for the translation, especially when you put it up against the other translation that's available on Vizzed. That one will get the review it deserves, but for now, I just want to warn people away from this translation.

This review might be a bit short, since the text is the only thing that was changed, but I do have some things to say about it. For example, one example is at the very start, before you even enter your first battle. The general, whose name is also slightly mistranslated, states that "You will regret this...", referring to the plans of rebellion. In the superior translation that I mentioned before, he instead says "War brings only sorrow." I've personally never translated anything before, but that seems like a big mistake to make.

And then, there's the more obvious errors. Some things just flat-out weren't translated at all. And, to add insult to injury, even if you know Japanese, you can't read the untranslated text because the Japanese font was replaced with strange numbers. For example, did you know that the thieves in the first few battles use 0419 as their weapon? It just gets ridiculous when you enter the Thief Shrine, and none of the text from the enhancement faces or promotion shrines is translated at all, so you can only guess at what you're even deciding.

Now, I might seem a bit harsh, especially when this translation is apparently from 1999, but it's how I feel. The translation is clearly not finished, but it's on Vizzed anyway, and labeled as a finished translation. And it also shows up first in the Vizzed search results for "fire emblem", above the superior translation that I've mentioned. If I didn't find out about said superior translation from a Google search, I probably never would've gotten a chance to experience Fire Emblem Gaiden in a polished, translated form.

Now, I'll admit, I didn't play very far into this translation of the game. But can you really blame me, when the "Got 1 EXP!" text isn't translated and I have to make choices based on text that I literally can't read? It made a really, really bad first impression on me. I'm sure you can understand.

In conclusion, if you want to experience what is arguably the most influential game in the Fire Emblem franchise, this is absolutely not the way to do it. Look for the "English by Artemis251" version, and you'll have a far better experience with the game. The dialogue is translated with higher accuracy to the original script, as well as the names and everything else. And everything is properly translated this time! No more strange numbers in place of the text you need to read!

Here's a link to that superior translation, by the way: English by Artemis251

Is this the only version of the game available on Vizzed? If so thanks for the warning; Dragon Quest VI also suffered from severe mistranslations. If not, you should have linked to the "better" translation so gamers don't waste time of this inferior product (to use your idea).

janus : Alright, maybe I should've posted a link in there. I'll edit the post and put it in. Thank you for the suggestion.