Controversial Fire Emblem: Fates Scene Dropped From Western Releases

[Lizzy Finnegan]

Controversial Fire Emblem: Fates Scene Dropped From Western Releases

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A controversial scene, which drew comparisons to "gay conversion therapy," will not be included in the Western release.

In a statement provided to Nintendo World Report [http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/41814/fire-emblem-fates-changes-controversial-support-conversation-in-western-regions], Nintendo revealed that a controversial scene and conversation will be removed from Western versions of Fire Emblem: Fates.

"In the version of the game that ships in the U.S. and Europe, there is no expression which might be considered as gay conversion or drugging that occurs between characters," a Nintendo representative wrote.

The statement appears to refer to a scene in which an apparent gay character, Soleil, has her drink spiked with a "magic powder" that makes women appear to Soleil as men, and men appear as women. This is done by the protagonist, in an effort to help the character, who is having difficulty speaking with other women. Soleil falls in love with the protagonist, who she continues to love after the powder wears off and he returns to a male in her eyes. A marriage proposal can follow this.

This scene is one of many that occurs when players pair up with a wide range of both male and female characters, where many can build relationships that eventually lead to marriage.

It's not immediately clear whether the scene will be removed entirely, or altered. We have reached out to Nintendo for more information.

Fire Emblem: Fates releases on 3DS in the U.S. on February 19, in the form of two different stories: Birthright and Conquest, with a third, Revelation, coming March 10. Nintendo also recently announced a new limited edition Fire Emblem: Fates 3DS XL [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/165966-Fire-Emblem-Fates-3DS-XL-Announced].

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[RJ 17]

Anyone know when Fire Emblem went from a tactical RPG to a dating sim? I haven't played an FE since the first one and I don't recall there being relationships in it...just a straight-forward paper-rock-scissors tactical RPG with perma-death.

Seems like it's gone from that to this:

 

[xaszatm]

Anyone know when Fire Emblem went from a tactical RPG to a dating sim? I haven't played an FE since the first one and I don't recall there being relationships in it...just a straight-forward paper-rock-scissors tactical RPG with perma-death.

It's been a thing since the third game. Awakening just made it easier to do support conversations. If your first FE was the GBA one, then yes, there were support conversations and characters would get married if they were S-ranked. The "dating-sim" element was in there all this time.

OT: Yeah, while gay conversion wasn't the intent, I could see people seeing how it could be implied. Better to axe it and replace it with something better. Now if they could only do that with the rest of her supports. Or at least give her a gay option.

 

[ShakerSilver]

This is a load of misinfo. The character isn't even gay - she can't be partnered any female characters in-game, only male ones. She gets flustered around cute girls while trying to act cool. The protagonist does this to help her maintain her composure.

The slipping something into their drink thing is pretty shitty as it is, but the way they've spun this is either a huge translation blunder or terrible manipulative.

 

[EyeReaper]

Anyone know when Fire Emblem went from a tactical RPG to a dating sim? I haven't played an FE since the first one and I don't recall there being relationships in it...just a straight-forward paper-rock-scissors tactical RPG with perma-death.

Well, Support conversations have always been in Fire Emblem games, as far as I know. They've just become more prominent as of recently.

OT:As much as I hate censorship, self or otherwise... Yeah, I could see the shitstorm we would have over a "Turn the gay character straight" scene. Makes me wonder if it's just a standard romance if you play as Lady Avatar.

Wait, holy shit they actually added gay characters? Nintendo can learn from past mistakes! It's a Christmas miracle!

 

[Zontar]

Wait, holy shit they actually added gay characters? Nintendo can learn from past mistakes!

What exactly do you mean by 'past mistakes'? What exactly is inherently wrong with a game not having gay characters?

OT: This is probably one of the few times Nintendo has censored something in the past year that's actually reasonable. That does not mean I'm not upset at the fact that Xenoblade Chronicles X was messed with for no reason.

 

[Fhqwhgod]

Great. I was actually looking forward to having these scenes in the game.

 

[Yan007]

This is a load of misinfo. The character isn't even gay - she can't be partnered any female characters in-game, only male ones. She gets flustered around cute girls while trying to act cool. The protagonist does this to help her maintain her composure.

The slipping something into their drink thing is pretty shitty as it is, but the way they've spun this is either a huge translation blunder or terrible manipulative.

I, for one, am of the opinion that the scene should have remained as-is because this was the intended design by the producers. Still, I can understand that changing this is very wise in an SJW society. Could you imagine a Nintendo rep having to explain the scene on TV after the backlash they would have got? How could he explain it with enough context for it to make sense and not feel like "rape culture"?

 

[VanQ]

Soleil is not fucking gay. She just likes cute girls in a platonic manner. At no point in the game is it ever confirmed that she's actually homosexual. She may be bisexual at most. In fact, they've completely misrepresented her character here entirely, since she really just likes to seem like a cool and smooth kind of person, but being around cute girls makes her weak in the knees. In some cases she even faints. Which is especially troubling for someone who sometimes fights girls on a battlefield. The powder is used as a sort of exposure therapy by her commander who is understandably worried about her possibly being killed.

Also, during the scene, she is entirely aware of what's happening and in full control of herself and her senses. Kamui does put the powder in her drink without asking, which is by no means a good thing admittedly and pretty inexcusable, but he immediately tells her that the woman she's talking to is him, and explains to her what the powder did and why he did it. This article and others try way too hard to make this seem like some kind of date-rape scenario.

Here's an actual translation of this so called "controversial scene": http://pastebin.com/bgQC0yEa

I don't know who the hell they intend to placate by changing these kinds of scenes (actually, I do) but I doubt many of those people are actually interested in buying this kind of game in the first place. Thank fuck I learned to read Japanese so I don't have to give my money to these people anymore. I'd rather the money I spend support the artist's original vision than some god damn nanny that thinks she knows what's best for me.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

The scene sounds so stupid that the game can only benefit from removing it.

 

[CyanCat47_v1legacy]

Fucking hell. This reminds me of that bit in Tristan and Isolde (original medival tale, not 21st century movie adaptation). For those who don't know its a tale about how the upstart english kingdom is threatened by the secret love affair of the king's arranged bride who will secure his peace with Ireland and one of his most trusted knights. However since this was written in the medival era the reason for this affair is that tristan and isolde accidentally drank a "love potion" that was meant for isolde and the king on their wedding night and that is why they are in love, because how else in the world could two young unmarried people possibly do anything carnal if not forced to by some malevolent potion?

Pretty silly from out modern perspective but that was written more than a thousand years ago and while the implications are pretty silly they are ultimately harmless. This scene however seems to imply that a person could only possibly find people of the same sex attractive if they were under the effect of a drug I.E not accountable for their actions and/or not capable of rational decision-making. That is quite offensive to say the least. And by the way Nintendo you are a multinational entertainment company in the 21st century, what the fuck is your excuse for writing this?

 

[Hades]

I can already hear people crying censorship but I don't think its the case. I don't think the support is altered because it was offensive. Its just as likely the support is altered because it just doesn't work.

While its fun to imagine Corrin as some psychopath who calls soldiers to his room to forcefully touch them and drug girls he fancies, its not how the game portrays it. Corrin is always an amazing guy and what he did in that support wasn't really depicted as all that wrong, at least not more so then ''lol I made a mistake''

Whoever wrote the support clearly didn't think what Corrin did was messed up. I think the backlash must have come as a surprise to the writer. The scene shouldn't be altered because its tasteless but because it just doesn't work when an established great guy starts acting like a scumbag and gets himself a wife because of it.

Also magical powder to ensure you see everyone's gender swapped is just ridiculous. I'm not sure how someone wrote that down and thought it was good writing.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

Soleil is not fucking gay. She just likes cute girls in a platonic manner. At no point in the game is it ever confirmed that she's actually homosexual. She may be bisexual at most.

I read the transcript you linked to, and from that it seems just as reasonable to reply with 'Soleil is not fucking straight' - that link made the character out to sound resolutely attracted to both genders. Women platonically faint around "cute village girls" often, do they?

I'd rather the money I spend support the artist's original vision than some god damn nanny that thinks she knows what's best for me.

I think I'd condone removing scenes like that based on awful writing and weirdness alone... But I ostensibly agree; anyone buying that game is likely familiar with how--- er, 'Japanese' it is.

 

[VanQ]

Soleil is not fucking gay. She just likes cute girls in a platonic manner. At no point in the game is it ever confirmed that she's actually homosexual. She may be bisexual at most.

I read the transcript you linked to, and from that it seems just as reasonable to reply with 'Soleil is not fucking straight' - that link made the character out to sound resolutely attracted to both genders. Women platonically faint around "cute village girls" often, do they?

I'd rather the money I spend support the artist's original vision than some god damn nanny that thinks she knows what's best for me.

I think I'd condone removing scenes like that based on awful writing and weirdness alone... But I ostensibly agree; anyone buying that game is likely familiar with how--- er, 'Japanese' it is.

As I said, nowhere in the game is she ever confirmed to be strictly homosexual, bisexual, straight, demisexual or anything. In fact, the only confirmed relationship she can have is with the male MC, which would imply straight. But again, it's never specifically alluded to, it's just that the media spin on this has been very manipulative.

 

[Erttheking]

This is ...WHAT!? I just...who the hell included this in the story? Frankly I just want it gone because my brain would shut down from sheer concentrated stupid.

If that makes me pro-censorship (Ignoring that this is the developers making a decision of their own free will in a business situation), then where I do I get stamped?

 

[Fappy]

The scene sounds so stupid that the game can only benefit from removing it.

Yeah, I agree. Not much artistic integrity to maintain as far as I am concerned. Removing one easily misinterpreted / ill-conceived scene from a game that's 30+ hours doesn't seem like a big deal at all. It just sounds like some kind of stupid harem anime BS, and the less of that in my tactical RPG the better.

Also, the whole slipping something into her drink thing is a little too relevant for the west at the moment. I don't think Nintendo wants us thinking "Bill Cosby" when playing FE, lol.

EDIT: Also, are they keeping the whole Ninja chick molesting prisoners thing or was that a mistranslation? I recall people flipping out about that.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

SNIP

Wait, really? That's is? She has self-conscious panic attacks around hot women and they gave her essentially mood-relaxors so she can do her job?

...and sigh we liberal, open-minded and accepting Westerners are shamming this poor woman for her condition.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

As I said, nowhere in the game is she ever confirmed to be strictly homosexual, bisexual, straight, demisexual or anything. In fact, the only confirmed relationship she can have is with the male MC, which would imply straight. But again, it's never specifically alluded to, it's just that the media spin on this has been very manipulative.

Um, or, y'know, reading the text you provided that's apparently actually in the game (re sexuality)? They're not exactly subtle about a 'straight' woman fainting around cute girls.

This isn't a major point, btw, I'm just saying you seem to be ironically misconstruing what you suggest's been misconstrued (I do think labeling the scene a 'conversion' is wide of the mark, though Nintendo using it in a statement doesn't exactly help clarify anything).