Dutch version of ‘Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate’, out now!
Imagine a chessboard on which all the pieces have turned against the Black King, and he in turn is ready to single-handedly blast away each of them with his royal shotgun. Welcome to the dark world of Shotgun King, the rogue-like indie game by PUNKCAKE Délicieux.
Now, this royal rebellion is ready to conquer new territory – the Netherlands! That's right, Shotgun King is now locked, loaded, and ready to be played in Dutch. Working on the translation was a blast, and I’d love to share what it was like to translate this royal rampage.
How do you bring a rebellion to life in Dutch?
While the game mostly relies on - very engaging - gameplay, the story of the titular Shotgun King is what puts the game over the edge from good to great. Trying to capture the vibe of the egomaniacal, unjust and explosive King was not an easy challenge.
Additionally, the game's multiple difficulties and dynamic cards meant that translation had to happen in a very specific manner: writing cards that might include singular or plural elements depending on the situation means being very particular and thoughtful about how to write around that.
Speaking of cards, many of them are very flavourful in English! Most of them relate to kings, the pieces and royalty, some of which had a natural translation, but others were less straightforward. Being granted the creative liberty to write some puns and come up with fun solutions was quite the blessing.
Royale with cheese
Translating a game is more than just converting words; it's about preserving the spirit, humor, and excitement of the original while making it resonate with a new audience. My hope is that Dutch players will be able to enjoy the challenging gameplay but also appreciate the new wordplay and a translation that flows. So grab your shotgun now, and show those rebellious pieces who’s boss — as only the Dutch can!
Go check it out!
As mentioned, the Dutch release of Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate is out now; you can read the patch notes here. Other than additional localization, the game also includes 43 new cards, new shotguns and improved AI.
Of course, many thanks to the team over at PUNKCAKE Délicieux for working with me and providing me with a great excuse to procrastinate and play video games in the name of quality assurance rather than doing actual work.
Shotgun King is available on Steam, Itch.io, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation. If you read this in the week after publication (Oct. 1), the game is currently 30% off on Steam.
Have a good week, everyone!
-Thijmen
