Fire Emblem Engage: A false rumor spreads about a Kansai dialect option in Japan

An odd rumor regarding Fire Emblem Engage recently began spreading online in Japan. It stated that there was an additional option within the Japanese language settings to change them to the Kansai dialect, a regional dialect common in western Japan. To get straight to the point, the rumor is false and no such option exists, but the game does feature enough of the Kansai dialect that the rumor was able to pick up steam in the first place.

Fire Emblem Engage is a simulation RPG for the Nintendo Switch developed by Intelligent Systems. The game takes place on the continent of Elyos, where players join the battle as Alear, a Divine Dragon. It introduces the Engage System which allows players to summon and fight alongside characters from previous entries in the series using Emblem Rings. Additionally, it marks the return of the weapon triangle, as well as the new Break and Chain Guard mechanics.

The below tweet is what set off the rumor regarding Kansai dialect in the game:

言語設定「関西」にしたら全ボイス関西弁になって草 #FEエンゲージ #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/Z3tfGg7xfz

— 電脳妖怪チヨハ (@chiyomother_JP) January 22, 2023

The video in the above tweet clips out a section where NPCs speak in Kansai dialect. Ultimately, there is only the option to use Japanese and no such option for “Kansai dialect” exists. This was likely nothing more than a joke by the original poster.

The video uses the “Budding Talent” Paralogue that takes place in Tea-Field Village. In this village, everyone speaks with the Kansai dialect for some reason. Even the characters that join your party there. As someone living in the Kansai region, it felt like they were laying on the Kansai dialect pretty thick.

The Kansai dialect has a distinctive vibe to it that is immediately noticeable, and this sudden switch to a regional dialect sticks out since the majority of people in this fantasy world use standard Japanese. The game doesn’t provide an explanation as to why this specific dialect is used in the village either, which makes it even more odd.

Furthermore, there doesn’t seem to be any especially strong dialects used for Tea-Field Village in the English version. The villagers only seem to use regional dialects in the Japanese text and voice acting.
[Update 2023/01/24 16:01 JST] Struckthrough the last paragraph since the English voiceovers for the villagers do have distinctive accents different from other NPCs.

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-01-23 16:27 JST)