Naming things is often difficult. Accurately translating things is often difficult. Put the two together, and you get the situation roguelike dungeon crawler The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles has recently found itself in, when the Japanese translation of its name on Steam saw it accidentally re-dubbed “Crap Dungeon”.
Let’s face it, this has happened to all of us. You’re working on a 2D adventure about delving into crypts, it’s picked to show up at the Tokyo Game Show, and then next thing you know you’re in a crap dungeon without a sword-shaped paddle. Ok, maybe not all of us.
As reported by Automaton, The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles being named “Kuso Dungeon” on the Japanese version of its Steam page was first picked up by amused native speakers, who took to the socials for a wee giggle. As you would, if you encountered a game on Steam with a name that read something like “shitty/crappy dungeon” – that being the more literal translation of its accidental re-christening.
The reason behind the sudden switch from crazy and hyper dungeoning to crappy or shitty dungeoning? Seemingly a simple translation error, which ironically could have come as part of Italian developers Fix-a-Bug upgrading their Japanese localisation from an initial, heavily machine-done translation that had drawn criticism from players.
Luckily, the studio have seen the funny side of the mixup, which they’ve now rectified. “It wasn’t intended, but it seems the game became ‘Crap Dungeon’ in Japanese,” programmer Giorgio Macratore wrote on the charred remains of the Tweeter – in Japanese, funnily enough. “I’m fixing it now… but honestly, I’m still laughing. Please give our game a try, I’m hoping it’s not actually crap.”
If you want to do that last bit, there’s a freshly-released demo for The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles available on Steam right now, with the full game set to release on October 23rd. It boasts randomly-generated labyrinths that keep switching up each run, offering you different challenges to negotiate via some turn-based combat, smart dodging, or tactical nous. It’s not all serious sword and sorcery either, with some punny level names and a bloke called Armish, the wicked wizard of the 99th level. Armish may or may not serve you a riddle.
