About the GreenPixel Games We’ve Been Working On

In the merge format, a casual game mechanic, players combine identical items to create new items that are more complex or useful. For example, two pots can be combined to create a kitchen appliance that unlocks a new area or task. This mechanic forms the core of the entire series we’ve been working on.

Decorating Game

The game combines merge mechanics with hotel renovation and decoration. The protagonist is an ordinary young woman who has spent her whole life working in retail. On her thirtieth birthday, she decides to turn her life completely around by pursuing her long-held dream of opening a family hotel. She finds an abandoned villa in the suburbs. Once a luxurious mansion, the villa is now in serious disrepair.

However, the protagonist is determined to restore the villa to its former glory. Together with the player, she begins renovating the mansion room by room: fixing what’s broken, choosing furniture and décor, and bringing the garden back to life. Every interior element is the direct result of the player’s actions through merge gameplay.

To get the hotel up and running, the protagonist must solve a number of mysteries, uncover the secrets hidden in the villa’s past, and prove that no curse can stop a dream from becoming reality.

Adventure Game

This title puts an adventure-focused spin on merge mechanics. This is a new part of the story that complements the previous game. After her hotel becomes successful, the protagonist’s uncle invites her to a mysterious archipelago full of hidden secrets, ancient ruins, and traces of vanished explorers. Leaving home behind, she sets out to help her relative rebuild an old tourist town and restore it to its former glory.

Players explore islands, jungles, and ancient temples alongside the protagonist, using merge mechanics to progress. Each merge brings them closer to uncovering the next secret, whether it’s the mystery of her uncle’s missing friend, the truth behind a treasure-hunting corporation, or the archipelago’s own hidden past.

String length limits are especially important in merge-based games to ensure that names and descriptions display properly. Character voicelines and atmospheric dialogue must be adapted for each language while preserving humor and character voices. The game interface (e.g., Merge Board, Storage, Order, Room Upgrade, etc.) must remain intuitive for players.

Project Scope

Our collaboration with GreenPixel began in February 2021 when they approached us with their first title.

Over the years, we have localized the series into more than 12 languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

How We Organized Workflow

Each task followed the same process, which involved the client sending us a file with a deadline and us ensuring the timely delivery of the multilingual files.

Together with the client, we gradually developed a system that allowed us to:

• Clarify all limits in advance (including per-line timing limits for dialogue)
• Receive visual references and information about who is speaking
• Improve file formatting by adding comments and context directly in the workflow

What client files looked like at the start

What they look like now

How We Assembled the Project Team

For this project, we selected translators who genuinely love games in the merge genre. Nearly everyone on the project team actively plays both games. Their familiarity with and enthusiasm for these games helped them understand the context, jokes, and character dynamics intuitively. The project team was multilingual, and our editorial group ensured consistency across languages, maintaining a unified tone and lore across all versions.

The Errors We Helped Identify and Fix

We’d like to share some interesting observations we encountered while localizing GreenPixel games—and the insights we gained from them. There were unique cases in every language.

Spanish: The Robot Cat Who Turned Out to Be a “She”

The game features a robo-cat whose name is somewhat similar to one of a world-known scientist. For a long time, the text did not make it clear that the character was female. Once we confirmed this with the client, we added this information to the style guide and updated the glossary. We changed the character’s name so that it still resembles one of a scientist but sounds like a female name.

French: Squeezing a Joke in 83 Characters

French localization is a true marathon of length limits. With only 83 characters per dialogue line and 20 for UI, we still need to keep the meaning, tone, and humor intact in translation.

Sometimes that can be extremely challenging. Here’s an example:

• English: What is it? An ancient curse? A recipe for garlic bread without any garlic?
• French: Qu’est-ce donc? Une ancienne malédiction ? Une recette de pesto sans ail ?

In the original, the speaker jokes about a recipe for garlic bread with no garlic, but due to character limits, “garlic bread” had to be swapped for pesto—another classic garlic-based recipe.

When transformations aren’t enough to preserve every nuance while staying within the limits, the only option is to cut secondary information that doesn’t affect the reader’s understanding of the story. For example:

• English: By the looks of it, not only locals… So do animals—even birds and insects.
• French: Non seulement les habitants… Mais aussi les animaux, les oiseaux et les insectes.

We removed the introductory phrase “by the looks of it” to meet the character limit while keeping all essential meaning intact.

English: Polite and Informal “You”

Since English was the target language and not the source, we had to adapt many nuances — for example, a scene in which the characters switch from the formal “you” (вы) to the informal “you” (ты) in Russian.

This shift cannot be conveyed literally in English, so we expressed it through a change in tone. We also left comments for the other language teams so they could replicate the effect in their versions.

Thai: Pronouns as Part of the Lore

Thai localization is in a league of its own. There are dozens of ways to say “I” and “you” in Thai, depending on factors such as age, social status, and relationships. As characters change their pronouns throughout the story, the Tone of Voice chart helps the team keep track. For instance, one character—she is the mayor of the town the events of the game take place in—retains a high status, so other characters cannot switch to an overly casual “you,” even if she asks them to call her by her first name.

On top of that, the main character’s name is spelled differently in the two games, which became a subtle detail that symbolizes her “double life.”

Italian: Crystals and Chests

The Italian team has to maintain an entire archive of artifacts and objects in order to keep track of plot logic. A single “box” could be a toolbox, box, cassa, or forziere—and it is crucial to know which one is intended.

Thanks to our constant communication with the client, we are able to verify which object is being referenced and maintain consistency over time. In July 2025, we encountered the following situation:

• Since November 2024, the characters had been trying to save crystals from the main antagonist and had to collect four key pieces to access the crystal chamber.
• In February 2025, the stash with the crystals was referred to as a cache.
• In April 2025, it was revealed that the crystals were hidden in a temple somewhere on the archipelago (the project also used the terms shrine and sanctuary).
• In July 2025, a cache reappeared in the temple. However, by then, the characters only had three key fragments, so they couldn’t open the main stash yet…

German: When a Joke Just Won’t Fit

German tends to take up more space than other languages, so character limits are a constant challenge. Often, we have to remove repetitions, find shorter synonyms, or restructure sentences to preserve meaning.

Sometimes, jokes require significant adaptation:

For example, the line “Don’t hold your breath—you might need it to cross that river” becomes “Ich gebe Bescheid, sobald ich ein Flugzeug gefunden habe” (“I’ll let you know as soon as I find a plane”). This translation fits the character limit perfectly while preserving the intended humor.

Thai Again: Plants and Animals

A decorating game has many card names, but the visual references are often missing. The Russian and English terms can also be too vague to choose the right Thai name. That’s why we always try to obtain as many images as possible from the client. Sometimes, we discover that the original name was incorrect, as with the “Grouse” card that actually depicted a ptarmigan.