Hack Showcases and RPG hack Showcases are a series where I show off various game and rpg hacks. I try to stick with hacks that improve gameplay or add quality of life features, completely or partially change the plot and characters, along with dialogue, graphical and sound improvements. I try to stick with games that have enough changes in the beginning to show off, and when I can, try to show parts later in titles. Some of these i may stream or play on my own.

This hack is by romhacking.net user GhaleonUnlimited. The goal of this hack was to bring the names, spells, etc closer to their Japanese counterparts, and what would have been used in a long canceled SEGA AGES release. There’s 2 different versions of this retranslation (as per romhacking.net):

• Restore every mistranslated connection to the other PS games
• Incorporate The Cutting Room Floor’s retranslation notes to best express Japanese creators’ meaning & intent in all dialog, esp. story dialog
• A more colloquial, fun, and emotional script (from NPCs to main story)
• Add PS lore gathered from PS team interviews and official SEGA resources
• Add depth to character personalities and relationships
• Explain the few plot holes and character choices that had been given no in-game reasoning (see project site for details – spoilers)
• Proper grammar and capitalization
• Restore censored content (A couple monsters readded)
• Item descriptions for those that had none
• Minor endgame character / item rebalancing
• More accurate translation of proper nouns/items/monsters/etc.
• Made some vague PS-series lore connections more obvious
• Translated “comedic” character’s mis- and untranslated jokes
• Include lory1990 bugfixes

If you’re a fan of Working Designs-style RPG writing (specifically Lunar and Lunar: EB on SEGA CD), you might best enjoy this. Or, if you’ve played PSIV before and would like an expanded look at the universe, try this.

2. Generation 4 – “Purist”

• Removed most editorialization added to NPCs from WD script
• Removed a few added dialog exchanges
• Removed some dialog that fits the characters but isn’t in the Japanese script.

If you prefer a more straight-laced localization, this version removes most of the added color, leaving the naturalized English dialog, fixed PS references, more accurate story translation, and added PS background and story. This is closest to the literal, original Japanese script. The screenshots below are from the “Working Designs” patch, as is the review below. I did play “Purist” for awhile on my own to get a full view of the work done on this.

Continue reading →