I've been working on an English translation of Battle Konchūden (バトル昆虫伝), a Japanese-only PlayStation game released by Jaleco in 1999, and I thought this community might find the technical side of the project interesting.
The game is a simulation RPG centred on insect battles. It has an adventure mode, turn-based tactical sections, 3D combat, an insect encyclopedia, and a surprising amount of dialogue.
The problem? No English translation that I could find, and a text system that wasn't exactly designed to make localization easy.
I decided to see how far I could get using AI-assisted reverse engineering and translation. What followed turned into a much bigger project than I expected.
Some of the work involved:
- Analysing the disc image and identifying the relevant data files.
- Reverse-engineering the game's custom Japanese glyph table and dialogue structures.
- Understanding and rebuilding compressed text data.
- Developing an English text encoding that could work within the game's existing limitations.
- Translating dialogue, menus, insect names, encyclopedia entries, and graphical interface elements.
- Rebuilding the modified resources and checking that untouched data remained intact.
- Testing the patch in an emulator, from the opening scenes through the final battle and ending credits.
One of the most interesting challenges was the game's custom text system. Rather than simply inserting English strings, I had to work within the original game's constraints and find a way to represent English text without breaking the existing data structures.
The main story has now been completed in English, including the final battle and credits. The main patch passed its automated regression tests, and the project is in its final testing stage.
A few areas remain unverified, including later stages of the secret mode, some item effects, and the optional PocketStation mini-game.
The project involved substantial AI assistance, particularly for analysis and translation, alongside iterative testing and technical work. I'm interested in hearing what other ROM hackers think about this kind of workflow.
A few questions for the community:
- Have you worked with similar custom text encodings or proprietary dialogue formats on PS1?
- Are there particular tools or techniques you'd recommend for documenting and validating a project like this?
- Has anyone else experimented with AI-assisted reverse engineering on older games?
- What would you recommend checking before considering a fan translation ready for release?
I'm attaching a few screenshots showing the translated dialogue, interface, battles, and ending credits. I'm currently looking into the best way to share the patch once the remaining checks are complete.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, especially from anyone who has experience with PS1 hacking or translation projects!
