RGN Feature Article:
Playing Japanese Only Games with RetroArch's AI Translate Feature - PART I
This isn’t exactly news as this feature has existed for a while now. However not everyone may have heard of it, in fact I actually have only just heard of it myself so this may or may not be news for you. I have just started using it and it has given me the motivation to try and play games that are in Japanese that were otherwise impossible for me to get any understanding from whatsoever. This will just be a casual listing of games that I’ve gotten some enjoyment playing it with RetroArch’s AI translation feature. Most are games that have an underlying storyline which definitely require some type of translation or game understanding to be able to enjoy. In fact even the sports games in this list have some elements of storyline, so this is integral for having a game that is worth translating. Most games are the library that is instantly available on the Super Nintendo due to the Satellaview and the ability that we now have to emulate it. They also make for some very interesting games that when you play can’t help but wonder why wasn’t this game released in English on cartridge? I would definitely have bought a copy if they did!
Satellaview Japanese-Only Games
Ok so let’s get started with some of the very most interesting Japanese-only games, these are Super Nintendo games but not your regular run of the mill games but the lesser explored and lesser known Satellaview library. Because this system catered to mini and micro gaming sessions all the way up to full SNES game length developers had complete freedom to take their idea as far (or near) as they would like. Let’s have a look at some real interesting Japanese Satellaview-only games that should have been translated and released as an English official release on cartridge.
Super Family Gelande
This is very much a game that I really wish was available in English. As many skiing games as there are I am not aware of any skiing games that take place on real-life ski resorts. This game appears to feature actual real ski resorts that are in Japan, from easy beginner slop to steeper slopes for more advanced skiiers. The graphics beautifully represent the Super Famicom’s signature bright and crisp sprite visuals that make it instantly recognizable as a 16-bit game. The game is actually quite difficult, the controls require complex coordination to replicate the skiing motion, and you must remember many similar variation and to that you have to rhythmically intersperse L and R taps. Perhaps this complex control mechanism is what had kept it being released in the west. They could have made the control simpler though, then the challenges would be much easier to accomplish. Apart from the punishing difficulty spike this game shows off Super Famicom impressive graphics with a nice and bright palette. The animation is smooth and there is even elements of storyline driving game progression built in. This game has potential to be a great gam and I already had a ton of fun playing it using AI translations. The controls get a little easier as you get used to them from playing a bit.
Gameplay Genre: Sports (Skiing)
Gameplay Length: 10-40 Estimated Hours
Game Console: Super Famicom Satellaview
Mini Review Score: 80% "Enjoyable and Unique!"
Famicom Bunko - Hajimari no Mori (Pocketbook Stories - The Unknown Forest)
Here is another really great game that the Super Nintendo missed out on. This game was only released via Nintendo Power as a downloadable game from a Lawson’s kiosk at a local Japanese “Hard Off” chain store. This is an adventure game for the Super Nintendo, a genre that is grossly misunder-represented on the Super Nintendo big time. There may only be about 2 or 3 English native released adventure games and maybe a dozen or so more Japanese adventure games, maybe more. In any the case this game would have made an excellent English release if it had come out, it would probably be a cult classic. Famicom Bunko tells the story of a young boy who encounters a strange people who live in a secret forest. The young lad is on his school vacation at his granpa’s house in the Japanese country-side and only has a week to discover the secret of the forbidden forest. While I’ve been having a fair bit of fun navigating my way through the 10 year old boy adventure antics of this game, I have gotten stuck on a point following a little “dirt thief” in circles. Having completed at least 3/4 of the game, however I can safely attest to it’s brilliance. A lot of work has gone into this game, while it’s tedious to play using a translation mechanism it would no doubt flow properly if it were in English. The storyline of this game is great, with the main characters initial standing with the local kids behind ‘a bit on the low side’ his street credibility transforms from ‘naughty city crybaby’ to ‘menko master’. You earn this title after defeating the local bully at Menko (Japanese card game) the local gang of kid’s become your most faithful and respecting ally. The main character’s un-wavering determination to accomplish his goal is very inspiring and really drives home the importance of the story-line in the game.
Gameplay Genre: Adventure
Gameplay Length: 30-50 Estimated Hours
Game Console: Super Famicom / Super Nintendo
Mini Review Score 90% "Captivating and Wonderous!"
Basic Setup Up of AI Translate in RetroArch
What do you do in order to setup RetroArch to turn-on auto-translate? I’ve taken a screenshot of all the settings that you need to change which can be found in RetroArch > Settings > Accessibility > AI Service . The most important thing to note would be the URL to input. Now from my understanding this isn’t the full and complete proper setup for RetroArch’s AI Translation but it get’s it working. The only other thing that you have to do is set a hotkey, when it’s pressed it will translate everything on the screen and will be removed when you press it again. To set the hotkey go to Menu > Settings > Input > Hotkeys > AI Service (near bottom). I suggest that you set this hotkey to a button on your controller that isn’t used for anything else. This is where having the extra buttons from a Nintendo Switch controller is a good thing.
More Japanese Games Continued in PART II
This has just been a quick little introduction to Japanese imported titles and an easy, simple method to get translation setup through our emulator. This fix will work with any emulator that works within the RetroArch framework which leaves open lots of different possibilities of many different Japanese game titles that you are now able to play. I have given an example of two very good games for the Super Famicom. In the next part of this feature we will look at some more Japanese-only games that can be played using the AI translation service. If you have any suggestions for any games please contact us or leave a comment on the article using the form below. In the next part we will explain how to get Satellaview games working on emulator as it’s not that straight forward since the Satellaview is an add-on peripheral for the Super Nintendo with it’s own host cartridge.
