Adding a Global Perspective with Custom Rom Patches

Emulation is the gift that keeps on giving. Sure, it lets you play games you overlooked during your youth. But you can also play games never released in your part of the world.

That sounds awesome until you consider the language barrier. That’s where fan translation patches can help. These types of unofficial, fan-created patches can translate in-game text and dialogue into another language. Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll need to apply a fan translation patch for your own games.

What You’ll Need to Apply a Fan Translation Patch

Before you download a fan translation patch, get an emulator. There are plenty of fantastic emulators to play classic games on your Android phone or tablet , like the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive game I’m using in the example later. If you prefer a standalone unit for retro gaming, consider building a portable retro gaming console via Raspberry Pi and putting your emulator on that.

Got the emulator? The next thing you need is a ROM file to play the game you want to translate. It’s important you ensure that you use copies of games you own. This way, you guarantee you use ROMs correctly and legally.

A Working Emulator and ROM File

Got your ROM? Good. Create a new folder to store your ROM file calledROMS (or an equivalent) in the emulator’s directory. This is where you will store your games for that particular emulator. See below for an example of what this looks like on a Windows desktop.

While every emulator is different, you can test your ROM files in roughly the same way. Open your emulator, then selectFile > Load ROM . Choose the ROM file saved in theROMS folder of your emulator’s directory.

In most cases, the ROM file should load, letting you play the game (albeit in an untranslated state). If the ROM does not load, obtain another copy of the ROM file or confirm the ROM file currently works with the emulator you have chosen.

A Translation Patch File

Now that you know that your emulator and ROM file that you wish to translate is working, find the fan translation patch file for your game of choice. For this example, I’ll be using an English translation of the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive classic shmup, Panorama Cotton.

Romhacking has a library of translations (and a whole heck of a lot more) available for games of all generations. And there happens to be a “Fully Playable” English translation of Panorama Cotton available to download. SelectDownload underLinks to download the translation patch file.

Some patch files are .zip or .7zip files. Ensure you have the appropriate software/app installed on your device, so you can open the file and drop it into its appropriate folder.

A Patch Tool

A patch tool works by binding a patch file to a ROM file, thus creating a new ROM file with the parameters of the patch baked in. It’s the same concept as your platform of choice auto-updating a game you’re about to play before you can play.

In the past, you needed to know the different types of patch files. But today, that’s not really the case, especially as you can create your own Rom Hacks for games like Pokémon from an Android device or straight from the web with sites like Rom Patcher JS. Let’s use the former as an example.

How to Apply a Fan Translation Patch to Your ROM

Now let’s put all the pieces together. Find the translation patch file you downloaded a moment ago. Copy it, then paste it into the same folder as the ROM file you’ll be patching for easy reference.

Head over to the Rom Patcher JS web app. SelectChoose File for both theROM file andPatch file fields and select the appropriate file for each. For this example, I’m choosing the Panorama Cotton ROM file and the English translation patch file I copied over to myROMS folder a moment ago.

SelectApply patch to download the newly patched version of the ROM file. Rename it if you prefer, then add it to yourROMS folder.

Now it’s time to test out the new ROM file. Load the new ROM file in your emulator as normal. Did it work? In this example, yes! Take a look at the side-by-side comparison of the newly patched ROM file (left) and the original ROM file (right) in action!

Patch Your Favorite Classic Games in a Few Simple Steps

If you know how to emulate ROM files, you can patch them to play in your preferred manner. From adding new gameplay mechanics to new characters, stages, and so much more, knowing how to patch ROM files opens up a whole new world of classic games to play. The only problem is that you have decades worth of patches to comb through, so you best get started!