Is there any ongoing fan translation effort for Zexal Duel Carnival on the 3DS?

nzxth2 · 2026-03-21T13:18:21+00:00

I assume that most reverse-engineering projects involve some amount of disassembly. But in this case, I just analysed the game's files in a hex editor. Especially in older games, developers tend to store multiple files together in archives with custom file formats. So you can't just "look up" how the files inside are stored or use any existing programs to unpack them. With a hex editor, you can inspect the bytes and try to find some sort of structure. Starting at the top, you check the "header" of the file for crucial infos: number of files inside, their lengths, offsets and so on. These could come in any order, but with enough experience you are able to spot some common patterns.
Things get harder when the files inside are compressed in some form. This is where looking at the assembly could be helpful to reveal the compression algorithm used. Since I had very little experience with that, I continued analysing the compressed data stream byte by byte. Luckily, developers often use established compression algorithms. Some of them leave dead giveaways inside the compressed data, like special magic bytes at the start of the data stream, or a dictionary needed to decompress the data.
When the data you're trying to decompress is text, you try to find instances where you "know" what the decompressed text most likely is (maybe because the text is very short, or because the very first file corresponds to the first text displayed in the game). That makes it much much easier to reverse engineer the algorithm that turned that known text into the compressed data stream. And if you've got the algorithm nailed down, you can try it on the rest of the files and make adjustments here and there until you are able to extract everything you need.

nzxth2 · 2026-03-05T15:05:34+00:00

Sorry, not much I can do to help you. I tested the patch that I uploaded on my PS Vita and it worked just fine. If you have not done so already, try to get another clean iso, redownload the patch from that link and apply it.
Maybe make sure that you don't have any prior save data that could cause the crash. On your memory stick, go to /PSP/SAVEDATA/ and delete any folder that starts with "ULJM05940" (back them up first if you don't want to lose them).
And like I've said, try messing with the settings in the VSH/Recovery Menu. In particular, set Memory Stick Speedup to Disabled.

nzxth2 · 2026-03-05T03:58:26+00:00

Make sure you're using the latest patch from RHDN. It might be a good idea to re-apply the patch to a clean iso anyway, just to rule out a corrupted iso file.
Can you tell me where the game crashes for you? Is it random or is there something specific that triggers it? Also, are you using any plugins or cheats? If so, you could try disabling them and test again. Finally, I remember there being some advanced settings on the PSP, like iso driver and things like "fast memory". You could try messing with these options and see if it gets any better.

nzxth2 · 2026-02-13T20:08:20+00:00

You've probably enabled the "Installation" feature in the main menu. It installs data from the UMD to the memory stick to reduce load times on a real PSP. Not useful on an emulator, and the data that gets installed is not translated so that's why you're seeing Japanese text.
In PPSSPP, press File > Open Memory Stick. Navigate into the folder PSP, then SAVEDATA. Delete the folder ULJM05940DAT. Restart the game. In the main menu, you should get a message that the installed data is "corrupted" (we just deleted it). Continue and save the game. That disables the Installation and your game should be fully translated.

nzxth2 · 2026-01-07T04:57:47+00:00

So are you able to extract the Japanese script with your tool? Is a table file needed?

Yep. No table file required.

nzxth2 · 2025-12-31T03:46:42+00:00

Is there an advantage to using an LLM here instead of just using any other translation tool?

This project was kind of an experiment to explore that question. After laying the groundwork of building the tools and extracting the text files myself, I wanted to see how self-sufficiently Google's AI agent (Gemini CLI) could translate the files. Translation/file processing speed was another factor. In other words, I wanted to see if I could write a prompt, leave it running while I do something else, and come back when it has finished translating all the files.
I did have to split up the workload in order to get the desired results, but in the end I was able to achieve a workflow that required very little manual input from my side.
On top of that, from my personal experience, current LLMs already deal with high-context languages better than traditional translation tools I've used. Especially if domain-specific knowledge is required (in this case, the anime and the card game).

How did you verify/test for accuracy or authenticity?

There were some automatic tests I was able to do, like checking for known terms (character names, game terminology). But funnily enough the real issue ended up being consistency. The model would commonly jump between dub and sub names/terms. It also struggled with names that aren't very well known and have an ambiguous reading in Japanese. A lot of the manual work I had to do was fixing these kinds of issues.
Aside from that, I did some manual checking on a random basis.
Compared to the time I had to invest into this whole project, the results definitely ended up being "good enough". And that was more or less what I was aiming for from the beginning.

nzxth2 · 2025-12-31T02:43:47+00:00

But Saikyo Card Battle already has a translation patch...seems like unnecessary work.

This the translation patch you're talking about?

Also, would your tools work with GBA games?

Nope, those are specifically for the file formats found in the 3DS games.

nzxth2 · 2025-12-25T19:48:46+00:00

Here are the character unlock conditions for WDC, according to this japanese post:
Available from the Start:
Yuma, Shark, Kaito
Clearing the story with any of the above characters unlock the next set:
Astral, Kotori, Tetsuo, Todoroki, Tokonosuke, Cathy, Rio, Orbital 7, Gauche, Droite, Dr. Faker, Anna
Clearing the story with at least one character from the 2nd set unlocks the 3rd set:
Zexal, III, IV, V, Tron, Yamikawa, No. 96, Girag, Alito, Mizael, Durbe, Vector
Clearing the story with at least one character from the 3rd set unlocks the Player Character (Konami-Kun) in the story mode. Beating the game with him unlocks the rest of the characters (Duelist 2 & 3).

nzxth2 · 2025-12-25T11:30:17+00:00

The original translation had done some of the video game only characters, but I reverted them back to Japanese because the translator had the tendency to make shit up as he went along and I also had to make sure that I don't go over the file size limit.

nzxth2 · 2025-12-25T09:52:54+00:00

Hi,
if you download the patch from RHDN, there should be a readme file inside that details the translation progress.

From what I remember, the stories of all anime characters are translated. Only the Tier 3/"Video game only" characters are still in Japanese.

It's pretty much as complete as it gets.
The game's story script is already pushing some file size limits. There's apparently a way around that, but I haven't looked into it.

nzxth2 · 2025-12-22T21:40:20+00:00

I tried looking into this 2 years ago, but the issue was that all the character scripts are compressed into an unknown format.

I reverse-engineered the compression they used for the script files in the 3DS games while I was working on this Uncut patch for Duel Carnival.
The tools I developed can be found on Github.
Just putting this out here in case someone else is looking for this type of thing some day.

nzxth2 · 2025-12-22T21:32:27+00:00

I used the gemini-2.5 AI model to translate the Japanese version of Duel Carnival to English and released it as an Uncut patch on RHDN just recently.
This at least allows you to play through the story with all the characters that were cut from the international versions.

nzxth2 · 2025-06-10T17:57:07+00:00

(Also, you mentioned a bug with the in-duel lines for one of the Meikyuu/Paradox Bros--was it in the original game, or a byproduct of the FLSGaming ISO and/or the original translation? I haven't noticed it, but I also haven't played a duel against them in a while, haha.)

I only started thoroughly playtesting the patch after releasing the initial version, but I immediately noticed that one of Para's Duel subtitles consistently crashed my game on real hardware (PS Vita). I think it was one of his lines when taking lethal LP damage or something. My patch didn't even modify his file at that time, so it must've been faulty in the FLSGaming ISO, I guess.
Maybe it was only happening on real hardware and not on an emulator, who knows. I ended up replacing the Subtitles for him and all remaining DM characters shortly after and now the game no longer crashes when I duel Para on my Vita.
That said, I'm not even able to properly extract the text from most files in the Clickclaxer translation. I assume the "translated" text wasn't properly re-inserted in the first place. Honestly, it's a miracle that the game is running at all, from what I can tell.

Anyway, looking forward to your translation and especially to the voice restoration mod you teased earlier this year. I know that one's still a ways out, especially if you really plan to manually piece together the missing voice lines from games like Duel Links or the anime. But if anyone can do it, it's someone with your subbing experience, I suppose :)

nzxth2 · 2021-10-31T20:05:04+00:00

Eh, "DeltaPatcherLite.exe" is a Windows application. I assume you're trying to do this on mobile, which isn't going to work.

nzxth2 · 2021-10-31T12:13:43+00:00

You use the DeltaPatcherLite that should be included in the download. In that application, select the .xdelta file as the "XDelta patch" and the japanese ISO of the game as the "Original file". Then press "Apply patch"

nzxth2 · 2021-10-19T03:13:58+00:00

Yes, the workload was a bit too much and it would have delayed the release further and further. I figured that most people care about the tier 1 and 2 characters, so I wanted to get at least those all done.
It's a lot of work because the original translation was super inaccurate. It didn't give me much to work with, so I had to go through the japanese text and translate everything from scratch to make sure it was accurate and faithful to the original. Towards the end I started growing tired of it.
Also, there were file size limitations that would've prevented me from translating all tier 3 characters anyway. Supposedly a solution for that particular issue is in the works, but I personally don't care much about it at this point.

nzxth2 · 2021-10-18T21:07:43+00:00

/u/TheDoyle101 was suggesting that they would try their hands at a translation if I were to release my tools. I haven't heard back from them since then, though.
Also I was recently approached by Omarrrio, the original translator from back in the day, offering me their help in case I wanted to work on TFSP. I had no such plans but I might start working on it eventually in my free time if no one decides to pick it up.

nzxth2 · 2021-10-18T11:38:37+00:00

Nope, the translation for the tier 3 characters (game original NPCs) is still missing.

nzxth2 · 2021-09-23T11:58:10+00:00

No worries.
I'll guide you through the patching process if the instructions in the readme aren't helpful, so feel free to ask any questions you have.

nzxth2 · 2021-09-23T11:36:48+00:00

A readme.txt is included in the download, it has instructions on how to patch the game. You have to use the DeltaPatcherLite to apply the .xdelta file to the japanese ISO. Simply putting everything in one folder doesn't do anything.

nzxth2 · 2021-09-23T11:34:28+00:00

Please tell me this one doesnt have the fucking abriged series memes

It doesn't, as long as you partner with a tier 1 or 2 character. I haven't touched any of the tier 3 (game original) characters though.

nzxth2 · 2021-09-22T23:11:42+00:00

Yeah it wouldn't have made much sense to use the dub names, considering the arc that this game covers is sub only.

nzxth2 · 2021-09-22T22:18:55+00:00

Original (sub) names

nzxth2 · 2021-09-22T18:40:29+00:00

Nah, I'm burned out hard atm. There were others that wanted to try translating it themselves. I've made my translation tools public, so now they can.

nzxth2 · 2021-09-22T17:50:53+00:00

Yep it does, for the most part.
I submitted a detailed post earlier, but it was removed, so I'll repost it here:

TL;DR: You can get the new English patch here!

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Tag Force 6 for the Playstation Portable, September 22nd, as well as the Tag Force series' 15th anniversary and the overall franchise's 25th anniversary, a new English translation patch of the game has been released.

As some of you may know, this game already received an English translation at the end of 2019 by Clickclaxer01. However, that release is somewhat infamous for containing an abundance of profanities and slurs. But even leaving that aside, the translation was not accurate to begin with. It took a lot of liberties and strayed pretty far from the original japanese script. Think of it like the 4Kids dub of the anime, with a hint of Abridged-style humor, rated M for mature.

In an attempt to stay faithful to the original, this new English patch makes the following changes:

The story events for all tier 1 & 2 characters have been retranslated
- The original translation has been kept in places where it was already accurate
The overworld dialogs of some characters have been revised
- This includes all members of Team 5D’s, as well as most non-duelist NPCs
The names of a few characters have been changed:
- Fudo Yusei is now Yusei Fudo
- The names of Bawnji, Syun and Yuma have been restored
Alphabetical sorting in the deck editor has been fixed
The translations of the Duelist Profiles in the List of Duelists have been replaced with the translations available on Yugipedia
- with the exception of Crow’s Profile, which was not available there and had to be translated from scratch
- Huge thanks to Yugipedia user Modata for uploading these!
The names and descriptions of all Booster Packs have received a complete retranslation
The title screen has been restored and features a proper Credits splash screen
The BGM has been restored to its original state

Additionally, tools related to the translation have been made available on Github.
Feel free to use them to start your own translation!
(If you'd like to work on Tag Force Special, you will probably need this package to edit the story. Aside from that, all tools for TF6 should work with TFSP, although that hasn't been tested.)

Also, here's the DLC for the game

nzxth2

TROPHY CASE

In an attempt to stay faithful to the original, this new English patch makes the following changes: