In a very odd turn of events, a fan of the SNK Fighting Series has decided to fully translate the Samurai Shodown RPG into English for other fans on the West side of the world to experience the game.
Now, I will be honest here; I do not know very much about this game whatsoever, but I do have a slight knowledge of the subject. The game being translated is titled Samurai Showdown Tales of the Bushido and was only released on the Neo Geo CD in Japan. Players can choose from six total characters, which all come equipped with their own dialogue, but the story doesn't really stray away from the game's main plotline. So yes, choosing characters has an effect on the dialogue, but not necessarily the gameplay itself. Even so, the characters do have their own special scenes that play, so it is fun to go through them all and watch what the game has to offer.
With all of that said, most people did not even know that this RPG existed, and those who did know about it were likely stymied by the fact that the game was not even released in the Western hemisphere, and it lacked translations. Luckily, a fan decided that enough was enough and took on the challenge of translating the game in its entirety; including all six character chapters. The translation is not complete as of yet, but according to Retroheadz, it is about 70% complete at the time of writing. Once it is complete, fans of the series and RPG fans alike will be able to experience this game firsthand and in English at long last.
There was a French-to-English translation of the game that was created prior to this one, but it was described as overly clunky and very hard to play. Players were able to enjoy the game to a degree, but it was very difficult to understand the story and plotline. Hopefully, once this translation is complete, fans of the franchise will be able to relax and take in all that the RPG has to offer.
There is a video available now describing the translation process, and a few scenes of the translation in progress as well, which you can check out here.
