English patch for Umineko Catbox (UCE)

This is an English patch for Umineko When They Cry: The Symphony of Catbox and Dreams, the console version of Umineko on Nintendo Switch.

This patch is meant to be used on the actual console release of the game. It is not a standalone application.

Credits

This patch would be impossible without the assistance of the following projects.

• kaleido by Neurochitin, which can decompile and recompile the SNR script format used by the game, as well as generate the patch.rom files that can be used to replace files in the base game.
• enter_extractor by TellowKrinkle, which can extract files from the base game's data.rom format, as well as generate pic and txa files used to store the game's images.
• HigurashiENX by MasaGratoR, which is a similar translation patch for the Switch version of Higurashi. Specifically, the IPS patch generation scripts from that project were used to translate some of the text hardcoded into the executables of the game.
• Umineko Project, a similar translation work done for the PS3 version of Umineko, which serves as the base for the translated script and images used in the patch.
• The original translation of the PC version of Umineko by The Witch Hunt. While their work isn't being used directly, without these people Umineko would have never made it to the West in any form at all.
• And, of course, the game itself, created by 07th-Expansion and producted (sic) by Entergram. Please buy the game on the eShop to support the creators.
  • You can technically also buy the game on PSN, though that version isn't fully compatible with the patch, and the parts that may be compatible (romfs changes) are untested. If you get that one, you're on your own in trying to get it to run.
  • There is also a slew of various versions of Umineko native to PC. How good they are varies depending on the version you dig up, but none of them properly support the creators, none of them are compatible with this patch, and all of them have various missing content compared to the console release of the game.

Progress

The final goal of the patch is to translate the entire game into English, including all of the new content.

Currently, the "main" content (i.e. Episodes 1-8) is fully translated and playable, and work on bonus content (i.e. Tsubasa, Hane, and the new Saku-exclusive stories) is in progress.

If you would like to see a more detailed list of tasks, including their current status, you may find it here.

Applying the patch

The game, and this patch, can be played either on PC, via a Switch emulator (both Ryujinx and Yuzu have been tested with the patch and both work perfectly, so choose whichever you prefer) or on a hackable Nintendo Switch, via Atmosphère. Please follow the below instructions to get the patch set up.

Note that to play on PC, you will need to acquire an NSP of the base game and add it to your emulator.

To comply with US laws, you have to buy the game on the eShop and dump it using nxdumptool from a hackable Nintendo Switch to obtain a legal copy for emulation. Software distribution laws in other countries may vary.

On PC (via Ryujinx)

The Switch emulator Ryujinx is compatible with the game and the patch.

To install the patch, download the Atmosphère version (Ryujinx is 100% Atmosphère-compatible),

then choose File -> Open Ryujinx Folder. Navigate to the "mods" directory and extract the entire archive to that location.

On PC (via Yuzu)

Another Switch emulator, Yuzu, is also compatible with the game and the patch.

To install the patch, download the Yuzu version,

then right-click the game in Yuzu, choose "Open Mod Data Location" and extract the entire archive there.

On Nintendo Switch (the actual hardware)

If you want to play the game on your Nintendo Switch hardware, it will need Atmosphère installed on it. If you don't have Atmosphère already, please see if it's compatible with your Switch model and install it if it is. Afterwards, download the Atmosphère version of the patch and copy it to the "atmosphere" folder on your SD card. The next time the game starts, it should be in English.

I don't recommend this approach for now as the patch is still in active development and you're potentially going to murder your SD card updating it all the time. Once the patch is finished, this method of playing should be perfectly viable.

Developer documentation

Some limited docs for those who wish to contribute to patch development, or perhaps translate the script into another language, are available here.