Visual Novel Fan Translations

Updated May 5, 2009

Visual novels are computer games combining dialogue and narration with anime-style graphics. Often they are interactive, and you can choose the fate of the protagonist by selecting from a list of options. The visual novel medium is popular in Japan, and is just starting to make headway in the United States.

Currently, visual novels are only produced commercially in Japan. Sometimes they are translated into English, either by a licensing company or by fans. English-speaking people from around the world have also programmed their own short games, making them from scratch or using tools like Ren'Py.

This site is a database, maintained by a lazy cat-in-a-box, which catalogs all translations of visual novels. I don't intend to catalog commercial productions right now, although they are a great boon to the fandom and you should support them by all means.

Completed

In Progress

Da Capo Plus Communication is licensed by MangaGamer
News archive (no longer updated, use novelnews.net)

Dropped Projects

These projects are entirely dead and listed here for posterity, and in case of the unlikely event that someone wants to continue where the translators left off. Don't bug the subbers about continuing translation!

Visual Novel Links

The world of visual novels in English!

Databases

• Visual Novel Database
  The IMDB for visual novels.

News and weblogs

• encubed
  a blog run by Zalas which has all the latest news
• Visual-Novels.net
  A blog.
• VisualNews.net
  Has been broken for a while now.
• World of Insanity
  Insani's blog about the fan translation community.

Internet forums

• Gemot Encubed
  This is by far the best forum. Go here first.
• AnimeSuki game forum
  A generic Japanese game forum, but maybe you can rouse up some fans about a translation project-- it's happened before.
• [unused] Megatokyo forum
  Was used back in 2002, abandoned since then due to insanely heavy moderation.
• [unused] 4-ch.net game forum
  Comedy option.

Fan translation

• insani
  Has some demo translations not listed here.
• Hæleþes áwendende
  Famous home of a real cool dude!
• Visual Novel Engine Formats Page
  If you're going to start your own translation project, make sure to check if the script format has been deciphered.
• Incompleat list of nscripter games
  Want to start a translation? Here's a huge list of nscripter games that are easy to patch.

Shopping

• DLSite
  Buy doujinshi games directly from the authors-- notably Lilith. Probably the most fandom-friendly option.
• HimeyaShop/ErogeShop
  The most well-known visual novel import shop. Note that this is a reseller that marks up prices, but it does provide a useful service.
• Akibado, Celga, Rinkya, Shopping Mall Japan
  If there's something you need really badly from Japan, these websites can buy it for you through Yahoo Auctions. They are even more expensive than HimeyaShop, though.

Related fandoms

The visual novel fandom is tightly integrated with three related ones. This website is devoted to visual novels, but by all means you might be more interested in one of the following subjects:

• The ROM hacking fandom is oriented around English translations and other kinds of modifications to Japanese video game ROMs. See ROMhacking.net for a list of translated games and other interesting things. Also, try their Japanese translation forum where you can ask questions about difficult translations.
• The bishoujo gaming fandom, although it literally means the dating sim fandom, is actually oriented around commercial English translations of pornographic Japanese games. For a sample of the best, see Lady Phoenix's English Bishoujo Site. (18+ only)
• The ren'ai gaming fandom, although it literally means the dating sim fandom, is actually oriented around American and Commonwealth-made fan games that resemble short dating sims. The main site for this is renai.us. With Ren'py you can easily create your own visual novels.

Terminology

Visual novel

Any computer program that involves still pictures and mounds of text below for you to read. Most are in the romance genre, but the medium is totally open.

Eroge [erotic game]

Any anime game with pornographic content. This includes most visual novels, but also baku blocks and mahjongg games where the girl strips when you win. It overlaps with visual novels, but don't confuse them.

Dating simulation (alternatively, "bishoujo game" or "ren'ai game")

The most popular kind of visual novel and eroge. It's easy! You find a girl you like during the game's course of events, and try to win her over. Usually they involve excellent and engaging plot devices. A few dating sims even go beyond simple novel format and have a game-like quality where you have to work on your skills to be good with women. Most of the translations here are of dating sims. (NOTE: "dating sims" cannot be guaranteed to provide dating or simulation)

Doujinshi

Fan-produced work, as opposed to professional work. Narcissu is a doujinshi.

NScripter

A script for writing visual novels in. Some games are written in this, making them easy to decompile and translate.

Graphical adventure

American equivalent of visual novels; Beneath a Steel Sky, for example, or Monkey Island even. Like Japanese novels, they are limited to a single genre-- adventure. Usually they are sort of between a visual novel and an RPG.

Shoujo

Little girl. Shounen: Little boy. Seinen: Adult. (These are the three kinds of comic books and anime.)

Baku blocks

Wouldn't you like to know.

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