Popolocrois Story English Fan Translation Patch Brings Classic PS1 RPG to Global Audiences

Popolocrois Story, the beloved PlayStation 1 role-playing game developed by Epics and published by Sony, is finally accessible to English-speaking audiences thanks to a newly released fan translation patch.

Originally launching exclusively in Japan in 1996, Popolocrois Story is based on Yohsuke Tamori's manga series and quickly became a cult classic, admired for its whimsical narrative and charming RPG mechanics.

Until now, a full, authentic English localization of the game had remained out of reach for Western fans. The community-driven translation project, completed by a dedicated team of programmers, translators, and testers, represents the first-ever comprehensive English patch for the original Popolocrois Story on PS1.

Players can now immerse themselves in the story of young Prince Pietro, who sets out on a fantastical journey on his tenth birthday to retrieve his stolen crown from the mischievous Devil King, GamiGami.

The adventure draws players into a rich world filled with memorable characters, epic battles, and the timeless challenge of restoring peace to Pietro’s kingdom. While a partial English patch for its sequel, Popolocrois Story 2, launched earlier in 2022 courtesy of another team, efforts to bring the first game to English-speaking gamers have only now reached fruition.

According to the project’s documentation, the main contributors to the patch include paul_met (lead hacker, programmer, and designer), aishsha (translation and testing), Pennywise (coordination and editing), and several others who brought expertise in hacking, testing, audio, and graphic design. It’s important to note that Popolocrois did see a Western release in 2005 in the form of a PlayStation Portable (PSP) compilation, which merged the first two games into one package.

However, significant story and gameplay content—including cutscenes and entire locations—was removed to facilitate the port, making the PSP version a notably condensed experience compared to the PS1 original.

This new translation patch now lets fans worldwide engage with the unaltered classic, maintaining all of its original content for an experience faithful to the Japanese release. The Popolocrois Story English patch has been extensively tested for compatibility with major PSX emulators, including ePSXe, PCSX, and MedNafen.

Users are advised to apply the patch to a Revision 1 copy of the game, and detailed instructions, along with a fully translated manual, are available through the project’s ReadMe documentation and at romhacking.net.

The translation initiative embodies the passion and dedication of the Popolocrois fan community, bridging linguistic divides and giving new life to a classic RPG. Popolocrois Story stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of niche Japanese RPGs, and this fan translation ensures that a new generation of players—and longtime devotees alike—can experience Prince Pietro's journey as it was originally envisioned.

PlayStation PS1 English PlayStation 1 Popolocrois Story Epics Sony Yohsuke Tamori romhacking.net