Since it doesn't seem possible or easy to modify the Japanese 3DS/DSi to display any other language than Japanese/English for the DS/DSi games, I searched a way to force them to launch in the languages I want.

I first tried some hacks on the 3DS/DSi, or modified the files of my games by dump and unpacking them, but no solution works well.

So I searched an Action Replay code that allows me to override the firmware language, to force my games to launch in the language I want.
I found a lot of informations given by FAST6191, and thanks to him I was able to find what I was searching for in the memory viewer of the Desmume emulator: the memory address that change the games language.

I checked many games, and it appears they mostly use the same code since they all access the same information in the firmware!

Requirement to use the code:

- A DSi/3DS (obviously)
- A way to launch your games with action replay codes (Action Replay dongle, R4, DSTwo...)
- Games that contain the language you want (only DS/DSi games!!)

How to do:

Simply use the following AR code with any game you want.

227FFCE4 000000XX

OR

22FFFCE4 000000XX

(both codes work, it appears they can be accessed in to memory points)

Just replace XX by your language code, and it should work.
Here are the language codes you can use:
00 = Japanese
01 = English
02 = French
03 = German
04 = Italian
05 = Spanish

Be careful, some games like Castlevania save the language in the first load and keep it, so you might want to setup the AR code before launching it.
Also, obviously the code will only work if the game is launched with the code already actived, it won't work if you activate it while the game is running.

If you are using a card that supports usrcheat.dat files, I recommend you to use r4cce to add this code. It appears the code is already available inside the usrcheat.dat file, in the "!Codes Placeholder" section, so to use them just copy paste them in your games cheat codes.
I haven't found a way to add the code to all games at once sadly.

Feel free to tell me if you find a better/more simple way to do it, I am open to any suggestion

 

[pandavova]

This very cool for the Flashcards that dont support language changing...
(My R4IDSN does support this )

And of course its nice to have!

 

[Stremon]

This very cool for the Flashcards that dont support language changing...
(My R4IDSN does support this )

And of course its nice to have!

You are right, the cards with an OS based on Wood R4 support this function, I didn't know that
I wish the function could be available on the DSTwo as well, it would avoid me so much headache...
Do you have any idea if we can have a in game menu with real time cheats and save like the DSTwo in Wood R4?

 

[Valery0p]

I really doubt that... also, you can use nitrohax on 3ds with original cartridges (and +haxxstation on Dsi), without any extra hardware.

 

[Lumstar]

EUR Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia is absurd. I'm sure I've said it before.
A normal system language check is used just once, becoming permanent at whatever moment the game saves its decision. Without any on screen warning of this. Then you have to cheat to change language ever again.

It's left to a notice in the manual. https://cdn02.nintendo-europe.com/m...NintendoDS_PokemonRangerShadowsOfAlmia_EN.pdf

 

[noctis90210]

EUR Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia is absurd. I'm sure I've said it before.
A normal system language check is used just once, becoming permanent at whatever moment the game saves its decision. Without any on screen warning of this. Then you have to cheat to change language ever again.

It's left to a notice in the manual. https://cdn02.nintendo-europe.com/m...NintendoDS_PokemonRangerShadowsOfAlmia_EN.pdf

just a little off topic, how do you get those manual links?
im trying to go to the upper level/folder of the site:
https://cdn02.nintendo-europe.com/media/downloads/games_8/emanuals/
but it says forbidden... is there a way to access all the files on that wb site? thanks

 

[Stremon]

EUR Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia is absurd. I'm sure I've said it before.
A normal system language check is used just once, becoming permanent at whatever moment the game saves its decision. Without any on screen warning of this. Then you have to cheat to change language ever again.

It's left to a notice in the manual. https://cdn02.nintendo-europe.com/m...NintendoDS_PokemonRangerShadowsOfAlmia_EN.pdf

Yeah that's the same for some of the Castlevania games, that's why I mentioned it's better to activate the cheat before launching it the first time, to avoid any those annoying language locks

 

[Lumstar]

Yeah that's the same for some of the Castlevania games, that's why I mentioned it's better to activate the cheat before launching it the first time, to avoid any those annoying language locks

Huh, haven't tried Castlevania.
Every other game I can think of (Yu-Gi-Oh Spirit Caller) lets you erase data and start over. Shadows of Almia is quite definitively permanent. As in permanent.

 

[pasc]

Hmm... too bad there is no way to force a language change while the game is running...

That would be very useful...

 

[Dartist]

Hey, i hope this doesnt works as necroing, im really having trouble changing the language of my pokemon ranger shadows of almia game, i tried geting nitrohax and using the AR code but it doesnt works, screen is white on launch.

Sorry im new to the site and literally made the account to ask lumstar since he said he changed it through cheats, but i cant send private messages, and couldnt find any other post about this subject

 

[Doblete]

In SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS, does not work, forcing the Spanish language.
Tested on a dsi jap.

 

[copapistao]

is it possible to do that with an original cartridge?

 

[FAST6191]

is it possible to do that with an original cartridge?

Yes but as was noted in your other thread this is not one of the games you can force, is locked by a save (some games will ask you on first boot and use that until you wipe the save, or I guess hack the save) or a weak emulator/flash cart that can not or will not respect firmware settings. Many European games had individual releases for individual languages (usually English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, Dutch and European Portuguese being some of the ones after that with the Nordics further behind still).

For the sake of the forum searchers that may one day read this then it does largely boil down to a single line cheat in most cases where you force an area of memory that contains the BIOS settings to be the one you want.
If you have a cheat device like an action replay then easy enough. If you have a DS flash cart but want to use an original cart for some reason then https://www.gamebrew.org/wiki/NitroHax is your main bet. There are hacked/custom firmwares that can do cheats but not really ones you would want to use at time of writing (some experimentation is happening though so maybe one day). DSi and 3ds stuff also has options to do some things here.
If you have said weak flash cart or emulator that does not respect settings (or it is one of those games that can be forced into something else, usually Japanese versions of games that did not get it originally or had it locked out of cheaper out of region copies) then you can hardpatch cheats into ROMs. DSATM being where most would start down that path https://gbatemp.net/download/dsatm.31528/ . There are some hacks for a few things as well to do a slightly more elegant take (not that it matters much for something this simple https://www.romhacking.net/?page=ha...er=&dir=&title=Japanese&author=&hacksearch=Go ).