Toggle sidebar

Hacking BACKNDS format info?

Chrono Trigger (DS) - KWhazit / Chrono Compedium Fan Translation Patch Port

rsc-pl · 2026-06-19T11:36:33+00:00

NOTE: THE PATCH IS STILL IN BETA. I'VE TESTED IT, BUT THERE MAY STILL BE SOME MINOR BUGS OR MISSING LINES! I would appreciate it if you could report any errors - missing lines, badly mapped lines, incomplete lines etc. (but please only report actual errors - this patch is meant to be a 1:1 match with KWhazit's translation, this version will not include any corrections to the translation itself). Chrono Trigger DS: Retranslation Port brings the KWhazit / Chrono Compendium English retranslation of Chrono Trigger to the Nintendo DS version. For many years, this historically important retranslation existed mainly as a Super Nintendo ROM-hack project and as comparison scripts. This patch ports that work into the DS script structure, updates DS tables and extras where matching source terminology exists, and keeps DS-only material intact where there is no original SNES counterpart. This is not a new localization and not a rewrite for modern English flavor. The goal is to make the DS version playable with the Chrono Compendium translation. Closer to the Japanese script, closer to the original names and terminology, and less dependent on inherited English adaptation choices. Current status Platform: Nintendo DS Base game: Chrono Trigger DS, US version Patch type: English text patch Primary release format: BPS No ROM is included. You must provide your own legally obtained clean Chrono Trigger DS (US) ROM. Credits Original English retranslation: KWhazit Chrono Compendium retranslation project, script presentation, editing, and release work: Chrono Compendium / KWhazit / Kajar Laboratories contributors, including ZeaLitY DS porting, text mapping, ROM hacking, text extraction/repacking workflow, DS build tooling, and release patch preparation: rsc-pl This project depends on the historical work done by KWhazit and the Chrono Compendium community. KWhazit's retranslation was one of the major early attempts to make Chrono Trigger's Japanese script readable in English with original terminology, tone, names, and script details exposed instead of hidden behind broad localization choices. Why this patch exists Chrono Trigger has several English scripts, each created under different constraints and with different goals. The original SNES localization is famous and very readable, but it was produced under 1990s cartridge-space, deadline, and Nintendo of America content restrictions. It uses many renamed characters and locations, compresses or reshapes lines, changes some cultural or religious texture, and sometimes replaces the original wording with a stronger English adaptation. The DS English script is more modern and often clearer, and simply better but it is still an official localization. It keeps many established localized names, smooths or rewrites lines, replaces some Japanese relationship/address nuance with ordinary English titles, and does not try to reproduce KWhazit's source-facing translation choices. The KWhazit / Chrono Compendium retranslation had a different purpose. It was built for readers who wanted to see what the Japanese script was saying more directly. Original names, original relationship terms, original item and location concepts, and many details that were compressed, renamed, or reinterpreted elsewhere. Until now, that experience was tied mainly to the SNES version. This patch exists because the DS version has useful additions, a different script structure, extra menus, extras/library content, and broader availability, but it never had a direct port of the Chrono Compendium retranslation. Who this patch is for This patch is for players who: want to play Chrono Trigger DS with KWhazit / Chrono Compendium terminology; prefer source-faithful translation over localization-heavy rewriting; want names such as Sara, Jyaki, Bosch, Gasch, Hasch, Vinnegar, Mayonnay, Soysaw, Grandleon, and Dinomen restored; want alcohol, item, monster, location, and lore terminology closer to the KWhazit's script; want relationship/address nuance such as -sama, -san, and Ane-ue preserved where the port uses it; are interested in the historical Chrono Compendium retranslation and want it playable on DS; want a DS base that can later also support a polished faithful variant and a PC port. It is probably not for players who prefer the official English scripts as separate adaptations, or who want every line rewritten into idiomatic modern English regardless of the Japanese source. What this patch changes The patch ports the Chrono Compendium text into Chrono Trigger DS by mapping the original retranslation against the DS script structure. It changes: main story dialogue; location names; character and NPC names; enemy and monster names; item and equipment names; item descriptions where source-backed; tech names and descriptions where source-backed; chapter titles; Library / Extras / encyclopedia terminology where matching original terminology exists; music, ending, source-list, quiz, and metadata labels where exposed to the player and source-backed. It preserves: DS control codes and runtime structure; DS choice scaffolding; DS name tokens; DS-only content that has no clear SNES counterpart; non-English DS language slots, which are outside the scope of this English patch; debug/developer labels, unless they intersect with visible player-facing terminology. Why KWhazit's translation matters historically KWhazit's work was not just a list of renamed terms. It was a large comparison and retranslation effort that treated the Japanese script as the authority and documented differences between the Japanese and English versions. The Chrono Compendium / Kajar Laboratories project gave English-speaking Chrono Trigger fans a way to examine the game outside the inherited official-localization frame. That mattered especially for Zeal terminology, Magus/Jyaki/Sara relationship details, the Three Philosophers/Gurus, alcohol and item names, enemy and location names, chapter titles, and scenes where the official script added or removed implication. This DS port is built as a preservation and accessibility project for that translation tradition. It does not replace KWhazit's work; it makes that work playable in another version of the game. DS-specific handling The DS version contains content that did not exist in the original SNES script, including extra areas, extra items, Wireless/Arena-related text, Library/Extras data, and other metadata. The port handles this conservatively: if a DS line has a clear KWhazit's original counterpart, it is mapped; if a DS-only line exposes a known KWhazit's term, that term is synchronized; if a DS-only line has no source counterpart, it remains DS text for now; later polish work may improve DS-only wording Future plans Optional polished faithful variant The original Chrono Compendium transfer intentionally preserves many literal or stiff lines. That is part of its historical identity. A separate optional polished faithful version is planned. Its purpose is to smooth lines that read too stiffly in English while preserving the same names, lore, meaning, address nuance, and source-facing translation philosophy. This will not replace the original-transfer branch. Both versions should remain available: original KWhazit's translation transfer; polished faithful variant. PC port The DS version is the first target. A PC port is planned later. The project is structured so the same variant text table can feed both DS and PC outputs. Installation Exact release instructions may change depending on the public package format. General process: Obtain a clean US Chrono Trigger DS ROM from your own cartridge. Verify the clean ROM checksum listed with the release. Apply the provided BPS (unpack the zip file first) using a compatible patching tool, you can use this website. Run the patched ROM in a DS emulator, flashcart, or compatible hardware setup. Do not ask for ROMs. Do not distribute ROMs. Scope notes This is an English patch. Non-English DS slots are outside the current scope. DS-only text is retained unless there is a clear source-backed reason to change it. Historical references KWhazit's Chrono Trigger translation pages: https://kwhazit.ucoz.net/trans/ct/index.html Chrono Compendium retranslation page: https://www.chronocompendium.com/Term/Retranslation.html Chrono Compendium translation overview: https://www.chronocompendium.com/Term/Chrono_Trigger_Translations.html Original SNES retranslation patch listing: https://www.romhacking.net/translations/1198/ Distribution note This project distributes patch files only.

Thread starter Samutz
Start date Aug 7, 2007
Views 990
Replies 0

Samutz

Well-Known Member

Member

Level 4

Aug 7, 2007

Is there any place that has any info on the BACKNDS file format?
I'm talking about the technical stuff, not how to make a skin.
Being that there's a few skin making programs for it, I figured there'd be some documentation on it, but the only lead I can find on it is a dead link.