i mentioned in my intro post that i'm working on a translation hack for the JP-only playstation game "Germs". i had some good momentum going with the project for a while, but then i got a new laptop for work, which meant getting the dev environment all set up again and it all just kind of felt like a pain. so it's been stagnating for a couple of months, but i'm hoping writing about it a little here will motivate me to keep working on it.
in my intro post i talked about still needing to find a jp-eng translator for the project, so i thought i'd write a little about what Germs is as a way to drum up some interest. i'm not a very social person at the best of times, and my reach is pretty short, especially on a nascent social network like cohost, but you know, nothing ventured.
"Germs: Nerawareta Machi" (or just "Germs") is an open-world first-person adventure game for the PS1 developed by KAJ Corporation and released on the 22nd of July 1999.
the hook is basically that you're a journalist returning to your hometown to investigate some strange reports and rumors. Gameplay mostly consists of driving and walking around the monochrome, seemingly deserted city, and exploring the various buildings and people within. thankfully the world isn't totally empty, and the buildings themselves all tend to have a handful of characters inside.
guys like this 
or this 
or this? 
talking with the people holed away in this city's buildings is your main avenue for learning about the world of Germs and its mysteries, but there's also combat!
in Germs, you can run up to absolutely anyone and start beating their ass for no reason, the hallmark of a true open-world game:
these random acts of violence have a purpose though, as upon death your helpless targets will leave behind a "remnant thought", which can provide insight into the world of germs and the surrounding mystery.
there's also no need to worry about the victims of your spontaneous blood rage: leave a building and head back in and they'll be perfectly fine.
in fact, in Germs, even the player's death doesn't mean game over - but i'll leave what that means as a surprise for when people play it themselves.
the whole vibe of the game is pretty strange and surreal, and kind of makes me think of a slightly more structured "LSD: Dream Emulator".
it's made all the more interesting by Germs seemingly being developer KAJ Corporation's only foray into game development.
in fact it's hard to find much information at all about them, at least on the english-language side of the internet.
anyway, if this was interesting at all, let me know, and i'll try to post some more about the project as it progresses. and if you know any jp-eng translators who might want to be a part of the project, definitely reach out!
thank you for reading.
