magicalpatcher
magicalpatcher was an anonymous user of the website ROMhacking.net. They[a] were the creator of the first fan-made English language translation patch for Magical Vacation, which released on June 7, 2016.
History
On October 25, 2015, magicalpatcher announced on the ROMhacking.net forums that they were translating Magical Vacation, and asked for advice on header text, font design, and translations from other users.[1] After posting updates and screenshots of their progress throughout November, they declared on December 4 that the translation patch was scheduled to be released on June 10, 2016.[2] In the meantime, magicalpatcher resumed translating the script with help from the forum.[3]
On December 31, they announced that the first draft of the script was completely translated,[4] and asked for Beta testers to scout the patch for glitches on March 1, 2016.[5] magicalpatcher released the translation patch on June 7, three days earlier than expected, and answered questions on the forum the following day.[6] On September 3, they made a post bringing awareness to the game's graphical errors and occasional mistranslations, claiming they would develop an improved patch once things were less busy in their personal life.[7] After three years of inactivity on the forum, magicalpatcher returned on September 23, 2019 to share a new standalone patch that fixed some errors in the first version.[8] They went completely inactive on October 30.[9]
Consistencies with Magical Starsign
In an effort to keep the patch's script consistent with the English localization of Magical Starsign,[10] certain nomenclature that appears in both games, but have different names between regions, were given their official English names instead. A notable example is Biscotti, whose name in Japanese is Grand Dragée. However, Kīdo Monga was renamed to Iko Domnag, despite the location reappearing in Magical Starsign under the localized name Condimen Tower.
Some magic spells that also appear in Magical Starsign were also not given their official localized names in the patch, apart from Shadow die. Moreover, the spells Starlight and Spacelight had their names switched, which was likely an oversight. Several enemies were not given their localized names either, such as the Magical Starsign enemy Trilobiter, who was renamed to Gubder in the English patch.
Below is a list of spells in Magical Vacation that also appear in Magical Starsign with altered names in the English fan translation:
| Japanese name | MS English localization | MV English fan translation |
|---|---|---|
| ホットグリル Hot grill |
Lava spuds | Hot grill |
| 黒こげジェット／くろこげジェット Charred jet |
Afterburner | Searing fireball |
| ヒートフォンデュ Heat fondue |
Heat fondu | Heat fondue |
| アクアグラッセ Aqua glacé |
Hailstorm | Glacial glaze |
| ソーダフラッペ Soda frappé |
Absolute zero | Snow frappe |
| スターライト Starlight |
Arclight | Sunlight |
| スペースライト Spacelight |
Crystal laser | Spacelight |
Character names
Most characters retain their original Japanese names, except for Kirsch Pintail, Cidre Rainbow, and Café au Lait Rustynail, who were renamed Kirsche, Cider, and Latte respectively. Also, all 16 spirits have new names that end in "~y", such as Air to Gusty, Grr to Furry, and Slash to Edgy.
The enigma-possessed dwarf in Kīdo Monga is named とくめいきぼう Tokumeikibō, which roughly translates to "Preferred anonymous". In the fan translation, it was mistranslated as "Anonymous Hope".
Location names
Since several locations in Magical Vacation are anadromes of Japanese foods, the patch gives them pseudo-localized names that can be more easily recognized by English-speakers. For example, Benakoncha Ruins was renamed Wetsomus Ruins; Benakoncha is an anadrome of ちゃんこ鍋 chanko-nabe, stew eaten by sumo wrestlers, hence the name Wetsomus (sumo stew).
Most instances of the word "plane" were replaced with "realm", and names with the word "death" were replaced with "abyss"; i.e., the Death Plane/Plane of Death was changed to the Abyssal Realm, and the Death Corridor to the Abyssal Corridor.
Dialogue
Ganache's epiphany
After defeating Kerurendu in his first form, Ganache says:
- 「とどめを刺さなきゃ・・・・・・。死のプレーンで息の根を止めてしまえば、エニグマでも生き返らないって・・・・！
- "You need to finish him off... Not even an enigma can come back to life if its life force is snuffed on the Death Plane...!"
「ヤツがオレと融合したということにしておけばエニグマはコントロールできる・・・・・・・・。ザコのエニグマ・・・・・・・・それに、人間に取りついてるエニグマたちすべて・・・・・・。
- "If I can imagine myself as having fused with him, I'll be able to control the enigmas... The weak enigmas...and all the enigmas possessing humans..."
Whereas in the fan translation, he erroneously states that the Death Plane itself is responsible for the enigmas' actions:
- We need to stop this... If we kill the Abyssal Realm itself then the enigmas will stop reviving...!
- If we just let it be, then it’ll control all the Enigmas... The weak ones...and the ones that are possessing humans...
Other
Species encyclopedia
In the species encyclopedia, Pizza's entry reads:
- まつぼっくりマニアの少年。どこからでも異次元ハットでワープさせてくれる。たまにワープできない時もあるけど、クレームは受けつけていない。
- A boy obsessed with pinecones. He lets you warp from anywhere using his interdimensional hat. Sometimes his warping does not work, but he does not accept complaints.
The fan translation takes considerable liberty with this entry, changing it to:
- Only one member of this species has been observed, a pinecone obsessed Warphat who goes by the name Pizza. It is possible to warp to any dimension with its hat.
Notes
- ↑ magicalpatcher's gender is not publicly known, so this article will use neutral pronouns.
References
- ↑ "ROM Hacking Discussion / Re: Screenshots" [1]. Published October 25, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2026. romhacking.com/forum.
- ↑ "Personal Projects / [GBA] Magical Vacation English Translation" [2]. Published December 4, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2026. romhacking.com/forum.
- ↑ "Personal Projects / Re: [GBA] Magical Vacation English Translation" [3]. Published December 15, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2026. romhacking.com/forum.
- ↑ "Personal Projects / Re: [GBA] Magical Vacation English Translation" [4]. Published December 31, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2026. romhacking.com/forum.
- ↑ "Personal Projects / Re: [GBA] Magical Vacation English Translation" [5]. Published March 1, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2026. romhacking.com/forum.
- ↑ "Personal Projects / Re: [GBA] Magical Vacation English Translation" [6]. Published June 7, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2026. romhacking.com/forum.
- ↑ "Personal Projects / Re: [GBA] Magical Vacation English Translation" [7]. Published September 3, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2026. romhacking.com/forum.
- ↑ "Personal Projects / Re: [GBA] Magical Vacation English Translation" [8]. Published September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2026. romhacking.com/forum.
- ↑ "Profile of magicalpatcher" [9]. Retrieved September 21, 2026. romhacking.com/forum.
- ↑ "Personal Projects / Re: [GBA] Magical Vacation English Translation" [10]. Published October 27, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2026. romhacking.com/forum.