Over 24 years since its original release, b.l.u.e. Legend of Water is now playable in English. The PS1 aquatic adventure title was localized by translator Cargodin and prolific localizer and programmer Hilltop. The b.l.u.e. Legend of Water English patch is available for free via his Patreon. The download file includes the translation, a program to apply the patch to your ROM (DeltaPatcherLite), and simple instructions on the process.
b.l.u.e. Legend of Water was released by publisher Hudson Soft for the original PlayStation on July 9, 1998. Though it saw a digital rerelease for PlayStation 3 in 2008, it never made it stateside. The 3D adventure game puts players in the role of a girl named Maya (voiced by Yuko Miyamura), who explores the sea with the help of a dolphin companion named Luka. Her father, a marine archeologist, finds an underwater ruin he believes belonged to an ancient civilization. Players explore this mysterious location with the aid of their dolphin friend. Hilltop’s trailer for the b.l.u.e. Legend of Water English patch shows snippets of cutscenes that imply there’s more than meets the eye regarding the plot.
Though there were a few underwater exploration games on the PlayStation, b.l.u.e. Legend of Water has a larger focus on story than its peers, giving it a unique appeal and meaning it benefits even more from a quality English localization. b.l.u.e.‘s developer, CAProductions, left adventure games behind after its release. They would go on to help develop the Mario Party series, with their latest titles being Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics and Mario Party Superstars.
This is Hilltop’s sixth English localization. The previous English patches he’s released (all available for free on his Patreon) for Japan-only games are:
- Dr. Slump (PS1, 1999)
- Racing Lagoon (PS1, 1999)
- Harmful Park (PS1, 1997)
- Aconcagua (PS1, 2000)
- The Maid Uniform and Machinegun (PS2, 2006)
The b.l.u.e. Legend of Water English patch was made possible by the support of retro and Japanese game enthusiasts. Hilltop’s highest-tier patrons are immortalized for their role in making Japanese games available to millions more players by being listed in the in-game credits. If you’d like to support the localization of more Japan-only releases and expedite the creation of these patches, Hilltop’s Patreon has three tiers of support and also allows for custom pledges.
