User blog:RottenBlock/Little Vampire - English Release!

This is an English translation and port of Little Vampire, the second and last game in the Miki and Kentarou series by ChampionSoft (later AliceSoft) dev team BASE2. Miki and Kentarou's adventures would later be adapted into the backstory of the Rance series. The game is based on the 16-bit DOS version but is now compatible with modern Windows machines, is fully translated, and features numerous bug fixes. Unlike other AliceSoft games, there is no need to run the game in Japanese compatibility mode.

Download: MediaFire, Mega

The original version of Little Vampire has been released free-to-play by Alicesoft. For a copy of the original Japanese-language version, see here:

http://retropc.net/alice/

General Advice

 * You can save by "Use"ing the Sleep Mask and at certain checkpoints. A certain other item can also let you save in the late game if you can find it. There's only one save slot!


 * Be careful! This is a rusty, 80s adventure game, which will happily dead-end you without saying a word, forcing you to load a save or even restart. Sometimes you just won't be able to perform an action because you're missing an item, or have yet to encounter a bit of story progression that isn't logically connected!


 * Sometimes you have to perform actions multiple times, especially Talk and Ask, but others too! Occasionally there isn't even a hint that repeating the action is working!


 * Selecting Think and then Think again will help you keep track of the current quest during Chapters 1 and 2. You're on your own in Chapter 3!


 * If you're having trouble getting an NPC to interact with or talk about an item, try "Show"ing it to them first.


 * If you want to buy something, make sure to use "Buy," not "Take." Selling uses "Sell" if present, but some characters demand you use "Give" instead. Be careful that the deal is settled, since some characters will take items without anything in return!

Spoiler Hints

 * For even more hints, see the Hints section on the Alicesoft Wiki. A walkthrough is also available: https://alicesoft.wikia.com/wiki/Little_Vampire:Hints


 * If you've completed a major quest, make sure to "Ask" around town and use the "Talk" with everyone again, as new conversation topics might spring up for no reason. And once you learn THOSE, even more things might become available for no reason! Using Think -> Think will sometimes alert you to these arbitrary changes in Chapter 1, but not always, and never in later chapters.


 * You can occasionally barter when selling things by repeating the action that got them to make you an offer in the first place.


 * If you made exactly 8 coins off your first pawn, you can convince Sugar to give you an extra 5 when you make a deal with her. But there are other ways to get money, upwards of 20 coins at a time!


 * When it's time to get a room at the inn, just go to the inn and say "Move -> Room." You'll need several key items before it will even appear. Don't forget a weapon!


 * The Squeaky Hammer is required to save in Chapter 3, but you'll need an item from Chapter 1 to get it. Then, listen to the sheep.

Author's Notes and Acknowledgements
As far as translation is concerned, this is a hand-edited machine translation. I've done my best to make this an engaging read, but my translation is probably off the mark in more than a few places. Intonation and tone are guesswork and just trying to make it sound nice.

But while the translation may be shaky, this game is also a port, and that's where you can see the real heavy lifting. This version of Little Vampire can be played on modern systems, natively supports English text, and can be wholly decompiled to fix game errors, all of which required new tools that can now be re-used to localize other Alicesoft games in the future! Right now these tools (Sys0Decompiler and the SysEng executable) only support Alicesoft's System 1, but versions for System 3.0 and the short-lived System 2 will hopefully follow. If you're interested in a list of System 1 games that still need localizations, please see the link below.

This project wouldn't be possible without the help of Japanese programmer Takeda "TODO" Toshiya, who originally created the original 32-bit executables and publically released his source code, which forms the basis of both the new decompiler and English executables. I would also like to thank Velt211 for their help with beta-reading, and for insight into the PC-88 version and other Alicesoft historical curiosities. Thank you also to Alicesoft Wiki's Wiki Restoration Committee and LAMGAV for providing the translation of certain particularly difficult Japanese text (see the Text Changes section for specifics).

System 1-3 Playability Status: https://alicesoft.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:RottenBlock/System_1-3_Games_Playability_Status

System Programming Hub (including System 1-3.0 resources): https://alicesoft.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:RottenBlock/System_Programming_Resources

Blog: https://alicesoft.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:RottenBlock

Translation Notes and Text Changes
This section will cover what I consider to be notable or major text changes, and includes a few translation notes. If a text change coexists with a programming change, it's discussed in the Changes and Bugfixes section instead, found below.


 * This translation uses the MangaGamer names for characters and terms wherever possible, since that's the translation most people are familiar with at this stage. If you're reading this well after release, please be aware that I released this game only after the MG released versions of Rances V-VII, so some inconsistencies may exist with later games.


 * Added a message encouraging the player to read the Prologue.


 * Added text clarifying when the game is saving.
 * Remove disk-related messages from the chapter break save feature, which aren't relevant and were never present with the Sleep Mask and Squeaky Hammer's versions to begin with.


 * If you try to sleep on the Chapter 1 hill, Miki says that a youkai might take your things. Her original comparison was actually to a specific youkai, the doro-ta-bo.


 * Changed the description of the crumbly wall outside the castle. The Japanese text was accidentally implying you could break into the castle by hitting it really hard!


 * The original game never mentioned you paying for the bread in the bakery while you were actually doing it (money only came up if you don't have any). This was added.


 * Betty's surname in Japanese is just "Cat" in English.


 * I adjusted the text so that Betty describes the Shrinking Violet to you when she first brings it up, since it was weird that Kentarou and Miki were able to identify it at a glance later in the game.


 * The original translation referred to helping the river ghost "become a Buddha," but I changed this to a more western-familiar "going to heaven," which Miki and Kentarou actually say in the Japanese version at one point. The flower is still called a "Buddha Flower" as a reference to the original, and besides, it's a good name.
 * Speaking of the Buddha Flower, if you examine it in my version, I had Miki say: "I can think of a few ghosts from movies that could have used one of these." The original line actually names two famous kabuki ghost stories, Yosuya Kaidan and Bancho Sarayashiki. Feel free to look them up. I changed it to get the gist across without expecting a familiarity with 18-19th century Japanese horror theater.


 * The Japanese version had a few verb and object names that were distinct in Japanese, but translate to roughly identical terms in English. These were mixed up a bit. 宿 and 宿屋 ("Inn") became "Inn" and "Room," while 移動 and 動かす ("Move," the former leaning towards "Travel") became "Move" and "Push" to better adhere to genre standards.


 * In chapter 2, I had Betty address her pet monster by various goo-goo pet names. That's what I think the text is trying to imply, but bear in mind that the word she actually uses to describe her pet is "boyfriend." Who knows? This is the Rance universe, after all!


 * If you try to take the menu from the old house, Miki says it's stuck to the wall like superglue. Her actual comparison is to how sheets of nori are stuck to one another.


 * Clarified that the waterfall isn't accessible from the river, even though the party discovers it in the middle of their walk to the river (it's accessible from the hill).


 * If you try to Open the door to Dracula's castle twice in chapter 3, Kentarou will pretend to be a door-to-door salesman. In Japanese, he's selling door-to-door pharmaceuticals? This is unheard of in the west, and just complicates what's meant to be a simple joke about Kentarou getting desperate, so I changed it to an American stock-joke instead: vacuum cleaners.


 * Stuck with "Santa Claus" in the one mention of the guy in Chapter 3, rather than updating it to match the Rance-universe gag, "Thunder Cross," since "Thunder Cross" has yet to be given an official localization. I'm not arrogant enough to name the guy with a machine translation.


 * When Kentarou uses the Think command for the first time in the forest maze, he originally made a reference to the infamous haunted forest of Aokigahara (or rather, "the forest next to Mt. Fuji"). A very complex reference that wouldn't have meant anything to the casual, Western reader, but I tried to get across a similar sentiment of eeriness and suicide.


 * The talking door seems impressed by your sword, so I added text explaining why it's not enough to gain entrance.


 * Modified the first floor of the tower to mention the exit door, which was otherwise only mentioned if you Look->Door.


 * Added a message confirming the red stone had vanished after you leave the Red Book with it, as the game already does with the Crystal and the Green Book.


 * Laris' dialogue was impossible for Google to translate, so most of the translations were provided by both Alicesoft Wiki admin Wiki Restoration Committee, and by LAMGAV, with only a few alterations from me.


 * Adjusted a few lines of text in the game that mentioned a weapon when you might not actually have one.


 * Keel Lana's dialogue originally lacked dialogue quotes and dialogue tags. This was confusing in English (and frankly, probably in Japanese), so I added back the quotes, only leaving the dialogue tag out.


 * Changed a mention of Miki not knowing how to use a VCR to Miki not knowing how to use a remote, since not only does the joke feel dated, but Miki being from the VCR era complicates the canon a little.


 * The Angel's and Devil's Voices act strangely during the final screen. The Angel causes a list of BASE2's contemporary titles to show up, while the Devil's Voice does literally nothing, barely even acknowledging your click, which can be very confusing. I had the Devil harrumph instead, disappointed in your victory, and had the Angel explicitly read off the product catalogue, which may have been the intended joke to begin with.


 * Yes, that's right: the opening and ending credits don't match, with alternate names for many staff members (probably different nicknames) and two staffers missing from certain roles in the end credits. For the staffer's actual names, check the game's Cut Content page on the Alicesoft Wiki.


 * Numerous minor fixes.

Code Changes and Bugfixes
As WAO notes in the opening "Changes" section: "I haven't done much testing and I think there are bugs. Please understand." He was right: there were bugs. A list of programming changes follow. For more details, see the Cut Content page on the Alicesoft Wiki.


 * Fixed things so that the game's music would loop properly.
 * This fix is at the executable level. If required for later localizations, the hack can be found in SysEng's MAKO::thread function, and uses preprocessor defs for access. Comments exist to document the hack, and bear in mind that it could easily cause trouble if used in other projects in its current form, as detailed in said comments.


 * The original BGM 7 in the sound test is blank (the file itself is empty), and is never used outside of the sound test, so I removed it from the sound test and made BGM 8 the new #7.
 * The game used to switch to Track 1 after you closed the sound test, instead of the actual title screen track, Track 4.


 * Several blocks of code intended to give away items are incorrectly programmed, probably because no one testing the game was willing to do anything so stupid. Now you can do everything just as stupidly as intended! The most notable example involved giving certain items to Flora in Chapter 2 to boost her affection (a particularly shoddy section of code), as the items were never even removed from your inventory, allowing you to boost her affection infinitely!
 * Most (but not all) of these problem stemmed from items being associated with incorrect values. More details on the Alicesoft Wiki's Cut Content page for Little Vampire.
 * In some cases, there are characters who talk like they're willing to accept items from you via the Give command, but they aren't coded to take any items. I've seen at least one Japanese guide mention this peculiarity, so I'm not getting the text wrong here. For the sake of remaining true to the original code (and because surrendering items to random NPCs is silly), I changed the dialogue of those characters so that they refused your offer instead of accepted it. But be warned: if the code was set up to remove the item, I let them take it!


 * Restored an accidentally dummied message for Masumi the innkeeper.


 * Fixed two instances where it was impossible to discuss the mysterious "Little Princess" due to variable trouble (the chapter 1 "Think" menu and the conversation with Betty).


 * Prevented you from buying things you already own, which wouldn't do anything but cost you money.


 * Made it so the game properly charges you 2 coins when you buy the katana, instead of just 1. Tina repeatedly says the price is two coins, and the game even checks to make sure you have at least two coins before you buy it, so it didn't make any sense that the game only deducted 1 coin at point of purchase.


 * Prevented you from collecting the glasses multiple times.


 * In the original game, Linda only mentioned that you the three of you were going up the mountain twice in one day under special circumstances, ironically not including the time when you actually have to go up the mountain twice in one day. I expanded the circumstances.


 * The ghost at the river sequence was full of mistakes, with the ghost answering a few (pointless) questions before you should even be able to talk to him, and even answering a different question after he moved on to the afterlife and was no longer there! Fixed all of these.


 * The Hermit's ladder sequence was very oddly structured in the original. The game preps you for the puzzle by saying the ladder has protective magic, but if you climb the ladder without the Sake, Miki complains about you looking up her skirt and the magic never comes up (although it is mentioned in Chapter 3). It turns out that the game sets an unused variable when you ask Arcy about the Hermit and she tells you the solution to the ladder puzzle, which is suspicious. I imagine the developers wanted to force you to ask her for the answer just like the previous Chapter 1 puzzles, and Miki's mention of her skirt was misplaced text. Long story short: in my version, you now have to ask Arcy about the hermit, just like previous quests, before Jenna will give you the Sake. It seems like that was the original intention. I then included Miki's message about her skirt as part of the climbing process. This sequence of events makes a lot more sense and seems in line with the original design.


 * Similar to the ghost, the hermit was willing to answer some of your questions before you give him the Sake. I fixed this. This does remove a "hint" that you're supposed to give him the booze, but Arcy is guaranteed to have spelled out the solution in our version, as per the previous change.


 * In the original game, Kentarou will tell the hermit about the rumours surrounding "Little Princess" even if he's never heard the rumours. I added a branch to the conversation where the hermit introduces the rumour himself if you haven't heard it. My change is admittedly a little strange, because the Hermit's clearly never heard the rumours in the original branch, but it's non-obtrusive and you can't encounter both in one playthrough.


 * Fixed the code for the Think command in Chapter 2, which was thoroughly broken. It now gives accurate results for the current questline.


 * During chapter 2, if you looked at Flora, she would be laughing at you if her affection is anything but 2. This was changed in line with other sections of her code, so that she'd only laugh if her affection is LESS than two.


 * Flora originally INCREASED the price of the Sleep Pea Flower between 0 affection and 1 affection (although both prices are out of your range). While that's a little funny in its own way, it conveys the wrong idea to the player (in the middle of a very counterintuitive puzzle), so I swapped the values.


 * Fixed a number of graphical errors with the goddess in Chapter 2 by adding her sprite properly to the page's init code.


 * Played Track 2 during the Chapter 2 end scene after Ramon shows up, since the Chapter 2 music sounded ridiculous in a serious context.
 * Cleared some variables that had been overlooked in the Chapter 2 end break, leading to odd results in Chapter 3: having the Zashiki-Warashi show up during your first trip to the area near the castle if you have the katana (instead of the second); and being able to talk to Jeeho before he appears.


 * Decided to apply Miki's pink text colour to all of Kentarou's impressions and memories of her dialogue during Chapter 3. It was white before. Among other things, this makes it more appropriate when he weirds himself out with his impression on the hill.


 * Fixed an error where Kentarou wouldn't notice the missing village in Chapter 3 if he does his Miki impression first.


 * Throwing away the special items at the waterfall will now actually throw them away.


 * Adjusted the Hermit's conversation flow so that you can't ask about Dracula until you've Talked to him. This prevents him from talking about "that tower" (unlocking the Tower as an Ask topic) before you know what tower he's referring to. This wasn't unreadable or anything, but it's still clearer this way around.


 * Fixed the error where asking the hermit about Dracula in Chapter 3 caused the Black Gemstone to appear in the graveyard without searching for it, even if you never found it in Chapter 2 in the first place!


 * While the text claims you can only move the Chapter 3 gravestone after using the "Push" command twice, the game originally allowed you find the Black Gemstone after doing it only once, even though the text claims you failed. This was corrected: you must now Push the Grave twice.


 * Added some standard code missing from three late rooms (the forest maze, the room after the fight with Ramon, and your initial visit to the true upper level). This missing code would cause problems if you entered subscreens. This meant minor problems for the first two, and potential larger problems for the third (like the monster on the final upper level killing you after it's already dead!).


 * Restored a dummied line of text at the forest entrance.


 * The ghostly Miki now properly steals the Fruit of Purification if you have it, dead-ending the game! Be careful!


 * Made it so the Move -> Down command does not appear in the ground floor of the tower. The similar setup after the battle with Ramon was left intact, since Kentarou simultaneously says he's on a higher level and that there aren't stairs going down, so the added clarification is helpful.


 * Added a Throw Away command for the Black Book, which didn't have one before.


 * The second floor no longer simultaneously claims its door is unlocked, and then that it is locked (or for that matter, that it is unlocked, and then again that it is unlocked).


 * Added a new object, "Upper Level," so you can ask Laris about "Upper Level" instead of "Ask -> Up," which is nonsensical in English.


 * Made it mandatory to have the Crystal if you want to escape Ramon's mind control. The original game allowed you to proceed if you had met Keel Lana but didn't have the Crystal, but it was strangely done, providing no explanation for how you escaped the hypnosis, as well as producing a minor graphical mistake (Ramon remains on screen during the first stage of your duel, even though he's supposed to be hiding). These problems suggest the branch may have been unintentional.


 * Removed the Beanstalk from your inventory after its automatic use.


 * Fixed a potential error with talking to Miki during your duel.


 * Actually removed the Purification Fruit from your inventory if you give it to Miki in the temple instead of the back room.


 * Allowed you to go to the back room even if you dead-end yourself by giving Miki the Purification Fruit in the temple. Just Ask her about the Machine after giving her the fruit. This allows you to get a proper Game Over (by Hitting the machine without instructions) instead of being stuck in a walking dead situation right outside of a wide-open door that Kentarou mysteriously refuses to use.


 * Various minor fixes.