Willy Wombat's English patch v2.0 adds full cutscene subtitles

ROM hacker Exxistance has released version 2.0 of the Willy Wombat English Improvement Patch, adding full cutscene subtitles to the 1997 Sega Saturn exclusive. The update builds on a late 2025 release that translated the game's menus and loading screens.

Developed by Westone Bit Entertainment and published by Hudson Soft, Willy Wombat is a 3D isometric action-platformer. You play as Willy, an enforcer for a utopian society literally named Prison, who leaves home to find something called the Miracle Gems. You navigate labyrinthine levels and throw twin boomerangs at enemies. The boomerangs are great for hitting switches, but they do not deal damage on the return trip. The camera uses an 'Around Quarter View' system that lets you rotate the perspective 360 degrees. You will need to use it constantly. The hallways are cramped, and enemies love to hide behind walls.

The game has a bizarre release history. Westone originally designed it for the Super Nintendo to appeal to Western audiences, but it never actually released outside of Japan. Oddly enough, Hudson Soft recorded full English voice acting for the Japanese release. It works, which is the nicest thing I can say about 1990s video game voice acting. Because of the English audio, importers have played it for decades. The Japanese menus and text just made following the plot a headache.

You don't need the weird controller anymore

The version 2.0 update fixes the text barrier completely. A hacker named Vermillion Desserts managed to uncover compressed dialogue font data within the game files, which allowed Exxistance to insert complete English subtitles for every cutscene. The patch also translates all 11 of the game's screensavers and corrects punctuation errors on the original map screens.

It also adds a massive quality-of-life shortcut. In the original game, accessing the Drama Test cutscene viewer required a specific peripheral called the Hudson SBom Joycard. The new patch lets you open the menu just by pressing L, R, Up, and Start on a standard Saturn pad. Nobody should have to buy a specialized turbo controller just to watch cutscenes.

Getting the patch running

The files are available on GitHub. You can apply the patch using either the Sega Saturn Patcher utility or a standard XDelta tool. The patch notes recommend using the Sega Saturn Patcher if you want the easiest route. It works on original hardware if you burn a disc, or you can run the modified image through your preferred emulator.

The Sega Saturn is famous for its massive library of Japanese exclusives that never crossed the Pacific. While games like Radiant Silvergun and Panzer Dragoon Saga get most of the attention, the system is packed with weird, experimental titles from veteran developers trying to figure out 3D hardware. Westone was a master of 2D side-scrollers. Moving to an isometric 3D perspective with sprite-based characters was a big shift for the studio.

Westone is mostly known for the Wonder Boy and Monster World series. Willy Wombat was a strange departure for the team, but it remains a fascinating piece of the Saturn library. For anyone who read about it on Hardcore Gaming 101 and wanted to try it, this update makes the game entirely accessible.