Yo! Howdy!
I wanted to share an updated English translation patch for Fire Emblem Gaiden (FE2) for NES.
It’s a real shame that of all Fire Emblem titles, Gaiden has received seemingly the least amount of fan content. The english translation is fantastic, but there have been no majorly successful attempts to update the game’s localization elements, especially after the release of the remake on 3DS. I tried to make a hack in 2019, shortly after SoV came out, but I got stumped halfway through, mostly because I didn’t know what I was doing. Finally, I fixed it, and with inspiration from multiple FE2 projects, my attempt is complete 
DOWNLOAD LINK: Updated FE2 English Translation - v3.4
Successes:
I was able to get most of the Officially localized names onto the ROM
I was also able to figure out how the Credits Name sequence works and edit all of the changed names into it, no errors or garbled text!
I only changed or revised a moderate amount of the original translation text. Either for proper grammar, change in tone, or to bring the translation a bit closer to Shadows of Valentia. But a lot of the text is the same, just because the original translation is already very good and accurate.
Failures:
This does NOT include an overhaul to the game’s text system, I am not a good hacker it seems 
The challenges surrounding previous translation efforts are still present here. Long names are still squished to fit the character limits. Certain class, item, spell, and weapon names have not been able to receive the special treatment (THERE’S ONLY SO MANY CHARACTERS IN THE FONT TABLE :(((( )
SCREENSHOTS:
I used the font MegaKoopaX used in their translation of FE1, and it helped to make the squished text look less jarring and ugly.
I really went in and took lots of time making sure the text is as clean and official-looking as can be (to a point), even tweaking the font table multiple times to do so… Of course, I’m human, so please report any bugs or issues. BUT, and I can’t say and mean it any more than I do, I got a LOT of inspiration from MegaKoopaX’s patch btw, like I spent hours comparing some of the aspects of the original game that I didn’t change (like Chapter names, Items, spells, Enemy names, etc.) and updated them where I believed they 1. made the most sense, and 2. could actually fit without looking daft.
Cast Roll Sequence has been edited to show the updated official names!
I think the patch is in a good enough state now that I can sit back and let people give me feedback, issues, and the like.
HISTORY:
About a decade ago, Gaiden Guy released his version of Artemis251’s Gaiden translation, where he attempted to get as many official names as possible onto the ROM. He said he’d potentially come back to further update his patch to bring the game to a more polished state. I don’t doubt that were his intentions, but…it has been over 10 years…
Ironically, a half a year later, Shadows of Valentia was announced, and with it, the prospect of getting officially localized names into Gaiden was now on the table. It was at that time that I actually stepped up to try and do my own translation of the game. Of course, I did not and still dont know much about full fledged romhacking, but at least I know how to read and edit Hex and Binary 
On and off for many months I worked on it, and eventually I was able to get all the names except Silque and Tatarrah (because I ran out of space)! But I hit a brick wall, just like Gaiden Guy, where I got to the Credits and couldn’t decode the names, let alone find what offset they were… I gave up, then came back a few years later to ask on the Romhacking.net forums (Fire Emblem Gaiden - Hacking the Credits (CAST Scroll)…no one answered.
A few years after that, Lopo released a patch that aimed to update the names and used the same font and strategy I would end up using. The font was borrowed from MegaKoopaX’s FE1 addendum at the time. (ALSO isn’t it so cool that MegaKoopaX is updating FE1 and a big coincidence that they’re working on 2 at the same time I picked my project back up? The stars have aligned!! Can you believe Gaiden has gone over a decade without its English Fan translation receiving the kind of substantial update and polish it really needed. My goodness…)
So here we are, 10 years after Gaiden Guy’s attempt, and I’m here to say that I have also finished my version :))
CREDITS:
Shimizu Hitomi - Original Translation
Artemis251 - Original Translation Hack
MegaKoopaX - Check out their Divine Accord patch! Compared my script to theirs in Windhex32 for elements inspired by and borrowed from their work
If you play it, please send me any bugs, typos, graphical issues, or suggestions you find! Screenshots are especially helpful. I tried to iron out as much as I could, but I’m human :\
Thank you! Enjoy!!
