The Stories of Ihatovo (Super Famicom) American English translation - Released

[xZabuzax]

Never heard about this game before but goddamn, the music is lovely. Amazing work on the translation guys.

My only complaint so far is the font, they are a bit hard to understand, you need to really focus on it and put some effort in understanding it and I find that to be a bit of a hazzle. If this little issue can't be fixed easily then no problem, I'm still happy with what I've got.

And btw, pretty damn good music this game has.

[patuli]

Watching the anime right now, so i can play the game, with more hype

[Tom]

It's probably best to start with the game as an introduction to Kenji Miyazawa's other works rather than the other way around, because it really compresses each of the stories it contains into short chapters. If you're already familiar with the stories, I think the impact might be significantly lower than it would be if you started fresh with the game.

[cccmar]

Tom is right, Miyazawa's stories in the game are rather compressed compared to the real deal. Besides, watching/reading them first somewhat spoils several surprises in the game! It's definitely worth at least one playthrough, because it's unlike any other SFC game in terms of the atmosphere and themes. If you read the stories next, you'll see that they are pretty similar to what you can find in the game, just with more details. 

Spoiler

Also, anyone got the impression that you're actually playing as Miyazawa himself? That's what I gathered from the final story. I'm not sure if it was spelled out to you or not, but Ihatovo in this game seems to be his near-death experience of sorts, where he basically relives his own stories, and then the train takes him off to the afterlife?

[close]

[Tom]

Yes, it's better to start with less details and then move to the full version with more details.

As for cccmar's theory about the protagonist and the ending (spoilers):

Spoiler

Personally, I don't think he's Kenji, because nobody recognizes him. Also, in the final act, he can make a totally different choice from Kenji, and not board the train. That, and the things the protagonist says throughout the game, make me feel that they aren't the same person. Their sprites may look similar, but they aren't identical. The protagonist could very well represent the reader of the stories, though. They are limited to the perspectives that Kenji set up for them (hence the similarity), but ultimately, they are free to make their own choice in the end.

[close]

[YeahYeahNo]

Thanks for this translation. I heard good things about the game in the past, now I'm glad I'll be able to play it. Thank you!