How to change the language of older Ys games on Steam to Japanese

Last updated: 2026 May 10

While modern releases of Falcom games on Steam allow you to switch the language back to the original Japanese, some older Ys entries lack this functionality. Specifically, these 5 games:

  • Ys I
  • Ys II
  • Ys Origin
  • Ys The Ark of Napishtim
  • Ys The Oath in Felghana

It is technically possible to change the language to Japanese for most of these games but there are several problems with it. First, not everything gets translated into Japanese. For example, item names usually stay in English. Second, changing the language usually introduces some in-game bugs. It also makes some features inaccessible. For example, Wing of Alma in Napishtim does not allow you to register waypoints. Third, it causes problems with achievements.

Because of all this, if your primary goal is to play these games in Japanese, I personally recommend purchasing the Japanese version instead. DLsite was popular years ago but I am not sure if people from overseas can still use it, so you will have to research for yourself.

With the disclaimer out of the way, let’s get into it.

Ys Felghana wallpaper

Out of the 5 aforementioned games, Ys I is the only one where changing the language to Japanese is not even an option, and Ys II is the only one which requires you to own the original Japanese release. The other three are relatively easy and straight-forward.

The basic steps to change the language in Origin, Napishtim, and Felghana is the same for all three games.

First, rename the following 6 files found in the release folder of each game directory on your PC. This will change dialogue lines and most menu lines.

data.na　 　→　data_us.na
data.ni　 　→　data_us.ni
data.nu　 　→　data_us.nu
data_us.na　→　data.na
data_us.ni　→　data.ni
data_us.nu　→　data.nu

Second, rename the following two files in the release folder of Ys Origin. This changes the text in the opening movie from English to Japanese.

en_pro.avi 　→　yso_pro.avi
yso_pro.avi　→　en_pro.avi

Third, we need to edit ys6_win.ini, ysf_win.ini, and yso_win.ini. Otherwise, Adol’s name will remain in English. You need to run each game at least once for these files to appear. Their location also varies. Sometimes these files are found in %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\FALCOM instead.

In the .ini file find the line that says PlayerName="Adol Christin". Change that to PlayerName="アドル＝クリスティン". Next, find the line that says AlternateNameSeparator=" ". Change that to AlternateNameSeparator="＝". You might also need to save the .ini file with ANSI encoding. Use Notepad++ to avoid problems.

Now, this should supposedly change Adol’s name to Japanese but I have to admit that it never worked for me. But I am leaving this information here in case it works for other people.

Ys Chronicles wallpaper

Now, onto Ys II. As I said, you need to own the original Japanese version of the game.

Navigate to the YSC\DATA2 folder of the original game. Grab the following 12 files and paste them in the release folder of the Steam release while overwriting.

ys2ed1nn.dat
ys2ed1no.dat
ys2ed1np.dat
ys2ed1on.dat
ys2ed1oo.dat
ys2ed1op.dat
ys2ed2nx.dat
ys2ed2ox.dat
ys2op1wp.dat
ys2op1ww.dat
ys2op2on.dat
ys2op2oo.dat
ys2op2op.dat

Go back to the YSC\DATA2 and rename these 5 files in the following way:

libre.ys2　→　ys2_libre.ys2
lilia.dat　→　ys2_lilia.dat
lilian.dat　→　ys2_lilian.dat
se.dat　→　ys2_se.dat
vo_pack.dat　→　ys2_vo_pack.dat

Grab the newly renamed files and paste them in the release folder of the Steam release while overwriting.

Ys Origin wallpaper

Out of all these games, Ys Origin seems to have the least bugs and plays the best. It does not provide any gameplay improvements over the original Japanese releases that the Steam versions of Napishtim and Felghana have (warping between waypoints and double boost, respectively) but it does remove the requirement for unlocking the third character.

If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate contacting me at vackabox at icloud dot com.