By Dustin Bailey

Copyright gamesradar

Skip to main content

GamesRadar+
The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love

View Profile

Search GamesRadar+

Game Insights

Games Features

Games Reviews

Games Guides

The Big Preview

On The Radar

Future Games Show

Action Games

Action RPGs

Adventure Games

Third Person Shooters

Xbox Series X

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch 2

Tabletop Gaming

Grand Theft Auto

Assassin’s Creed

Monster Hunter

The Elder Scrolls

Entertainment

Anime Shows

Sci-Fi Shows

Superhero Shows

Animated Shows

Marvel TV Shows

Star Wars TV Shows

DC TV Shows

Movie Reviews

Superhero Movies

Action Movies

Sci-Fi Movies

Anime Movies

Horror Movies

Marvel Movies

Apple TV Plus

Disney Plus

Amazon Prime Video

Marvel Comics

Toys & Merch

Toys & Collectibles

Dungeons and Dragons

Hardware News

Hardware Reviews

Hardware Features

Desktop PCs

Peripherals

Headsets & Headphones

TVs & Monitors

Gaming Mice

Gaming Keyboards

Gaming Chairs

Speakers & Audio

Accessories & Tech

Gaming Controllers

SSDs & Hard Drives

Accessories

Buying Guides

Newsletters

Retro Gamer

Game Insights

Games Features

Games Reviews

Games Guides

The Big Preview

On The Radar

Future Games Show

Action Games

Action RPGs

Adventure Games

Third Person Shooters

View Platforms

Xbox Series X

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch 2

Tabletop Gaming

Franchises

Grand Theft Auto

Assassin’s Creed

Monster Hunter

The Elder Scrolls

Entertainment

View Entertainment

View TV Shows

Anime Shows

Sci-Fi Shows

Superhero Shows

Animated Shows

Marvel TV Shows

Star Wars TV Shows

DC TV Shows

View Movies

Movie Reviews

Superhero Movies

Action Movies

Sci-Fi Movies

Anime Movies

Horror Movies

Marvel Movies

View Streaming

Apple TV Plus

Disney Plus

Amazon Prime Video

View Comics

Marvel Comics

Toys & Merch

Toys & Collectibles

Dungeons and Dragons

View Hardware

Hardware News

Hardware Reviews

Hardware Features

Desktop PCs

Peripherals

View Peripherals

Headsets & Headphones

TVs & Monitors

Gaming Mice

Gaming Keyboards

Gaming Chairs

Speakers & Audio

Accessories & Tech

Gaming Controllers

SSDs & Hard Drives

Accessories

Buying Guides

Newsletters

Retro Gamer

Gaming Magazines

Why subscribe?

Subscribe from just £3
Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
Try a single issue or save on a subscription
Issues delivered straight to your door or device

From£9.99Subscribe now

Dying Light: The Beast
Borderlands 4 review
Battlefield 6
New Games for 2025

Don’t miss these

Action Games
After 20 years, the Japan-only PS2 adaptation of legendary anime Cowboy Bebop has finally gotten an English translation from the modder known as SONICMAN69

A canceled NES multiplayer game and SNES RTS have been saved “and preserved” from the unflinching incinerator of gaming history, and a new “cart release” might be on the horizon

This fan-made remake of classic JRPG Mother 1 has been fading in and out of existence for over 18 years, and it’s finally set to release next year

After 16 JRPGs across 37 years, the long-running Ys series is finally localizing the Nintendo Switch remaster of its overlooked PS Vita gem next year

21 years later, remake of beloved JRPG classic Trails in the Sky gets first playable demo – it’s 5-7 hours long, and fans say it’s a certified banger: “Oh my god it’s phenomenal”

Platforming Games
After 23 years, Pac-Man World 2 is back – I don’t know if this 73 Metacritic PS2 underdog really needed a remake, but I’m happy it’s getting one

The best JRPGs to play in 2025

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better for JRPG fans, now we’ve gotten launch info for expanded action RPG Ys X: Proud Nordics in English

Final Fantasy-style RPG Lost Soul Aside gets extensive new patch players hope will bring a Cyberpunk 2077 “moment” and melt away some of those Mixed Steam reviews

The best retro remakes and reboots out there aren’t afraid to get weird with it – as Shadow Labyrinth being a dark and gritty Pac-Man game shows us

Raidou Remastered really is the historical Persona I’ve always craved, even if I’m 19 years late to using demons to pummel Rasputin

“A lot of RPGs have adopted more action gameplay elements,” says Dragon Quest remake producer, making old-school turn-based JRPGs “actually rare nowadays” and “considered fresh again”

Action RPGs
Phantom Blade Zero director says playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 “reminded me of Final Fantasy 10” and “I’d love to bring back some vibes from the PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 era”

The 20 best anime games to play in 2025

Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy 9 translator admits some references to older games “slipped by us completely,” and he’d love to see “a new team” tackle the JRPG: “I wish we’d been sharper about the nostalgia”

After 5 years of work, Sony’s cult classic PS1 JRPG trilogy is now fully playable in English as the roguelike spin-off finally gets its fan translation patch

Dustin Bailey

16 September 2025

A fresh PS1 RPG to enjoy? Don’t mind if I do

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: PlayStation)

The PS1 library is a treasure trove of wildly ambitious and unique games, and doubly so if you count the platform’s Japanese library. One particularly big highlight is PopoloCrois, a series of adorable JRPGs published by Sony itself. Now, after five years of work from fan translators, the entire PS1 PopoloCrois trilogy is finally playable in English.

Popolocrois has an odd history, originating as a manga series in the ’70s, the rights to which were eventually sold to Sony. It then became a PS1 game, telling the story of a 10-year-old boy trying to get his comatose mother’s soul out of the underworld in the format of a traditional JRPG. Its biggest claim to fame is its absolutely gorgeous art and animation, which is still some of the most adorable stuff you’ll see in a video game.
PopoloCrois got one global release on PSP, which combined the two main PS1 games – PopoloCrois Story 1 and 2 – into a single RPG with a continuous story. That wasn’t quite the full experience, however, so fan translators have spent the past few years patching the original games into English, and that job ultimately wrapped up in 2024.

You may like

After 20 years, the Japan-only PS2 adaptation of legendary anime Cowboy Bebop has finally gotten an English translation from the modder known as SONICMAN69

A canceled NES multiplayer game and SNES RTS have been saved “and preserved” from the unflinching incinerator of gaming history, and a new “cart release” might be on the horizon

This fan-made remake of classic JRPG Mother 1 has been fading in and out of existence for over 18 years, and it’s finally set to release next year

One piece was missing, however: PopoRogue, a roguelike spin-off released between the two main games. Yes, roguelikes were pretty popular among Japanese RPG enthusiasts in the ’90s – the likes of Mystery Dungeon and Shiren the Wanderer are testament to that – and even PopoloCrois was getting in on the action decades before the indie roguelike boom.

Today is the day, Poporogue PS1 full english patch v1.0 is released now! translated from JP>EN! www.romhacking.net/translations…
Poporogue is a turn-based mix roguelike elements, as
second game that set in dream world with mercenaries system where you can hire and recruit party members.— @porosneustein094.bsky.social (@porosneustein094.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-09-16T22:25:56.054Z
That gets us to today’s news, which is that PopoRogue finally has an English translation patch of its own, completing the whole trilogy. “The first translation patch for PopoloCrois was released 3 years ago, but there has been over 5 years of work from multiple teams to finally bring the whole series into English,” as explained in a post on Romhacking.net.
This isn’t purely a translation, either. The devs also went the extra mile here, hacking the game to let you get a handful of exclusive items you otherwise would’ve needed a demo disc and the Japan-exclusive PocketStation accessory for. “Something impossible is possible now,” as team member keke_094 puts it on Bluesky, and I think that goes as much for the opportunity to play these games in English as it does for any other extras.
The best PS1 games never go out of style.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

See more Games News

Dustin Bailey

Social Links Navigation
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He’s been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

After 20 years, the Japan-only PS2 adaptation of legendary anime Cowboy Bebop has finally gotten an English translation from the modder known as SONICMAN69

A canceled NES multiplayer game and SNES RTS have been saved “and preserved” from the unflinching incinerator of gaming history, and a new “cart release” might be on the horizon

This fan-made remake of classic JRPG Mother 1 has been fading in and out of existence for over 18 years, and it’s finally set to release next year

After 16 JRPGs across 37 years, the long-running Ys series is finally localizing the Nintendo Switch remaster of its overlooked PS Vita gem next year

21 years later, remake of beloved JRPG classic Trails in the Sky gets first playable demo – it’s 5-7 hours long, and fans say it’s a certified banger: “Oh my god it’s phenomenal”

After 23 years, Pac-Man World 2 is back – I don’t know if this 73 Metacritic PS2 underdog really needed a remake, but I’m happy it’s getting one

Latest in JRPGs

Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined takes the original JRPG’s bloated story and cuts “subplots that have little or no direct relevance” to the main quest, but also adds “entirely new scenarios”

Lock your doors: Final Fantasy 7 Remake is coming to Switch 2 as a monster game-key card that will eat around 90GB of storage

Final Fantasy legend Nobuo Uematsu says video game music is getting more boring, and Baldur’s Gate 3 publishing lead agrees: “Nothing is made for anyone in particular anymore. (Except shareholders)”

Final Fantasy 7 Remake director takes a hammer to difficulty discourse as the JRPG reveals ultimate god mode, says he’s played games where he “gave up because of the time it takes to level up characters or traverse the game”

Final Fantasy 7 Remake gets 2026 release date on Switch 2 and Xbox with Rebirth and Part 3 to follow

Square Enix reveals another classic JRPG getting a remake: Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined announced, coming February 2026 to consoles and PC

Latest in News

After 5 years of work, Sony’s cult classic PS1 JRPG trilogy is now fully playable in English as the roguelike spin-off finally gets its fan translation patch

“Everything I touch turns to poop”: Actor says starring in former GTA lead’s faux-open world flop made him think he’d “never work in a game again”

Fallout co-creator Tim Cain had a “10-year period where I didn’t do anything but make games,” to the point where he asked a co-worker if Britney Spears was a “new weapon” in their RPG

Paid DLC for Donkey Kong Banaza Switch 2 expansion is just too small to be “worth $20,” players say: “I like my bananas without scum and greed”

Nintendo’s tiniest console ever was a Pokemon handheld the size of a Tamagotchi, and after 24 years it’s suddenly a wildly impractical way to play Game Boy games

The Sims movie starring Margot Robbie will exist “somewhere between both The Lego Movie and Barbie,” says producer: “It’s going to be unique”

GAME REVIEWS
MOVIE REVIEWS

Lego Voyagers review: “A carefully crafted, playful, and earnest adventure”

There’s now a real version of the Witcher Gwent card game, and it’s just as engrossing as the original

Borderlands 4 review: “Undeniably an excellent looter shooter, but one that requires a bit of tunnel vision to fully enjoy”

This enormous exploration board game won’t be for everyone, but it’s a masterclass in narrative and sandbox gameplay

Hollow Knight Silksong review: “Worth the wait and then some, this isn’t just more Hollow Knight but an evolved, spindly beast all its own – even if it’s fiddly at times”

The Conjuring: Last Rites review: “Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens’ final chapter”

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: “Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer’s best adventure yet”

The Long Walk review: “One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made”

Frankenstein review: “A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation”

Weapons review: “A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian”

Gen V season 2 review: “As strong as the first season, if not stronger”

Wednesday season 2 part 2 review: “Ortega shines, but it’s a zombie who steals the entire show”

Peacemaker season 2 review: “Darker and sadder than the first year, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids.”

Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: “Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots”

Alien: Earth review: “Arguably the franchise’s strongest outing since James Cameron’s Aliens”

GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Contact Future’s experts

Terms and conditions

Privacy policy

Cookies policy

Advertise with us

Review guidelines

Write for us

Accessibility Statement

Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury,

BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait…