Last month, I released restoration patches for all six discs of “Birdcage of Horrors” (Grauen no Torikago / グラウエンの鳥籠) on the SEGA Dreamcast. Today, I’m proud to announce my team and I have released a full-blown English translation patch, covering a grand total of 407 FMVs!
Download Patch: https://github.com/DerekPascarella/BirdcageOfHorrors-EnglishPatchDreamcast/
If you’ve never heard of this horror/murder mystery “iDra” (or “Internet Drama) before, you are certainly not alone. These six chapters, presented on six GD-ROMs available exclusively through Japan’s old Dreamcast Direct online service, represent the rarest of Dreamcast software. Originally, viewers had to go online with their Dreamcast every day for a year to download a special save file to unlock the next one-minute-or-so long chapter. Of course, this patch eliminates all of that and each disc now functions totally standalone, right out of the box.
“Birdcage of Horrors” is indeed a campy, B-movie tier series, but the fact that it was made specifically for viewers to watch on their SEGA Dreamcast consoles in Japan makes it so, so worth the investment of time (in my view). Hell, there’s even a scene where the protagonist and her love interest have to take one of the victim’s Dreamcast console online to help gather clues about their murder!
All said and done, the series clocks in at just over seven hours if you include all of the bonus videos, such as staff and cast interviews. Personally, I really enjoyed the series. It constantly kept me guessing, not revealing the truth about who’s behind the murders until the very end!
What’s Changed
Below is a high-level list of changes implemented for this English translation patch.
- New English-language title screen graphics have been implemented.
- New English-language playback software graphics (e.g., contents list, logo, messages) have been implemented.
- A new English-language VMU icon has been implemented, including brand-new code for VMU icon support missing from original software.
- Lockout mechanism has been removed which prevented video playback without the use of special VMU save files, allowing each disc to function standalone.
- All 407 videos (film series chapters, bonus clips, extra footage, and interviews) have been translated and subtitled into English.
- Added an English-language disc art PVRs to all six discs for users of GDmenu on GDEMU.
About the Made-for-Dreamcast Film Series
“Birdcage of Horrors” (グラウエンの鳥籠) is a horror/murder mystery film series produced and published by Sega in association with ASCII Entertainment & Communications. The series was described as an “iDra”, or “Internet Drama”. It was released between September and July of 1999, taking the form of six multimedia GD-ROM discs. While the format and structure of these discs is not technically MiL-CD, they do leverage Sega’s own MiL-CD playback software.
The film series was available through the Dreamcast Direct online service and was uniquely presented in 365 one-minute episodes across each of the six discs. Each episode became accessible gradually over a year, from October 1st, 1999 to October 1st, 2000. Originally, viewers had to connect their Dreamcast to the internet daily and download special save files to their VMU to unlock new episodes. Additionally, each entry of “Birdcage of Horrors” was only available to those who completed the previous chapters.
Additionally, a dedicated “Birdcage of Horrors” website was hosted by ASCII Entertainment & Communications where viewers could stream the series using Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, or QuickTime Player on their PC or Mac.
Shortly after the final episode was released, the servers went offline. While there does exist a special VMU save file that allows viewers to watch the content on all six GD-ROMs, this English translation patch removes this requirement. Instead, all six discs now function as standalone pieces of software.
This article has been shared from its original source on RetroRGB.
If you’re feeling generous and want to contribute to my ongoing translation patch endeavors, head on over to DreamcastForever.com and click “Contact” for the PayPal donation link.
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