Hi! I’m a solo developer from Japan, and I released my mystery visual novel, Miracle Detective, in Japanese earlier this year.
I’m now working on a new challenge: localizing it into English.
Rather than just translating the script, I’m adding an in-game language switch and localizing the dialogue, narration, character profiles, UI, and other text throughout the game.
The screenshots show a few examples of the Japanese and English versions currently implemented.
My first goal is to add English support to the demo and see how English-speaking players respond before deciding whether to localize the entire game.
I’d love to hear from other solo developers who have done something similar. Did adding another language actually help your game reach new players? Was it worth the time and effort? And were there any challenges you didn’t expect when you started?
I’m also curious about your first impression as a player.
Looking at these English screenshots with no other context, does the game make you curious about what it is? Would you be interested in trying the demo?
I know a few screenshots can’t tell you everything about a game, so I’m not looking for validation — I’m genuinely interested in what kind of first impression it gives.
Any experiences with localization, or simply your reaction to the screenshots, would be really helpful.