ActRaiser Recompilation

About

A native port that recompiles your own USA cartridge dump into a standalone executable, converting its 65816 machine code into C and linking it with a hand-written SDL3 runtime. The README reports that all six towns, all 12 acts, Death Heim and the ending have been play-tested and that the full USA campaign is verified completable. Development is described as active.

How it differs from the original

Running as native code enables widescreen rendering, layered 3D action stages, height-mapped towns and a 3D globe, GPU and CRT effects, replacement art and music, language packs and rebindable controls. US, Japanese and European gameplay presets are available, with regional artwork and music extracted locally from your own ROMs.

Getting started

The project targets the USA cartridge dump, which you supply yourself. Windows, macOS arm64 and Steam Deck have been tested and boot successfully, while macOS x86_64 and generic Linux still need representative launch testing. The in-game settings menu explains each option.

Known issues & limitations

• Japanese-language coverage and regional play-testing are still in progress.
• A complete randomized campaign has not yet been play-tested.
• Generic Linux and macOS x86_64 still need representative launch testing.

What you need to run it

Features

• The game supports true 16:9 and 16:10 widescreen without stretching or cropping the original view.
• Optional diorama mode presents action-stage backgrounds and sprites on separate 3D planes.
• Mode 7 rendering runs at the internal render scale for sharper rotation, zoom, and scanline warps.
• Players can install art and music replacements; art replacement is limited to the title logo.
• Language packs can replace game text, with enhanced Unicode fonts and layouts adapted to translated dialogue.
• Controls can be rebound independently for keyboard and gamepad.

How to install

1. In the Builder, choose a game folder, open Build game, select your USA ROM, and press Build game.
2. Choose Run game when the build finishes, or open the generated game application directly.

Controls

• Press F9 to cycle between authentic 4:3, widescreen raw, and widescreen full.
• Press T to fast-forward; the speed is configurable from 2 to 64.

Media

AI assistance

• The README says multiple AI coding assistants contributed to the tooling, runtime, debugging infrastructure and documentation under the author's direction and review.

Additional notes

Japanese version

The README notes that the USA release differs from the Japanese version in many ways beyond language, and that Japanese-language coverage and regional play-testing are still in progress.

FAQ

What is ActRaiser Recompilation?

ActRaiser Recompilation is an open-source recompilation of ActRaiser. The original game's compiled code translated into a native program for a new platform, usually a PC port. The original game ran on SNES.

Do I need the original game files to run ActRaiser Recompilation?

Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy.

How is ActRaiser Recompilation licensed?

project: MIT (repository original source, including runtime, tooling, recomp/*.cfg, and documentation); project: MIT (Go implementation, tooling, tests, documentation, and project-authored portable C runner under snesrecomp-go/); Snaggletooth: MIT (adaptations in the slot-accurate S-DSP). The repository itself is the authoritative source.

Do language packs change the game's regional mechanics?

No. Language packs alone do not change the game mechanics.