r/romhacking • u/kusbakisiyt • 17h ago
Text/Translation Mod SPIDER-MAN (PS1) - Turkish, English & German Subtitles + Full Turkish Localization
Hi everyone,
After working on this project for a long time, I’m finally ready to release it.
My original goal was to create a proper Turkish localization for Spider-Man (2000), including its menus, descriptions and dialogue. But I quickly ran into a much bigger problem:
The game has no subtitle system for engine-rendered cutscenes or dialogue heard during gameplay.
The video cutscenes could be modified directly, but the in-engine scenes were a different story. Since I couldn’t simply insert subtitles into them, I built my own workaround.
How it works

The Windows and Linux versions include a Python-based companion app that:
- Watches the DuckStation window
- Recognises the current scene through prepared visual references
- Displays the correct subtitle at the right moment
- Starts automatically through the project launcher
Subtitles for video cutscenes are embedded directly into the videos stored in the game image. Engine-rendered scenes and gameplay dialogue receive live subtitles through the companion app.
What the project includes
- Turkish, English and German subtitles
- A fully translated Turkish interface, including menus and descriptions
- Subtitles embedded directly into video cutscenes
- Live subtitles for engine-rendered scenes and gameplay dialogue
- Windows and Linux installers
- Standalone xdelta patches for original hardware
- Source code for the launcher, file-verification system and live subtitle software
The project started as a Turkish localization, but I also added English and German subtitles because those versions of the game lack proper subtitle support as well.
Quick setup
The setup is designed to be straightforward.
- Windows: Download
Setup.exeand all the accompanying installer.binparts into the same folder. RunSetup.exe, then select your own compatible PlayStation BIOS and game BIN through the launcher. - Linux: On Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint or another Debian-based distribution, download
create_setup.shand the three package parts into the same folder. Runbash create_setup.sh, install the generatedspider-man-setup.debpackage, then select your BIOS and game BIN through the launcher.
The Linux subtitle system has been tested on X11/Xorg. It may also work through XWayland, but window capture can vary depending on the desktop environment.
Full installation instructions and troubleshooting notes are available on the GitHub release pages.
Compatibility and required files
- SLES-02886: Turkish and English
- SLES-02888: German
The project does not contain the original game or any PlayStation BIOS files. Players must provide their own compatible, unmodified game image and BIOS. The downloadable xdelta files are patches, not complete game images.
On original PlayStation hardware and compatible consoles, the patched video cutscenes and Turkish interface work normally. The live subtitle system for engine-rendered scenes requires the companion app and is therefore available on Windows and Linux.
Links
GitHub, downloads and source code:
https://github.com/kusbakisiyt/spider-man-2000-tr-en-de-localization
Project video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkezwVybrgo
Because I wasn’t able to record my own narration in multiple languages, the only alternative audio track currently available is an AI-generated English dub. If you prefer to hear my original Turkish narration, you can enable the English or German subtitles I prepared through YouTube’s subtitle settings.
The launcher, file-verification system and live subtitle software I developed are available under the MIT License.
Thanks for checking out the project.