One of the weirdest titles in the vast library of Japan-only games available for the Sony PlayStation is Screaming Mad George’s Paranoiascape, which now has an English translation patch thanks to the fan group Aeon Genesis.
Paranoiascape was released in 1998 by developer Mathilda and is not a game that can easily be classified. It is best described as a first-person surrealist horror pinball game, if you can believe it. Players move through a nightmarish first-person landscape with two skeletal imps floating around them, holding bone paddles. These paddles serve as the player’s flippers, whereby the player bangs, bonks, and bounces demonic missiles and attacks from the monsters who inhabit the landscape.
The game’s vision is the brainchild of its namesake, Joji “Screaming Mad George” Tani, a Japanese special-effects legend responsible for effects in classic films like John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China and Predator. He even designed the original masks worn by metal icons Slipknot. Paranoiascape was his passion project, to which he contributed the original concept, creature designs, and even the music (Joji was also in the excellent New York Punk band, The Mad).
As reported by Time Extension, the new translation came out on October 11, 2025, and will be, for most players, their first exposure to this inexplicable oddity. The patch covers the crucial text in the game, most importantly, the tips and instructions between levels.
Interestingly, the team uncovered another secret during their work. On one level, Screaming Mad George himself makes an appearance, giving tips to the player. The team discovered that Tani had, in fact, recorded English versions of these voice tracks that went completely unused in the Japanese release. The patch brilliantly substitutes the Japanese audio with these newly discovered English soundbites, restoring the creator’s advice to English-speaking players.
Paranoiascape is a deeply strange and experimental title, and while fun to play, it is infuriatingly difficult. Aeon Genesis even recommends using the in-game “infinite pinballs” option to lessen the frustration, though that doesn’t disable the very conservative health bar.
For aficionados of retro horror, experimental game design, or the work of Screaming Mad George, this new translation opens a door into a unique piece of video game history that had previously been hidden behind a linguistic wall. Ultimately, the Paranoiascape translation isn’t just about playing a game; it’s about preserving and experiencing a truly one-of-a-kind creation from a master of the macabre.
Source: Aeon Genesis via Time Extension
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