The world of Black/Matrix is a fantasy-based setting in which the forces of Hell achieved a decisive victory over the forces of Heaven. The triumphant devils rewrote history and reshaped society to serve their own ends, inverting the concepts of good and evil. The devils' descendants, called black-wings, rule over the white-wing descendants of the angels, treating them as sub-human slaves.
The original Black/Matrix title came out on August 27, 1998, for the Sega Saturn in Japan. Two later remakes added more detailed graphics and extra content: Black/Matrix AD (Advanced) for the Dreamcast, released in 1999, and Black/Matrix + (Cross) for the PlayStation in 2000. All titles in the series are Japan-exclusive.
In 2002, another title came out for the Game Boy Advance, once again only in Japan, and (of course) it never received an official English release. Black Matrix Zero is set in the same fictional world as the original Black/Matrix game, but several hundred years earlier. The angels rule the world through a religious organization called the Prodevon Church, which keeps the wingless people both cooperative and uninformed.
Now, at last, a full English translation of this game is available to play thanks to a (rather professional) fan effort, covering the story, dialogue, menus, battles, items, equipment, magic, abilities, and so on.
Keep in mind that this translation is distributed as a BPS/IPS patch (a common approach, so you don't infringe copyright), which you need to apply to a clean copy of the original Japanese ROM. If you don't legally own one, sites like Romsfun.com can come in handy. To download the latest version of the patch, go to the author's original post (link below), since it's the only and recommended way to get immediate updates and fixes, with direct downloads (not hidden behind paywalls). If you're struggling with how to patch a ROM, you'll want to check out my own article on the subject.
BMZ is a fantastic tactical role-playing game (developed by Flight-Plan and published by NEC Interchannel) in the vein of Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Battle Saga that genre fans will thoroughly enjoy. If you run into any problems or have any doubts, simply leave a comment below.
