A solo modder on GitHub tried to revive the project using Python scripts to extract text from the Steam version. They added:
Status: Stalled. The modder stated on their Git page: “The game’s engine (PhyreEngine) doesn’t handle French diacritics (é, è, ç) well in externalized strings. It either cuts the text or causes infinite loading screens. A 'full' patch requires editing the executable — which is illegal by EULA.” way of the samurai 4 patch fr full
For the untranslated parts (some item names, dojo challenges, random NPC banter), run the RetroTranslator overlay (version 3.0+), which captures English text and replaces it on the fly with a local AI-dict. A solo modder on GitHub tried to revive
In 2023, Spike Chunsoft released Way of the Samurai 4 on Nintendo Switch (JP only) with no additional languages. In 2024, during a Q&A for their new title Edo No Yami, a producer hinted that "the licensing of historical terms makes a re-translation for Western markets too costly." Status: Stalled
Thus, a 100% official French patch will likely never happen. The only hope is the fan project by Zenjiro, which requires reverse-engineering the PSM (PhyreScene Model) files. If successful, a true "full" patch could arrive by late 2025 or early 2026.