Afro Samurai Recomp

AfroSamuraiRecomp is a Windows PC port of Afro Samurai for Xbox 360, built using the ReXGlue project.

README

AfroSamuraiRecomp – Afro Samurai (Xbox 360) static recompilation

Unofficial, work-in-progress static recompilation of Afro Samurai (Xbox 360, Europe, title ID 4E4D07D8) to native Windows x64 using ReXGlue.

This repository contains no game files. You need your own original disc (or an ISO you dumped from it). The game executable is not released: it contains code translated from the game, so everyone builds it from their own copy. The only program attached to a release is afrosetup-v0.1.0.exe, the setup installer.

Quick start

Prerequisites
  • Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) and a graphics card with Direct3D 12 (current drivers).
  • Your own Afro Samurai disc, Europe version only: an ISO (SHA-1 29394DB1854DFC59C767D768C8D35E0A08ACB73D) or a folder you already extracted that contains default.xex. See Getting your game files.
  • About 20 GB of free disk space and an internet connection (the build tools are downloaded).
  • A controller (Xbox or any controller Windows/SDL recognises).
Install
  1. Download afrosetup-v0.1.0.exe from the latest release. That file is the setup program, not the game. It builds the game on your PC from your disc.
  2. Run afrosetup-v0.1.0.exe. Choose a language, then Install.
  3. Choose a folder, then your Europe ISO or the extracted game folder (default.xex must be inside it).
  4. Accept the Microsoft Visual Studio Build Tools license (the box starts unchecked). Shortcuts are optional. You can keep the downloaded tools or delete them when setup finishes. Deleting them does not remove game, the extracted game, the logs, your ISO, or your saves.
  5. The window says this takes several minutes. It does not promise a fixed duration.
  6. On success the window says Installation finished and shows Play. Play starts game\Play.bat in that folder, and only when you click it. Finish and closing the window do not start the game. A shortcut, if you asked for one, also starts that Play.bat.

Nothing is installed system-wide and no admin rights are needed. To uninstall, delete the install folder and the shortcuts. Saves are not in that folder.

Update

Run afrosetup-v0.1.0.exe again, choose Update, and select the existing installation folder (the one that contains game\Play.bat). Close the game first. If gamedata\default.xex is already there, the ISO is not asked for again. Tools still on disk are reused, and only missing tools are downloaded again. The extracted game, your saves, and game\afro_language.cfg stay. The program files are rebuilt and replaced only after that build succeeds, including when the folder is already 0.1.0.

Your saves

Paste this into File Explorer:

%USERPROFILE%\Documents\afrorecomp

If Windows has redirected your Documents folder, the saves are in that Documents folder instead. In the launcher (shown at start; hold Shift while starting to show it again) use Manage saved games... to open, back up, restore or delete them. Details: Saves.

If something goes wrong
  • If the window says Installation did not finish, use Show details and read install.log in the install folder. Run afrosetup-v0.1.0.exe again. Use Update when that folder already contains game\Play.bat, and close the game first. Back on the failure page returns to the summary and does not start the build by itself. This is not a promise that an interrupted download always resumes.
  • install.bat is a separate console fallback. See Console installer. Without -Ref it builds main.
  • The game log is afro.log in the install folder.
  • Open an issue at https://github.com/LomoXSoft/AfroSamuraiRecomp/issues with what happened and the log. Never attach game files (ISO, extracted files). More help: Troubleshooting.

This is a preview. 30 (original) is the default. 60 (experimental) is incomplete and opt-in. See Status and limitations.

Advanced

Everything below is for technical users: how it works, the installer options, the manual build and the developer options.

What it is

The game's PowerPC executable (default.xex) is translated ahead of time into C++ by ReXGlue's code generator and compiled into a native Windows program. The Xbox 360 kernel, GPU and audio are provided by the ReXGlue runtime (derived from Xenia). This repository holds only the project configuration (function boundaries, hooks), a small launcher, build scripts and a GPU plugin patch.

Status and limitations

Preview (0.1.0). 30 (original) remains the default. On the author's Windows PC, a clean install with the 0.1.0 setup started the game, and an update of that folder started it from Play. That is the author's report, not an independent playthrough of the whole game. 60 (experimental) is an incomplete opt-in for public testing (see Experimental 60 FPS); do not treat it as stable — cinematics can run fast and performance dips remain.

  • Boots, plays videos, menus and gameplay; EN/ES/FR/IT language selection.
  • Default GPU path is RTV (original) (host render targets): correct image at a stable 30 FPS with 30 (original) (launcher default). The black frames of earlier versions are fixed by the afro-edram-no-wrap GPU plugin patch.
  • ROV (experimental) is still available as an optional fallback (correct image but slow, can drop below 15 FPS): Advanced settings... or --render_target_path_d3d12=rov.
  • Voices work, including all cinematic dialogue (0.0.13 afro-xma-fix-log and 0.0.14 afro-xma-frameless-chain runtime patches).
  • Known issues (also apply at Original unless noted):
    • FPS can dip, including below 30 and especially above native internal resolution. Cause is not proven without profiling; do not assume a single GPU root cause.
    • Black textures, including the headband.
    • Occasional odd audio.
    • If two tutorial prompts appear at once, the first one can stay stuck on screen (original game behaviour; restarting the level clears it).
    • Experimental (60) only: intro and cutscenes can run too fast and frames can still drop. Other gameplay / Focus / combat timing may be wrong and is largely unverified. Not a finished 60 FPS mode.
    • Invulnerability (experimental) does not currently prevent death. It is off by default, lasts for that launch only, and is not saved.
  • Only the Europe disc (Redump 17884, ISO SHA-1 29394DB1854DFC59C767D768C8D35E0A08ACB73D) is supported. Other versions will not work.
  • Windows x64 only for now (D3D12).
  • Expect bugs; saves and settings may change between versions.
Experimental 60 FPS (incomplete, opt-in)

Default remains Original (30). Experimental (60) is for testers who want to help; it is not claimed smooth, complete, or timing-correct.

Enable: Launcher → Advanced settings... → Frame rate → 60 (experimental) → OK, then Play. Tick Remember only if you want that choice kept. Revert: same dialog → 30 (original). The fps= line is in afro_language.cfg next to the executable (game\afro_language.cfg after setup), not in Documents\afrorecomp.

What it does (high level): unlocks the guest present interval (afro_present_interval=1), applies a host 60 FPS cap, and enables gated guest dt / 1/30→1/60 constant hooks. Original does not apply those Experimental dt/const patches; present interval stays at the retail default (2).

Tester guide (please report):

  1. Confirm Original (30) still feels like previous releases for you.
  2. Switch to Experimental (60) for a short session (intro + one cutscene + a bit of gameplay).
  3. Note mode, internal resolution, CPU/GPU, Windows version, cutscene/location, and whether you reverted to Original.
  4. Copy afro.log immediately after the run (it is overwritten next launch).
  5. Open a normal GitHub issue (see the issue template). Privacy: attach the log only after a quick check that it has no personal paths you must redact; never attach ISO, gamedata, saves, or other game files unless a maintainer specifically asks.
Logs (where afro.log actually is)
  • Installer / game\Play.bat: <install-root>\afro.log (same folder as install.log). Play.bat passes --log_file="%~dp0..\afro.log".
  • Dev tools\run_win.bat: repo-adjacent log: from tools\, R is ..\.., so --log_file="%R%\afro.log" is the folder that contains app\ and tools\ (the checkout / afro360recomp-style root), not next to the .exe.
  • Each launch overwrites the log; copy it right after a problem.
Console installer

install.bat is a fallback for a source checkout. The program players download is afrosetup-v0.1.0.exe from the latest release. That setup builds the source stored inside the file. It does not clone public main.

install.bat with no -Ref builds the main branch. To build the tagged 0.1.0 source from the console installer, pass -Ref v0.1.0.

  1. Make an ISO of your own Afro Samurai (Europe) disc, or use an extracted folder that contains default.xex (see Getting your game files).
  2. Use install.bat from a checkout, or download install.bat (right-click, Save link as). A lone install.bat then downloads tools/install.ps1 from main.
  3. Double-click install.bat. It asks for a folder and your ISO (-GameDataDir takes an extracted folder instead). When it says INSTALL OK, play with the shortcut or <root>\game\Play.bat.
  4. It asks the language first (English, Espanol, Francais, Italiano; your Windows language is preselected). The installer messages are shown in it, and a new install records that language in game\afro_language.cfg.
  5. At the end it can delete the toolchain, ReXGlue SDK and source, build files, and downloads, and keep <root>\game, <root>\gamedata, and the logs. Your ISO and your saves are not part of that delete. A later Update in afrosetup-v0.1.0.exe downloads again only the tools that are missing and keeps the extracted game.

What the installer does (tools/install.ps1, run with the PowerShell execution policy bypassed for that process only):

  • Checks free disk space (about 20 GB) and lists your GPU (Direct3D 12 needed).
  • Verifies the ISO SHA-1 (29394DB1854DFC59C767D768C8D35E0A08ACB73D) and warns if it does not match.
  • Downloads a portable toolchain into <root>\tools, only from official sources, each pinned and SHA-256-verified: MinGit, CMake, Ninja, LLVM/Clang 20.1.8, Python 3.12 (embeddable) + pycryptodome, and the MSVC compiler + Windows SDK (fetched from Microsoft's Visual Studio servers with portable-msvc.py; you are asked to accept the Microsoft Visual Studio license).
  • Downloads the ReXGlue SDK nightly, clones the ReXGlue source at bd833a2 and this repository, extracts your disc into <root>\gamedata, runs both build scripts and checks the output.
  • Optionally creates desktop and Start menu shortcuts.

No admin rights needed; nothing is installed system-wide (no PATH, registry or Visual Studio installer changes) and nothing is uploaded. Downloads are about 1 GB of archives (LLVM alone is 900 MB), about 1 GB of MSVC/Windows SDK packages and about 2 GB of ReXGlue source; the whole folder ends up around 12-13 GB (<root>\downloads can be deleted afterwards). A run takes several minutes; there is no fixed duration. The console shows its own progress lines. A normal console re-run skips steps already stamped in <root>\.install. Update in afrosetup-v0.1.0.exe clears the compile stamps and rebuilds the program. Neither path promises that an interrupted download always resumes. The log is <root>\install.log. To uninstall, delete the install folder and the shortcuts. Saves stay in Documents\afrorecomp (see Saves).

Command-line options (install.bat -Option value): -InstallDir <dir> (full install folder, skips the folder picker), -Iso <file>, -AcceptMsvcLicense, -Shortcut yes|no, -CleanupAfterInstall / -KeepBuildFiles, -Language en|es|fr|it, -Ref <branch|tag>. Advanced: -GameDataDir <dir> uses an already extracted disc folder (containing default.xex) instead of an ISO.

Requirements
  • Windows 10/11 x64, a GPU with Direct3D 12 and current drivers.
  • Original Afro Samurai disc (Europe) and a way to make an ISO of it.
  • About 20 GB free disk space (the finished install uses about 12-13 GB).
  • A controller (see Controls).
  • For a manual build only (the installer downloads all of this):
    • MSVC + Windows SDK: Visual Studio 2022 Build Tools ("Desktop development with C++"), run from an "x64 Native Tools Command Prompt", or a portable MSVC in <root>\tools\msvc with setup_x64.bat (as produced by portable-msvc.py).
    • LLVM/Clang 20 (clang++), CMake >= 3.25, Ninja, Git.
    • Python 3.8 or newer with pycryptodome: python -m pip install pycryptodome.
    • Each of these can be on PATH or portable under <root>\tools (git\cmd, llvm\bin, cmake\bin, ninja, python, msvc); portable copies win.
  • ReXGlue SDK nightly 0.10.0.24-dev.gbd833a2 (prebuilt) and the ReXGlue source at the same commit.
Getting your game files

Only the Europe disc is supported (Redump 17884, ISO SHA-1 29394DB1854DFC59C767D768C8D35E0A08ACB73D). Make the ISO from your own disc, for example with a DVD drive that can read Xbox 360 discs and a disc dumping tool, or from a backup of your own disc that you made with your console. Check the SHA-1 with certutil -hashfile "Afro Samurai.iso" SHA1. This project does not help with obtaining the game in any other way. Never share the ISO, the extracted files or anything generated from them.

Manual build

Folder layout (<root> = e.g. C:\afro; avoid spaces and non-ASCII characters in it):

<root>\afrorecomp      this repository (any folder name works)
<root>\sdk\win-amd64   ReXGlue SDK nightly (bin\rexglue.exe inside)
<root>\rexglue-sdk     ReXGlue source at bd833a2
<root>\gamedata        your extracted disc (default.xex inside)
<root>\tools           optional portable toolchain

  1. Open a command prompt (the "x64 Native Tools" one if you use Visual Studio Build Tools) and create the root:

    mkdir C:\afro
cd /d C:\afro

  2. Clone this repository:

    git clone https://github.com/LomoXSoft/AfroSamuraiRecomp.git afrorecomp

  3. Download rexglue-sdk-0.10.0.24-dev.gbd833a2-win-amd64.zip from https://github.com/rexglue/rexglue-sdk/releases/tag/nightly-20261002-bd833a2a and extract it so that C:\afro\sdk\win-amd64\bin\rexglue.exe exists.

  4. Clone the ReXGlue source at the same commit (a few GB with submodules):

    git clone https://github.com/rexglue/rexglue-sdk.git rexglue-sdk
cd rexglue-sdk
git checkout bd833a2
git submodule update --init --recursive
cd ..

  5. Extract your disc into C:\afro\gamedata (takes a few minutes):

    python afrorecomp\tools\xiso_extract.py "D:\path\to\Afro Samurai.iso" C:\afro\gamedata /

    C:\afro\gamedata\default.xex must exist afterwards.

  6. Build the game and then the patched GPU plugin and runtime:

    cd afrorecomp
tools\build_win.bat
tools\build_gpu_plugin.bat

    Both end with BUILD OK and GPU PLUGIN + RUNTIME OK.

build_win.bat copies your default.xex, extracts (privately, gitignored) the PE image, jump-table overrides and icon from it, runs the ReXGlue code generator (a few minutes, ~130 MB of generated C++, log in <root>\codegen_win.log) and compiles. The output is app\out\build\win-amd64-release\afrorecomp.exe. build_gpu_plugin.bat applies patches\rexglue\*.patch to <root>\rexglue-sdk and builds the patched rexgpu-xenos.dll and rexruntime.dll next to the exe (see patches/rexglue/README.md); it is required for a correct image and voices.

To update: git pull in afrorecomp, then run both scripts again. To rebuild from scratch, also delete app\generated\default and app\afro_switch_tables.toml.

Playing
tools\run_win.bat

Run it from the afrorecomp folder (or use the installer's shortcut). It starts the game with <root>\gamedata and writes the log to <root>\afro.log. Hold Shift while starting to show the launcher again.

Controls

An Xbox controller or any other controller SDL recognises (XInput, DualShock/DualSense, etc.) works out of the box; the game was designed for a gamepad and prompts show Xbox buttons. Keyboard and mouse are not enabled by default. There is experimental keyboard emulation of a controller from ReXGlue, untested with this game: start with tools\run_win.bat --mnk_mode=true (WASD = left stick, arrow keys = right stick, Space = A, Backspace = B, L = X, P = Y, Q/E = triggers, 1/3 = bumpers, Enter = Start, Tab = Back, Shift+arrows = D-pad).

Saves

Saves are stored in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\afrorecomp (the save itself is under <profile id>\4E4D07D8\00000001\AFRO_0.SAV; the shader cache is in Documents\afrorecomp\cache). To back them up, copy the whole Documents\afrorecomp folder while the game is closed; to restore, copy it back. Deleting or rebuilding the install folder does not touch your saves.

The launcher (shown at start, or hold Shift) has a Manage saved games... button on that window, next to Advanced settings.... It opens a window with:

  • Open saves folder: opens Documents\afrorecomp in Explorer (created if missing).
  • Back up saves: copies the saves (not the shader cache) to a new Documents\afrorecomp-backups\saves-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS\ folder. Never overwrites anything.
  • Restore selected backup: pick a backup from the list (newest first) and confirm. The current saves are first backed up automatically (saves-...-before-restore), then replaced by the chosen backup. The shader cache is kept.
  • Open backups folder: opens Documents\afrorecomp-backups in Explorer (created if missing).
  • Delete save data...: after a strong confirmation (default No), the current saves are backed up automatically (saves-...-before-delete) and then deleted. The shader cache and all backups are kept.

Restore and delete are refused while the game is running. Backups are plain folders: you can also restore one by hand (close the game, copy the contents of a saves-... folder back into Documents\afrorecomp\).

Launcher and options

The launcher (shown on first run, after each update, or with Shift) offers: language (English, Español, Français, Italiano), fullscreen or window, internal resolution (1x native by default / 2x / 3x) and "remember and don't ask again". Advanced settings... opens frame rate (30 (original) or 60 (experimental)), render path (RTV (original) or ROV (experimental)), the sepia filter, and Cheats.... The Cheats checkbox is Invulnerability (experimental). It starts off, lasts for that launch only, and is not written to afro_language.cfg. It does not currently prevent death. Settings you keep with Remember are stored in afro_language.cfg next to the exe (game\afro_language.cfg after setup). Without Remember, the next start uses 30 (original) and 1x resolution. A render-path change is writt