PKCore - Project Kyaro Core

By faospark

The core DLL component for Project Kyaro that provides a variety of features such as texture replacement framework, sprite smoothing, anti-aliasing, graphical and visual enhancement, and some gameplay enhancement for Suikoden I & II HD Remaster. As of 2026, PKExtended has been Transformed to PKCore as this is now the backbone of Project Kyaro . Special K has now been removed as a Dependecy .

Note: This repository contains the source code for the PKCore.dll file. The complete Project Kyaro mod package (including upscaled textures) is available on Nexus Mods.

Features

[Can Be Toggled]

• Re-Texture Framework (PNG, JPG, TGA, and DDS with BC1/BC3/BC7 DX10 header support)
• Upscaled Smooth Sprites (can be toggled off)
• Sprite Filtering and Anti-Aliasing (SMAA)
• NPC Portraits Framework
• Comprehensive Portrait Variant Support
• Colored Intros and Flashbacks
• Boosted War Battles (S2)
• Button Controller Prompt Support (expanded to include more options)
• Alternative Launcher (based on unused in‑game assets)
• Minimal UI
• Classic‑ish Save Menu UI
• Disable Dialogue Portrait Mask
• Scaled‑Down Dialogue Box
• Scaled‑Down Menu
• Customizable Save Point Crystal Color
• Disable White Save Point Glow (reduces the washed‑out look of the crystal)
• Disable World Map Clouds
• Disable World Map Sun Rays
• Scaled‑Down World Map of Suikoden 1
• Alternative Run Animation for Tir (Project Kyaro sprites)
• Restore Bamboo Fence on Mercenary Fortress

[Performance Features]

• Texture Manifest Cache
• Texture Memory Caching
• Resolution Scaling

[Baked In]

• Automatic Text Placeholder Replacement (protagonist/HQ names from save data)
• Active Launcher Language Detection (detects game/launcher language on startup and manual selection)
• Added Headquarters Signage (S1)
• Fixed Backgrounds with Bad Baked DOF (S2)
• Fixed Inconsistent Telescope on HQ (S2)
• Replaced Low‑Quality Upscaled Doors in the Inn Area (S2)

[Utility]

• Show Mouse Cursor
• Clean Exit on ALT+F4 (Force immediate shutdown instead of hanging)

Borderless Mode: For borderless fullscreen window, use Unity's native -popupwindow launch argument:

• Steam: Right-click game → Properties → Launch Options → Add -popupwindow
• Epic Games: Create a shortcut to the game executable and add -popupwindow to the Target field

[Additionals from Nexus Bundle]

• Restore the Dash in the Letter “Z” via Custom Font
• Alternate CRC Bypass for Version 1.0.4

Replace game textures with custom PNG or DDS files in BepInEx/plugins/PKCore/Textures/. Use 00-Mods/ subfolder for highest priority custom mods.

Performance Optimization: Built-in manifest caching dramatically improves boot times. DDS format support allows pre-compressed textures (BC1, BC3, and high-quality BC7 with DX10 header support) for reduced VRAM usage and faster loading.

Advanced Customization

• Placeholder Text Replacement: Automatic replacement of protagonist and HQ name placeholders in dialogs. See Placeholder Text Guide.
• Active Launcher Language Detection: Automatically detects the active launcher language on startup (English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Korean) and tracks manual language changes via LanguageSelectionPatch.
• NPC Portraits: Inject custom high-resolution portraits for any NPC.
• War Battle Modding: Customize character stats, abilities, and subunit bonus values in Suikoden 2 war battles via JSON.
• UI Scaling: Presets for dialog box size and menu layout scaling.
• Classic UI: Revert Suikoden 2 save windows to the classic PSX look.
• Controller Prompt Override: Force specific button icons (Xbox/PS4/PS5/Switch) regardless of detected controller.
• Experimental Object Insertion: Add new static objects to scenes via configuration.

Requirements

• BepInEx 6.0.0-pre.2 IL2CPP
• Suikoden I & II HD Remaster (U`nity 2022.3.28f1)
• Highly Recommended: Suikoden Fix for best experience

Installation

1. Install BepInEx 6.0.0-pre.2 IL2CPP
2. Install Project Kyaro
3. Launch game (config auto-generates in BepInEx\config\faospark.pkcore.cfg)

Configuration

Config file auto-generates at BepInEx\config\faospark.pkcore.cfg on first launch.

Migration Guide (PKextended → PKCore)

If you have PKextended.dll or Older Versions of Project Kyaro installed from a previous version:

1. Remove Old files:

   • Delete PKextended.dll from BepInEx/plugins/
   • Old config: BepInEx/config/faospark.pkextended.cfg
   • Delete or Back-up dxgi.dll or d3d11.dll of what every .dll name you loaded SpecialK
   • Delete all of the texture file SK_Res\inject\textures as they are now necessesary

2. Config File (optional - will auto-generate):

   • New config: BepInEx/config/faospark.pkcore.cfg

Development

This mod uses BepInEx 6 IL2CPP and Harmony for runtime patching.

License

MIT License - See LICENSE.txt

Credits

Author: faospark For: Project Kyaro HD sprite pack Compatible with: Suikoden Fix by d3xMachina

Special Thanks & Credits:

• d3xMachina: For the excellent Suikoden Fix mod. PKCore is built to work alongside it.
  • The NPC Portrait feature leverages his TextDatabase research and speaker identification logic.