Apply BetterRecolor Subfiles with Patches

Last updated: May 19, 2026

This page explains how to apply button and text color changes generated by BetterRecolor through Retro Rewind's Patches system.

If you are not familiar with Patches, read Retro Rewind Patches first.

Recommended Approach

BetterRecolor can generate many UI files. Placing every generated file directly in Patches as a loose archive member override is hard to manage.

In practice, use these two methods depending on the target file:

Method	Use case
Full-file override	Use for large changes to existing MKWii UI archives such as MenuSingle.szs or Race.szs.
Packed patch archive	Use for Retro Rewind UI archives such as UIAssets.szs or RaceAssets.szs.

TIP

Because BetterRecolor produces many files, creating many single-file overrides such as [button][blyt]common_w004_menu.brlyt.menusingle is usually not the best workflow.

BetterRecolor Output

After BetterRecolor finishes, generated files are written to Output.

Older versions wrote files to separate EditedBRLYT and EditedBRLAN folders. Current versions use a single Output folder for easier handling.

The output may contain folders like:

Output/
├── MenuSingle.d/
├── Race.d/
├── UIAssets.d/
└── ...

A .d folder is an unpacked archive folder that can be repacked into an SZS file.

Separate the Targets

Do not treat every generated folder the same way. Choose the workflow based on the target archive.

Existing MKWii UI Archives

Folders such as MenuSingle.d and Race.d correspond to existing MKWii UI archives. Repack them into .szs files as needed, then place them in Patches as full-file overrides.

This is close to the traditional My Stuff workflow: you provide a complete replacement archive.

Retro Rewind UI Archives

Folders such as UIAssets.d and ReplacedAssets.d correspond to UI files added by Retro Rewind. These are often better handled as packed patch archives.

If BetterRecolor outputs a folder named something like RRUIAssets.d, rename it to UIAssets.d when that is the archive you intend to build.

Repack .d Folders into SZS

With Wiimms SZS Tool, use the following command to repack a .d folder:

wszst c FileName.d -o

-o enables overwrite mode, so an existing SZS with the same name can be replaced.

To repack multiple .d folders in the same directory:

wszst c *.d -o

Rename Files for Patches

The required file name depends on the target type.

Existing SZS Archives

For a complete replacement of an existing archive such as MenuSingle.szs or Race.szs, keep the original file name and place it in Patches.

Patches/
└── MenuSingle.szs

Retro Rewind SZS Archives

For archives such as UIAssets.szs or ReplacedAssets.szs, use the packed patch archive naming format:

yourmodname.uiassets.szs
yourmodname.replacedassets.szs

Replace yourmodname with a short ASCII name for your mod.

Non-English Game Languages

UIAssets patch names may depend on the in-game language.

If a UIAssets patch is not loaded when the game is set to Japanese, add _j after uiassets.

yourmodname.uiassets_j.szs

Example Workflow

When using BetterRecolor's Output folder:

1. Run BetterRecolor and generate Output.
2. Identify the .d folders you need.
3. Repack existing UI archive folders into .szs files.
4. Rename Retro Rewind UI archives to the appropriate packed patch archive names.
5. Place the generated .szs files in Patches.
6. Verify the result in-game.

Choosing the Right Method

Target	Recommended method
Large changes to existing UI archives such as MenuSingle.szs	Full-file override
Changes to Retro Rewind UI archives such as UIAssets.szs	Packed patch archive
A small number of internal files	.szs archive member override
Applying a full BetterRecolor output set	Combination of full-file overrides and packed patch archives

BetterRecolor output usually touches many files, so it is easier to manage when you repack related files into SZS archives before placing them in Patches.