Extract text from Loose data files (LDATA)
To convert LDATA Data files to another format, you need Retro Studios Engine or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game Data Archive" file type, you need software like Retro Studios Engine or a similar tool.
The .ldata file is a proprietary data archive used specifically by the video game Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Developed by Retro Studios, these files store loose game data such as configuration parameters, level logic, and uncompressed engine assets for the Nintendo Wii U and Switch console versions. Dataminers and game modders typically encounter these files when unpacking the game's ROM filesystem.
Working with .ldata files presents significant challenges. Because it is a highly specialized, closed-source format, standard archive extraction utilities like 7-Zip or WinRAR cannot open them. They lack public documentation and require custom, community-built extraction scripts to unpack successfully. You cannot simply open an .ldata file on a standard PC to view the game assets.
Converting an .ldata file usually means extracting its proprietary contents into universally readable formats like XML, JSON, or raw binary files for modding. Standard online converters fail to process it because they lack the specific decoding algorithms tailored for the custom engine built by Retro Studios.
Because this file format is difficult to open or convert, often only the original software or specialized reverse-engineering tools can properly read or export the data. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your LDATA file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted JSML, EVO and ITG files.
If you want to convert LDATA file to , you can use Retro Studios Engine or similar software from the "Game Asset Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to LDATA, try Retro Studios Engine or another comparable tool in the "Game Asset Data Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our LDATA converter.