Unlike other persistent servers, this is a single central server acting as a Hub and allowing everyone to create their lobby, public or private, directly from the game menus. The players therefore all share the common lobby of RomStation in addition to an in-game lobby specific to each group (up to 4 players).
The online game only works with the Japanese version and although the menus are partly translated in English, some remain in original version. Follow the guide to successfully connect to the server.
After starting the game from the RomStation lobby (Play button), select the "Network Play" option at the game homepage.
The game will warn you that a NET file has been detected on the Memory Card. This is the preconfigured connection data that will allow you to join the server. So agree to load the file.
Here, select the "Previous Connection" option to load the preconfigured data without the risk of modifying it.
Once the connection is established, the game asks you to identify yourself. For convenience, the RomStation account is automatically recognized by the server. And as a guest, a default account is also created. Select your account to automatically identify yourself.
You are now in front of the Hub menu from which you can join a group or create a public/private game online.