The 1994 Japan-exclusive hack 'n slash title Melfand Stories has just received a new fan translation, allowing players to experience the SNES hidden gem entirely in English for the first time ever.
The game was developed by Sting (who later went on to make Treasure Hunter G, Baroque, and the Dept. Heaven series) and published by ASCII Entertainment. It follows four heroes (the knight Corse, the prince El, the thief Nora, and the witch Lemin) on a quest to save a kingdom from an evil usurper named Nomolwa who has betrayed the king and imprisoned its people.
Players will pick from one of these four characters, each of whom has their own special abilities, and will then embark on an adventure across various lands to reach the kingdom, fighting enemies and selecting different routes depending on their skill level. There are a few different dialogue variations depending on the hero you select and the paths you take, but the game itself is pretty short and sweet, with just 9 levels in total.
Interesting to note is the patch is the work of just one person — a hacker/translator named Gan. Along with the patch, they've also offered some tips on the Romhacking.net page should you be struggling to make any progress.
If you want to give it a try, you can download the patch here.