1997's Shinrei Jusatsushi Taroumaru / Psychic Killer Taromaru is one of those games which has passed into legend thanks to the fact that it costs an absolute fortune on the secondary market.
A side-scrolling action title set in Feudal Japan, it was developed and published by the short-lived Time Warner Interactive Japan, and is reported to have sold anywhere between 5,000 and 50,000 copies, depending on who you believe.
Regardless of the actual figure, one thing is clear – Shinrei Jusatsushi Taroumaru's small print run, high quality, and Japanese exclusivity have made it one of the most expensive Sega Saturn games on the market. The fact that Hiroshi Iuchi – famous for his work with Treasure on titles like Gunstar Heroes, Radiant Silvergun, Sin & Punishment and Ikaruga – contributed to the game's art has only helped increase its desirability with collectors.
It's now possible to play it in English thanks to a patch made by Exxistance, as spotted by Sega Saturn Shiro.
The patch makes the following changes to the Japanese version of the game:
- Opening/Ending credits translated to English
- Fully translated options
- English title changed to 'Psychic Killer Taromaru'
- Spelling mistake ('Time Warner Intearctive') fixed on title screen
- In-game UI translated
- Opening and ending speech dubbed in English
The English dub is supplied by Exxistance himself, but, if you prefer, you can use the original Japanese voice track via an alternate patch.
Exxistance credits Duralumin and TeDNeo for helping with the translation, and zeed64 for testing the patch.