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Some delightful news for classic RPG fans: Falcom's PC Engine CD release of The Legend of Xanadu has received a brand-new fan-translation patch, courtesy of homebrewer "Elmer" and interpreter "SamIam". The patch is now available to download from GitLab.
Originally released for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM 2 in 1994, The Legend of Xanadu (Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu) is the eighth title in the epic fantasy series Dragon Slayer, launched in 1984 with a series of games for Japanese home computers.
The Legend of Xanadu is the story of the valiant prince Arios and his efforts to defend the kingdom of Macria from an army of monsters, aided by a party of warriors and mages, including the powerful battle commander, Deimos, and the beautiful sorceress, Pura
Gameplay follows the era's typical RPG tropes, with players leading a party of heroes on a pilgrimage throughout Macria, meeting allies and enemies alike, and forging war with a battalion of badniks. With the advent of CD-ROM technology, developer Falcom was able to showcase full voice acting, lending dramatic weight to the story's narrative.
For the most part, however, The Legend of Xanadu's overall audio/visual style sticks within the limitations of 16-bit gaming. One neat feature sees gameplay switch between a top-down view for overworld exploration and side-scrolling platforming action for boss battles.
This new patch gives RPG-heads an opportunity to enjoy this genre rarity in English for the first time. According to X user ParanoiaDragon, there were plans in motion to redub the game's spoken dialogue into English, but this proved too time-consuming. The team was also eager to get the final version of the translation officially released before anybody else cheapshotted them by taking the A.I. route.
The patch does not include the actual game files. So interested parties will have to dig that up for themselves. The team notes that it has already begun translation work on sequel The Legend of Xanadu II (1995) and expects to release a beta patch in the very near future.
These translation jobs, which have been in the works for almost 15 years, represent important preservation work for the PC Engine's hidden library of classics, recording their existence for new generations while offering lost adventure for lovers of vintage, sword-swinging action. Amazing work, team. Thanks for your time and effort.