The Return of a Classic
More than three decades after Sailor Moon made her video game debut, one of the franchise's earliest releases is finally playable entirely in English. A new fan translation has brought the Japan-exclusive Game Boy game to English-speaking fans for the first time.
Fan translator Tango Bunny, who goes by TangoPunk on Patreon, has released a free English translation patch for Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon, the 1992 Game Boy title and first-ever Sailor Moon video game.
Translation and New Features
In addition to translating the game's complete dialogue and story text, the new patch expands its English Charm descriptions, translates all four stage introductions and the "TAKE A BREAK" pause message, and adds a new English title screen with pixel-art credits. Instructions for downloading and applying the free patch were made available through TangoPunk's Patreon.
The translation goes considerably further than simply making the original game accessible to English-speaking Sailor Moon fans. Tango Bunny also restored a developer Stage Select that was present in the original game but inaccessible during normal gameplay.
Gameplay and History
The game puts players in control of Usagi Tsukino through a combination of exploration and action stages loosely based on some of the earliest episodes of the original anime. Usagi can interact with familiar characters before transforming into Sailor Moon to take on enemies, with Ami Mizuno and Rei Hino also appearing during the game.
Despite the franchise's subsequent explosion in international popularity, the Game Boy title has never received an official English-language release. Tango Bunny's new translation gives English-speaking fans a new way to experience that first piece of Sailor Moon gaming history 33 years after its original release.
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