Unless you are really, really into everything Cowboy Bebop, or a Shinichirō Watanabe super stan, then you probably missed the 2005 PS2 release for Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade. It was never translated into English, so the brawling game never officially made its way stateside. But after all these years, just in time for the game’s 20th anniversary, an English fan translation is finally available.
Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade is a treat to play in English
Gameplay recorded on PCSX2 with OBS, upscaled 1080p at 60fps
Having learned that Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade, a PS2 game I absolutely missed thanks to the fact that it was never translated or released in the US, just received a fan-made English patch on its 20th anniversary (via Niche Gamer), I just had to check it out for myself.
Sure, this beat ’em up isn’t well known, and could be considered a forgotten PS2 title, but now that there is an English patch available thanks to the hard work of SONICMAN69, everyone is free to patch their (legally obtained) copy of the game’s ROM to finally enjoy the brawler in its full translated glory.
Better yet, the patch is incredibly easy to apply with clear instructions on the GitHub page. Simply drag and drop the game’s ISO file onto the patch file, which is available for both Windows and Linux.
Of course, I tested that everything is working (it would be irresponsible to report on the patch without testing it, right?), so enjoy the 22-minute gameplay video I recorded (above) that showcases just how well the patched title works on the PCSX2 emulator (which the creator of this patch notes is supported on their GitHub). Everything works a treat.
An old school bralwer with a fresh Cowboy Bebop story to explore
Here are a few screenshots of the game’s translation
Now, when I say this is a fresh story, I mean that it is set in the universe of the anime, but is a separate adventure that isn’t connected to the show’s escapades. It’s all new content for those of us who never played the game in the original Japanese. Best of all, the story was written by Keiko Nobumoto, who just so happens to be the original screenwriter for Cowboy Bebop’s animated series.
So if you’re worried that Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade is just some branded shovelware from the early 00s, think again; there’s very much a story worth experiencing here for fans of the anime.
So far, no spelling errors, either; this translation is legit
Now, new and old generations of English speakers can experience for the first time what would have otherwise been a title lost to time. Twenty years later, just in time for the game’s anniversary, the West can get in on the East’s fun; fun that would have never been possible had the game remained untranslated, which is why game emulation and game preservation are so important.
We certainly can’t rely on governments or corporations to do what’s right, which means sometimes the community has to do the hard work itself. SONICMAN69 has gifted us all this lovely translation for the Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade’s 20th anniversary, and that is certainly worth celebrating.
Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade English patch:
