The long-awaited translation of Cowboy Bebop: Serenade of Reminiscence, which initially launched exclusively in Japan in 2005, is finally available in English.

Better late than never.

A fan translation by Sonicman69 has introduced a comprehensive patch, making the game accessible for English-speaking players with updated UI, subtitles, and re-edited textures to enhance the experience. This project was secretly developed over the past year, revealing the translation as an anniversary surprise.

Originally released on August 25, 2005, the game had plans for localization that were thwarted due to the merger of developer Bandai with Namco. As a result, this gem remained locked away for years.

The Cowboy Bebop PS2 game can now be played on classic hardware, but it’s also highly recommended to use the fantastic PS2 emulator, PCSX2, especially for modern setups like the Steam Deck. The graphics scale impressively to higher resolutions, providing a fresh experience.

In the past, Richard Eisenbeis from Kotaku described it as “a bad 3D brawler, but a decent episode” of Cowboy Bebop, which might be a fair characterization. It’s a charming game from an iconic series, now finally accessible for those eager to explore its universe.