Falcoms classic popful mail PC engine cd version will have a complete english dubbing: The masterpiece “Popful Mail” that has been circulated among fans for many years will usher in an unprecedented resurrection!
Created by Falcom and originally released on the NEC PC-8801 in 1991, this action-platform RPG follows the adventures of Mail, a down-and-out female bounty hunter who hunts down a magician for a huge bounty. The game was later ported to platforms such as PC-9801, Sega CD, Super Famicom, PC Engine Super CD-ROM², and even a mobile version was launched.
The only official English version is the “Working Designs revamped version”
Among the many versions, only Sega CD launched an English version in North America in 1995, with Working Designs responsible for localization. In addition to significantly rewriting the script, this version also increased the difficulty and even changed some lines, which made players of the original game not very satisfied. In 2024, D4 Enterprise reproduced the original PC-88 version on Switch, but it did not include a complete translation, making it difficult for many players to experience the original plot.
The new translation aims to be “faithful to the original”
This fan translation project is organized by game researchers Forrealsyall He has previously analyzed this series on his personal channel and released several preliminary translation prototypes half a year ago. Now, he has announced that it has entered the official development stage and said that this will be an English work that is “more faithful to the spirit of the original work than the Working Designs version.”
“My friends from Tokyo and I spent several months translating sentence by sentence. Now that we have team members who can embed text into the old game, our next step is to complete the full voice dubbing. Some lines need to be synchronized with the video, and videos will be provided for reference. I will attach time and situational instructions to each line. Although the lack of original code makes the work more difficult, we will do our best to complete it.”
“Popful Mail” may return with a new look
This project will not only fill the 30-year language gap in the PC Engine version, but also represents the enthusiasm of the fan community to continue the vitality of Falcom’s classic works. According to the development team, in addition to text translation, the dubbing will be newly performed by English voice actors, allowing players to experience the complete plot of the 1994 version in an auditory way for the first time.
