A new English translation patch has just dropped for the PC-98 RPG Appare-den: Fukuryū no Shō, making the game significantly accessible for Western players.
Released in 1995, Appareden: The Sacrosanct Dragon (as it is being translated here) is a top-down adventure from Technical Group Laboratory — a Japanese developer that is perhaps best known for its work on the Farland Story series.
It follows the story of Gento, a general store owner who lives in a fictionalized version of the Yamato province in the Edo period of Japan. One day, while out bathing, he witnesses an attack on a samurai and is then tasked with setting out on an adventure with his friend, a cat-like monster called Benimaru, to deliver a secret scroll on behalf of the injured man. This then lands them in the middle of a plot to take over the world, which they must put a stop to.
The game features some interesting battle scenes, with some fairly elaborate character animations, as well as a bunch of figures based on real historical figures, Japanese folklore, and RPG tropes.
The translation is the work of 46Okumen — a group of translators and hackers who were previously behind similar patches for games like CRW Metal Jacket, E.V.O.: The Theory of Evolution, and Rusty.
You can currently download version 0.9.9 of the patch here. The team is also planning to produce a scanlation for the Japanese manual and artbook in the future.