After 20 years stuck in Japan, the unlikely PS2 remake of the most divisive JRPG in the beloved Ys series is finally playable in English thanks to a fan translation

After years of niche standing even among JPRG fanatics, the long-running Ys series seems to have found its global fanbase, and just about the entire franchise is now officially available in English in one form or another. There's a big exception in Ys 5, arguably the most divisive entry in the series, but fan translators are making sure that no entry in the Ys canon is lost to English-speaking JRPG enjoyers.

Ys 5: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand was originally released for Super Famicom (the Japanese version of the Super NES) in 1995. Developer Nihon Falcom ditched the breezy bump combat that had mostly defined previous entries in the series in favor of Zelda-style fighting with buttons for attack and defense – a choice that resulted in a game that Ys fans tend to think of a sluggish black sheep, though one that offers some worthwhile charms.

While it was never officially released in English, Ys 5 has had a full fan translation for well over a decade. The same cannot be said, however, for the unlikely remake released for PS2 in 2006, developed by Arc System Works (the studio better known these days for fighting games like Guilty Gear).

Until, of course, now. As YouTube channel Video Game Esoterica notes, there's now a fan translation for the PS2 version of Ys 5 that makes the game fully playable from start to finish. The translation patch, available on GitHub, is still technically in beta, but the important stuff is all already in place.

"This past year had its ups and downs for me, but working on Lost Kefin has helped me stay on track on getting through this year," patch lead Kaisaan says in a Bluesky post. "I am extremely grateful for all the support I have received trying to get this goofy game playable in English!"

These are the best JRPGs you can play today.