Thirty-three years after it launched exclusively in Japan, the Super Famicom action-platformer based on the Ghost Sweeper Mikami anime and manga is playable in English for the first time — thanks to a fan translation patch released by homebrewer Pizanno, with v1.00 landing on September 27.
Developed by Natsume and released under Bandai’s Banalex label in 1993, Ghost Sweeper Mikami: The Exorcist With A Nice Body adapts Takashi Shiina’s manga — and its 1993–1994 anime run — about Reiko Mikami, a brash, money-obsessed ghost sweeper who exorcises spirits for a hefty fee. Like so many licensed games of the 16-bit era, it never left Japan, and for over three decades the language barrier kept it a curiosity for anyone outside the import scene.
Pizanno’s patch is a serious piece of work: every line of in-game text was retranslated by hand, compiled from previous GameFAQs translations, scripts from NintendoComplete and RetroHub, and narrative gaps filled in from the anime itself. Notably, Pizanno states that generative AI played no part in any facet of the project. It ships in four downloadable flavors — one pure translation, and three that layer in balance changes to checkpoints and power-up mechanics — and enables stereo sound by default.
The game itself is a colorful 2D side-scrolling platformer that sticks close to its source material: ghost-hunter-for-hire Reiko searches for seven missing artefacts said to grant untold fortunes, aided by her goofy teenage assistant Tadao Yokoshima and her ghost secretary Okinu. Expect offbeat stages — including a section where a shrunken Mikami rides a housecat — and even a broomstick-based shoot-’em-up segment.
A few caveats for the curious: the patch is a free fan-made modification applied to the original SNES ROM, and it’s not yet confirmed whether it runs on original hardware or only in emulators — check the patch documentation before planning a flash cart or Everdrive session. There’s also no official localization on the horizon; this is a fan project, not anything sanctioned by the rights holders.
Still, for a game whose story was always half-legible through the action alone, the translation is less a necessity than an invitation — another obscure slice of anime licensing history pulled back into circulation. If you grew up on the show, or just have a soft spot for SNES-era adaptations that never made the trip west, this is the easiest entry point the game has ever had.
Sources: Time Extension, The Daily Game News, Pants Pants Revolution