Stray Rondo: How a Japan-Only Alchemy Card RPG Finally Got English Text
Bandai put out Fullmetal Alchemist: Stray Rondo for the Game Boy Advance in March 2004, a card-based RPG that follows the plot of the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime. For years it stayed in Japanese, one of several licensed handheld games that the series produced and the West never saw.
That changed in early 2017. Two fan translators, x_comp and mz, completed an English patch for the whole adventure, and Nintendo Life reported on it on 8 February 2017. The patch was released on the translation scene the same month, with a version 0.02 update dated 14 February 2017 that fixed a text loop after speaking to Gracia Hughes and a crash after collecting Vilijium.
At a glance
- Based on: Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Meisou no Rondo (GBA, Japan, 2004)
- Original publisher: Bandai
- Translated by: x_comp and mz (patch released by mz)
- Translation released: February 2017
- Genre: Turn-based card RPG
- What sets it apart: the series' alchemy is turned into a deck of cards that you combine and upgrade
What you actually do
- Follow Edward and Alphonse Elric as they chase the Philosopher's Stone through the early chapters of the story.
- Fight in turn-based battles driven by alchemy cards, and merge them into stronger moves.
- Collect and record around 200 alchemical moves spread across the Metal, Nature, Stone and Darkness types.
- Take on the optional Cat Hunt, which strengthens Al's special attacks.
A note on the translation
The fan patch was built for one specific Japanese release of the game and covers the entire script, so this is a complete English reading of the original, not a partial or menu-only job. If you grew up with the anime, it is an unusually faithful way to replay the early arc on a handheld.