Ningyou Tsukai English Patch Reaches v1.0 as Metal & Lace Fan Translation Expands FM Towns Localization

A long-running fan translation effort for the FM Towns eroge fighting game Ningyou Tsukai has reached a milestone. Independent translator and preservationist Derek Pascarella announced the release of version 1.0 of his English patch, which expands localization to the game s title screen logo and prologue graphic and brings core in-game text into English. The patch now provides translated menu text, the introduction, fighter data sheets, dialogue and end credits. Ningyou Tsukai, developed by Forest, first appeared on Japanese PC platforms in the early 1990s. The game was released on PC-98 in 1992 and on the FM Towns in 1993. In the West the game was licensed and published by Megatech Software under the name Metal & Lace: The Battle of the Robo Babes in 1993. That Western release generated controversy due to partial nudity and adult themes; Megatech produced both a censored under-13 edition and an over-18 mail-order edition for the US market. Megatech followed a similar dual-release approach with Dragon Knight III, which it localized as Knights of Xentar in 1995. From a gameplay and narrative perspective, the title casts the player as Rika, a creator of female combat robots called Silhouettes. The story premise has Rika enter her creation Mimi into a prize fighting tournament, which sets up one-on-one matches and character-driven dialogue sequences that are now more accessible to English-speaking players thanks to the patch. Pascarella first published an initial English patch several years ago and has steadily refined it. In his announcement he explained that the 1.0 release completes translation of previously untranslated visual elements and expands the readable content so that menus, character bios and narrative text are now presented in English. The patch is a fan-produced localization intended for preservation and play of the original FM Towns and PC-98 experience; it is distinct from any commercial re-releases or modern platform ports. This update will be of interest to preservationists, retro fighting game fans and scholars of Japanese PC gaming history. While the original releases predate modern digital storefronts, the story of Ningyou Tsukai and its Western identity as Metal & Lace remains a noted example of early 1990s niche localization and the handling of adult content in retro PC game publishing.