Intro
The WonderSwan was Bandai’s handheld, designed by Gunpei Yokoi’s company Koto Laboratory. It came out in Japan in March 1999, followed by the WonderSwan Color and the SwanCrystal. It was never officially sold outside Japan, so almost every game is in Japanese. The good news: many games are perfectly playable without reading a word of it. This page lists the ones that are, from arcade ports and puzzle games to a few RPGs with English menus.
Importing a WonderSwan
Every WonderSwan game was made for the Japanese market, so there’s no region lock to worry about: any cartridge works on any WonderSwan. A few things to know before buying:
- Which model? The original WonderSwan only plays black-and-white games. The WonderSwan Color and SwanCrystal play both, and the SwanCrystal has the best screen of the three. Games marked “Color” in the table won’t run on the original model.
- The screen: no model has a backlight, so you need good light to play. Many collectors install an aftermarket backlit or IPS screen kit.
- Power: the consoles run on a single AA battery, and the battery life is excellent.
- Where to buy: prices are usually much lower in Japan. Yahoo! Auctions Japan, Mercari Japan and Suruga-ya are the main sources. Use a proxy service such as FromJapan or Buyee to buy and ship from them. eBay is easier but usually more expensive.
How to use this list
“English-friendly” doesn’t mean translated. It means you can enjoy the game with little or no Japanese. In most cases you only need to try a few options in the menus to get to the game. Some games are harder and need a basic understanding of how they work first, which is noted in the last column. Watch the gameplay video for each game to decide whether it suits you.
This is a list of games for the Wonderswan and Wonderswan Color that are playable without extensive knowledge of Japanese. In most cases, you just need to play around in the menu to get to the game. In some games, you would need a good understanding of how the game work to be able to enjoy them. Please look at the video to see if the game fell right to you.
The list has been compiled using different sources and my own experience. The sources are listed below the table.
| Box Art | Title | Japanese Title | Genre | Color or B&W | Gameplay Video | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armored Unit | アーマードユニット | Strategy game | B&W | Video | A lot of menu trial and error |
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Beat Mania | ビートマニア | Music | B&W | Video | |
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Blue Wing Blitz | ブルーウイングブリッツ | Tactical RPG | Color | Video | HARD to play: read a walkthrough for the general premise, the controls and the objectives |
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Buffers Evolution | バッファーズエボリューション | Platform | B&W | Video | |
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Crazy Climber | クレイジー・クライマー | Arcade | B&W | Video | Conversion of Taito’s classic arcade game. Similar to Donkey Kong. |
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D’s Garage 21: Koubo Game – Tane wo Maku Tori | D’s Garage 21 公募ゲーム 種をまく鳥 | Puzzle | B&W | Video | |
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Densha de Go! 2 | 電車でGO!2 | Simulation | B&W | Video | Only if you know the general premise. Trial and error in menus. |
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Dicing Knight Period | ダイシングナイト。ピリオド | Action RPG | Color | Video | Developed with WonderWitch, Bandai’s official homebrew development kit. A random dungeon crawler. |
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Digimon Digital Monsters: Anode/Cathode Tamer Veedramon Version | デジモンアドベンチャー アノードテイマー／カソードテイマー ブイドラモンバージョン | Tactical RPG | Color | Video | |
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Digimon Digital Monsters ver. WonderSwan | デジタルモンスター Ver.ワンダースワン | Card Battle | B&W | Video | |
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Digimon Frontier: Battle Spirit | デジモンフロンティア バトルスピリット | Action / Platform | Color | Video | |
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Digimon Tamers: Battle Spirit Ver. 1.5 | デジモンテイマーズ バトルスピリット Ver.1.5 | Action / Platform | Color | Video | Expansion of the previous game. |
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Engacho! | えんがちょ! | Puzzle | B&W | Video | |
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Fever Sankyo Koushiki Pachinko Simulation | FEVER 三共公式パチンコシミュレーション | Pachinko | B&W | Video | |
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Final Lap 2000 | ファイナルラップ2000 | Driving | B&W | Video | Formula One racing. |
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Final Lap Special | ファイナルラップスペシャル | Driving | Color | Video | Upgrade of the previous game. |
|
Fire Pro Wrestling | ファイヤープロレスリング | Wrestling | B&W | Video | |
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Front Mission | フロントミッション | Tactical RPG | Color | Video | Quite playable, as the commands are in English. |
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Ganso Jajamaru-kun | 元祖じゃじゃ丸くん | Action / Platform | B&W | Video | Sequel to Ninja JaJaMaru-kun on the Famicom. |
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Glocal Hexcite | グローカルヘキサイト | Puzzle | B&W | Video | |
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Golden Axe | ゴールデンアックス | Action | Color | Video | Straightforward conversion of Sega’s classic arcade hit. |
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Gomoku Narabe & Reversi | 五目ならべ&リバーシ | Board Game | B&W | Video | Reversi game. Some menu trial and error. |
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Guilty Gear Petit | ギルティギア プチ | Fighting | Color | Video | Portable version of the popular 2D fighter. |
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Guilty Gear Petit 2 | ギルティギア プチ2 | Fighting | Color | Video | |
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GunPey | グンペイ | Puzzle | B&W | Video | Named after WonderSwan creator Gunpei Yokoi, who also invented the Game & Watch, the d-pad, the Game Boy and the Virtual Boy. |
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GunPey EX | グンペイEX | Puzzle | Color | Video | Updated version of the original. |
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Judgement Silversword – Rebirth Edition | ジャッジメントシルバーソード | Vertical Shooter | Color | Video | |
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Kaze no Klonoa: Moonlight Museum | 風のクロノア ムーンライトミュージアム | Platform / Adventure | B&W | Video | |
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Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed | 機動戦士ガンダムSEED | Fighting | Color | Video | |
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Kinnikuman Second Generations: Dream Tag Match | キン肉マンII世 ドリームタッグマッチ | Wrestling | Color | Video | |
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Kurupara! | くるパラ! | Puzzle | Color | Video | |
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Lode Runner | ロードランナー | Action / Puzzle | B&W | Video | |
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Magical Drop | マジカルドロップ | Puzzle | B&W | Video | |
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Makaimura | 魔界村 | Action / Platform | B&W | Video | This is Ghosts ’n Goblins. |
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Mingle Magnet | ミングルマグネット | Puzzle | B&W | Video | |
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Moero!! Pro Yakyuu Rookies | 燃えろ!!プロ野球ルーキーズ | Baseball | B&W | Video | |
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Mr. Driller | ミスタードリラー | Puzzle | Color | Video | Widely released in the U.S. and Europe on many platforms. |
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Nice On | ナイスオン | Golf | B&W | Video | |
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One Piece Grand Battle: Swan Colosseum | ワンピース グランドバトル スワンコロシアム | Fighting | Color | Video | |
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Ou-chan no Oekaki Logic | おーちゃんのお絵かきロジック | Picross | B&W | Video | |
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Pocket Fighter | ポケットファイター | Fighting | B&W | Video | |
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Puyo Puyo Tsu | ぷよぷよ通 | Puzzle | B&W | Video | |
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Puzzle Bobble | パズルボブル | Puzzle | B&W | Video | |
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ラクジャン | Puzzle | Color | Video | Trial and error in menus and in some in-game choices. | |
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Rainbow Islands: Putty’s Party | レインボーアイランド パティーズパーティー | Platform | B&W | Video | |
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Rhyme Rider Kerorikan | ライムライダー ケロリカン | Music | Color | Video | |
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Rockman & Forte: Mirai Kara no Chousen Sha | ロックマン&フォルテ 未来からの挑戦者 | Action / Platform | B&W | Video | Part of the Mega Man series. |
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Rockman EXE WS | ロックマンエグゼ WS | Action / Platform | Color | Video | A Mega Man Battle Network game, but a platformer like Mega Man Network Transmission rather than an RPG. |
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RUN=DIM: Return to Earth | ランディム リターン・トゥ・アース | Side-scrolling Shooter | Color | Video | |
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SD Gundam: Operation U.C. | SDガンダム オペレーションU.C. | Side-scrolling Shooter | Color | Video | |
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Sennou Millennium | 洗脳ミレニアム | Puzzle | B&W | Video | |
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Shanghai Pocket | 上海ポケット | Puzzle | B&W | Video | |
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Shin Nihon Pro Wrestling Toukon Retsuden | 新日本プロレスリング 闘魂烈伝 | Wrestling | B&W | Video | |
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Side Pocket | サイドポケット | Billiards | B&W | Video | |
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Soccer Yarou! Challenge the World | サッカーやろう! チャレンジ・ザ・ワールド | Soccer | B&W | Video | |
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Space Invaders | スペースインベーダー | Shooter | B&W | Video | |
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Tare Panda no GunPey | たれぱんだのグンペイ | Puzzle | B&W | Video | Menu trial and error. |
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Tekken Card Challenge | 鉄拳カードチャレンジ | Card / Fighting | B&W | Video | Requires a good understanding of the overall game to be playable. |
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Tetris | テトリス | Puzzle | Color | Video | |
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Turntablist: DJ Battle | ターンテーブリスト DJバトル | Music | B&W | Video | |
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Uchuu Senkan Yamato | 宇宙戦艦ヤマト | Side-scrolling Shooter | Color | Video | The shooter is a sub-game, selected from the main screen (third option down). |
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Ultraman: Hikari no Kuni no Shisha | ウルトラマン 光の国の使者 | Fighting | Color | Video | |
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Umizuri ni Ikou! | 海釣りに行こう! | Fishing | B&W | Video | |
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Wasabi Produce: Street Dancer | ワサビプロデュース ストリートダンサー | Music | B&W | Video | |
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Wizardry | ウィザードリィ | RPG | Color | Video | The settings include an option to switch the language to English. |
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Wonder Classic | ワンダークラシック | Golf | Color | Video | |
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Wonder Stadium ’99 | ワンダースタジアム’99 | Baseball | B&W | Video | |
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XI [Sai] Little | XI［サイ］リトル | Puzzle | Color | Video | Also known as “Devil Dice.” One of the few Net Yaroze homebrews to get a commercial PlayStation release; later ported to WonderSwan. |
- https://www.reddit.com/r/RetroGamingNetwork/wiki/wonderswan
- http://atariage.com/forums/topic/192439-my-list-of-playablefor-non-japanese-speakerswonderswan-games/
- http://racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7184