Minigames
A majority of the content on this page has been covered in previous sections of the FFVII Version Guide. For the sake easy accessibility, all that info and a little more has been gathered here.
– G Bike
– Fort Condor
– Chocobo Racing
– Shooting Coaster (Speed Square)
– Snowboarding
– Submarine Game
G Bike
PlayStation:
Two enemy bikes exist in the following colors: Yellow and red.
PC:
Three enemy bikes exist in the following colors: Yellow, red and blue.
At random times a glitch will make the minigame may play at a much higher speed than it is supposed.
Fort Condor
PlayStation: When preparing for battle, it is possible to trigger a small glitch by entering the “Start the game?” menu whilst moving the finger cursor across the map. When the finger moves from a selectable position to a non-selectable one, or vice versa, the game will display strings of Japanese from the minigame data files.
Normal versus Glitched
The change is the same between Japanese and English versions. What we see is a string from the minigame’s texture/symbol data.
Extracted from Fort Condor PC files
PC: Repeated attempts suggest that the cursor-glitch is no longer present.
PlayStation: Defeating the enemies before they reach the shed triggers a short version of the standard battle ‘Fanfare‘ theme.
PC: Defeating the enemies before they reach the shed triggers the ‘Jackpot!‘ victory theme, normally only used for when winning in a chocobo race.
Chocobo Racing
Between the PlayStation and PC ports, item prizes appear with different probabilites. These differences in probability and prize arrangement are yet to be catalogued.
YouTube user huhbum have made some observations in this area and speaks of these in his video “FF7 Mini-Podcast: Chocobo Racing Version Differences(C&B Class)“.
A glitch will sometimes make the Chocobo Racing play at varying degrees of super-speed. At times the speed is so much higher that the minigame is rendered unplayable.
Shooting Coaster (Speed Square)
JORG & PC: The zeppelin propeller, a fair good bit into the course, is a target that can grants over 25000 points. The maximum possible score from this target, both the theoretical and practically possible ones, are yet to be determined.
Only by hitting the propeller is it possible to get a five-digit score in the Speed Square. JORG is not equipped to handle this and shows random texture (sometimes even a random digit). The PC version handles this better and actually expands the counter window when the fifth digit appears.
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JORG versus PC
Aiming the laser in the PC version is much harder, due to one press of the directional button leading to a bigger increment that the laser moves when compared to the PlayStation game.
Snowboarding
Freezing Timer in PAL Version:
The PAL editions are exclusive to having the timer AND the speed number freeze just when Cloud snowboards off the edge. In all other versions the timer continues rolling and the speed quickly drops to zero. While these values do not freeze in the English PC port, it is yet to be tested if the function exists in any of the non-English PC versions.
The timer is actually adjusted to run according to actual seconds in PAL, although the gameplay is still 1.2 times slower than the NTSC counterparts. This is true whether you snowboard to the Great Glacier or in Gold Saucer.
Additions Post-JORG:
– The “???” record ghost can be unlocked. The model is that of a running Cactuar.
– When toggling between record ghosts in the list, without picking one, the ghost model will change in real-time. In JORG the model will only change when the selection is made.
– The option to switch surface texture between Snow and Checkered was added.
– If Tifa or Cid is in your current party, there is a 37.5% chance that they will ask to ride the snowboard. If you agree, they will be the snowboarders, which is something that could never happen in JORG. The story-driven snowboarding on the northern continent is only possible when Cloud is the leader. If Tifa and Cid is in your party, Cid can never ask to be the one to play because the game always checks Tifa first.
JORG versus JINT: Menus and Symbols
– The first Japanese release is the only full FFVII release to have Japanese menus. FFVII International has English menus, just like the English localizations. It is possible that the Japanese mobile phone version of FFVII Snowboarding has/had Japanese menus.
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– The Japanese Original held an error for when completing Course B with 100 points. Instead of the standard “Cool” ranking, the game picks the symbol for the top ranking in Time Attack. This was corrected for FFVII International.
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– For FFVII International, a new symbol was added for when getting 100 points on Course C. Its meaning is along the lines of “unattained even by freaks”, while the other standard rank in the original means something more like “unattained by people before you”. In other words this achievement gains a greater emhpasize in FFVII International.
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PlayStation versus PC:
Unlocking Time Attack, the extra Speed Balloons and the ??? ghost was made a lot easier in the PC port. The exact requirements for unlocking these features are yet to be catalogued.
Time Attack Rankings:
| Japanese Version | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Course A | Course B | Course C |
| FAIL | 01’30″000 – Any Higher | 02’00″000 – Any Higher | 02’10″000 – Any Higher |
| POOR | 01’15″000 – 01’29″999 | 01’40″000 – 01’59″999 | 01’50″000 – 02’09″999 |
| AVERAGE | 01’05″000 – 01’14″999 | 01’20″000 – 01’39″999 | 01’35″000 – 01’49″999 |
| GOOD | 01’00″000 – 01’04″999 | 01’15″000 – 01’19″999 | 01’25″000 – 01’34″999 |
| VERY GOOD | 00’55″000 – 00’59″999 | 01’12″000 – 01’14″999 | 01’21″000 – 01’24″999 |
| EXCELLENT | 00’54″000 – 00’54″999 | 01’10″000 – 01’11″999 | 01’17″000 – 01’20″999 |
| SUPER | 00’53″000 – 00’53″999 | 01’08″000 – 01’09″999 | 01’15″000 – 01’16″999 |
| GODLY* | 00’52″000 – 00’52″999 | 01’06″000 – 01’07″999 | 01’13″000 – 01’14″999 |
| FREAK | Even Less – 00’51″999 | Even Less – 01’05″999 | Even Less – 01’12″999 |
There are a total of 9 rankings in the Japanese PlayStation releases but only 8 in the non-Japanese versions. “GODLY” is marked here as the ranking that has no equivalent on those editions. The Time Attack rankings for the Japanese PC version are yet to be tested.
| North American Version | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Course A | Course B | Course C |
| FAIL | 01’30″000 – Any Higher | 02’00″000 – Any Higher | 02’10″000 – Any Higher |
| POOR | 01’16″000 – 01’29″999 | 01’40″000 – 01’59″999 | 01’50″000 – 02’09″999 |
| AVERAGE | 01’05″000 – 01’15″999 | 01’20″000 – 01’39″999 | 01’35″000 – 01’49″999 |
| GOOD | 01’00″000 – 01’04″999 | 01’16″000 – 01’19″999 | 01’25″000 – 01’34″999 |
| VERY GOOD | 00’56″000 – 00’59″999 | 01’13″000 – 01’15″999 | 01’20″000 – 01’24″999 |
| EXCELLENT | 00’54″000 – 00’55″999 | 01’10″000 – 01’12″999 | 01’15″000 – 01’19″999 |
| SUPER | 00’52″000 – 00’53″999 | 01’06″000 – 01’09″999 | 01’10″000 – 01’14″999 |
| FREAK | Even Less – 00’51″999 | Even Less – 01’05″999 | Even Less – 01’09″999 |
| English European Version | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Course A | Course B | Course C |
| FAIL | 01’45″000 – Any Higher | 02’15″000 – Any Higher | 02’30″000 – Any Higher |
| POOR | 01’30″000 – 01’44″999 | 02’00″000 – 02’14″999 | 02’10″000 – 02’29″999 |
| AVERAGE | 01’18″000 – 01’29″999 | 01’45″000 – 01’59″999 | 01’54″000 – 02’09″999 |
| GOOD | 01’12″000 – 01’17″999 | 01’31″000 – 01’44″999 | 01’42″000 – 01’53″999 |
| VERY GOOD | 01’07″000 – 01’11″999 | 01’29″000 – 01’30″999 | 01’36″000 – 01’41″999 |
| EXCELLENT | 01’05″000 – 01’06″999 | 01’27″000 – 01’28″999 | 01’30″000 – 01’35″999 |
| SUPER | 01’02″000 – 01’04″999 | 01’19″000 – 01’26″999 | 01’24″000 – 01’29″999 |
| FREAK | Even Less – 01’01″999 | Even Less – 01’18″999 | Even Less – 01’23″999 |
The Snowboarding timer in PAL runs like real-life seconds, but the gameplay is still 1.2 times slower. The rankings have been adjusted accordingly, so that higher ranks can still be achieved. Getting the FREAK ranking is probably the most difficult in the PAL version however. Doing the math, 51,999 (required time for FREAK in Course A) times 1.2 (extra time needed in PAL version) equals 62,3988. This means that the PAL player has to perform roughly 0,4 seconds better than the player of the English NTSC version. Anyone who has tried to achieve the FREAK rank on Course A will know that this difference is clearly felt as an increase in difficulty.
| English PC Version | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Course A | Course B | Course C |
| FAIL | 01’30″000 – Any Higher | 02’00″000 – Any Higher | 02’10″000 – Any Higher |
| POOR | 01’15″000 – 01’29″999 | 01’40″000 – 01’59″999 | 01’50″000 – 02’09″999 |
| AVERAGE | 01’05″000 – 01’14″999 | 01’20″000 – 01’39″999 | 01’35″000 – 01’49″999 |
| GOOD | 01’00″000 – 01’04″999 | 01’15″000 – 01’19″999 | 01’25″000 – 01’34″999 |
| VERY GOOD | 00’55″000 – 00’59″999 | 01’12″000 – 01’14″999 | 01’21″000 – 01’24″999 |
| EXCELLENT | 00’54″000 – 00’54″999 | 01’10″000 – 01’11″999 | 01’17″000 – 01’20″999 |
| SUPER | 00’53″000 – 00’53″999 | 01’08″000 – 01’09″999 | 01’15″000 – 01’16″999 |
| FREAK | Even Less – 00’52″999 | Even Less – 01’07″999 | Even Less – 01’14″999 |
Attaining the FREAK ranks in the PC version is considerably easier when compared to the English NTSC version. One extra seconds for Course A, two extra seconds for Course B and a whopping five extra seconds allowed for Course C.
Submarine Game
This minigame is best analyzed by first looking at the differences between JORG and the PlayStation post-JORG releases, followed by a separate look at the PC version(s).
The short story is that the minigame was adjusted to be easier compared to the initial release, but here is a list of the adjustments that were made.
– Level 1 and Level 3 in JORG require you to control the sonar yourself by pressing the OK button. Only by doing this will enemy subs and mines become visible. Mines can still be collided with even when sonar is not being used.
– Mines cause half as much damage post-JORG. Instead of four mine collisions being enough to deplete a full health bar, now eight mine collisions are required.
– JORG has a rotational up-down axis of 180 degrees, meaning that the sub can go completely straight up or straight down. Post-JORG the rotational up-down axis is 90 degrees, allowing for a maximum angle of 45 degrees up or down.
– In JORG the timer for the minigame keeps counting down even after victory/loss. This was fixed for later PlayStation releases.
– Player submarine speed was increased by a factor of (roughly) 1,35.
– Player submarine turning speed was (roughly) increased by a factor of 4,25.
– The starting position of the player sub is usually (possibly always) slightly higher post-JORG.
– In JORG alone, hitting the ceiling of the stage is registered as a ‘CONFLICT’ and the player sub will be stuck there unless the player changes the angle of the submarine. Post-JORG, including the PC version, this is not registered as a ‘CONFLICT’ and the player sub will automatically adjust itself to a zero degree angle when the player accelerates.
– Colliding with the ocean floor is registered as a ‘CONFLICT’ in all versions, but only Post-JORG is the player submarine’s direction adjusted to be at zero degrees when the player accelerates.
The ported minigame is a mix between JORG, Post-JORG and its own exclusive traits.
JORG elements:
– Player submarine turns at what appears to be the JORG speed.
– The timer keeps on counting down even after victory or loss.
– The player sub can turn 90 degrees up and 90 degrees down, allowing for 180 degrees rotation on that axis.
– Target number for obligatory mission, the Undersea Mako Reactor (Gold Saucer) level & Level 1 match up with JORG.
Post-JORG elements:
– Player submarine speed roughly 1,35 times faster than JORG.
– The player is NEVER allowed control over the sonar.
– Acceleration alone is enough to get away from being stuck at the ceiling or the ocean floor.
– Damage from Mines.
PC-exclusive traits:
– The grid lines for the environment are no longer visible, making the horizon invisible and generating a greater feeling of isolation.
– On every level of this minigame the initial player perspective is uncomfortably close to the sub. The player can amend this by pressing the [TARGET] button; three presses leads you to the perspective familiar from the PS versions.
– Starting coordinates for Level 2 and Level 3 has the player start out in the far southwest corner of the area. All other versions set the player at (or near) the centre of the map, closer to the enemy subs.
– Player missiles move extremely fast but are much worse at homing in on their targets than in the PlayStation versions.
– Enemy missiles have VERY short range and pose almost no threat of homing down the player sub.
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Each FFVII version has a total of six missions. The first is the obligatory, story-driven mission. After this one can play the Submarine minigame in the Gold Saucer, where they are named as follows:
| – Undersea Mako Reactor Battle – Level 1 – Level 2 – Level 3 – Level 4 |
Despite the name of the first mission on the list, it is not identical to the obligatory submarine battle. The differences between the two boil down to this:
– The obligatory mission ends when the Leader Sub is defeated, the equivalent Gold Saucer mission ends only when all subs are defeated.
– The obligatory mission has no red subs, but the ‘Undersea Mako Reactor Battle’ color swaps two or three yellow subs (depending on version) to be red.
There are three types of enemy subs: Yellow, Red & Leader. The leader sub is red but has a different design from the smaller, red subs. The number of torpedo hits required to destroy each subs varies from level to level and is not always uniform for one and the same submarine type.
| JORG | Post-JORG (PS) | PC | |
| Target Number | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Types & Required Hits | Leader – 24 Hits Yellow 7x – 8 hits |
Leader – 12 Hits Yellow 6x – 4 hits |
Leader – 12 hits Yellow 6x – 4 hits Yellow 1x – 1 hit |
In the PC version one of the yellow submarines that require 4 hits is frozen in place, in what appears to be the centre of the underwater area. It can still fire missiles but it never moves out of place.
| JORG | Post-JORG (PS) | PC | |
| Target Number | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Types & Required Hits | Leader – 24 Hits Red 2x – 8 hits Red 1x – 1 hit Yellow 4x – 8 hits |
Leader – 12 Hits Red 2x – 4 hits Yellow 4x – 4 hits |
Leader – 12 hits Red 2x – 4 hits Red 1x – 1 hit Yellow 4x – 4 hits |
In the PC version one of the yellow submarines that require 4 hits is frozen in place, in what appears to be the centre of the underwater area. It can still fire missiles but it never moves out of place.
| JORG | Post-JORG (PS) | PC | |
| Target Number | |||
| Types & Required Hits | Leader – 24 hits Red 1x – 12 hits Red 1x – 8 hits Yellow 2x – 12 hits Yellow 5x – 8 hits |
Leader – 12 hits Red 2x – 4 hits Yellow 7x – 4 hits |
Leader – 12 hits Red 1x – 6 hits Red 1x – 4 hits Yellow 2x – 6 hits Yellow 5x – 4 hits |
The one red sub that requires 6 hits in the PC version remains completely still throughout the game session. This is clearly a repeating theme in the PC version.
| JORG | Post-JORG, PS & PC | ||
| Target Number | |||
| Types & Required Hits | Leader – 3 hits Red 5x – 3 hits Yellow 2x – 3 hits |
Red 5x – 2 hits Yellow 2x – 2 hits |
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The player submarine’s starting position is close to the centre in the PlayStation versions, in contrast to the PC port where the initial position as the far southwest corner of the stage.
In all versions of Final Fantasy VII, each Submarine Level plays at slightly different speeds compared to one another. In Level 2 this is perhaps the most apparent, with the gameplay being at a considerably higher pace than in the other stages. This doesn’t create a disadvantage because both player- and enemy submarines are moving faster, not just one or the other.
| PlayStation | PC | |
| Target Number | ||
| Types & Required Hits | Leader – 17 hits Red 1x – 13 hits Red 1x – 9 hits Yellow 1x – 13 hits Yellow 1x – 11 hits Yellow 1x – 10 hits Yellow 3x – 9 hits Yellow 3x – 8 hits |
Leader – 9 hits Red 1x – 7 hits Red 1x – 5 hits Yellow 1x – 7 hits Yellow 1x – 6 hits Yellow 4x – 5 hits Yellow 3x – 4 hits |
The player submarine’s starting position is close to the centre in the PlayStation versions, in contrast to the PC port where the initial position as the far southwest corner of the stage.
| PlayStation | PC | |
| Target Number | ||
| Types & Required Hits | Leader – 20 hits Red 2x – 14 hits Yellow 3x – 10 hits Yellow 4x – 9 hits |
Leader – 10 hits Red 2x – 7 hits Yellow 7x – 5 hits |
Yellow subs circle the central pillar of this stage. In the PlayStation version, the yellow subs circling at the bottom require 9 torpedo hits to be destroyed while the yellow subs circling near the top of the pillar require 10 hits. In the PC version this distinction is no longer present.
It is clear that the PC versions holds a significant amount of JORG traits. Some aspects can even be speculated to be part of a Pre-JORG build, such as the stationary enemy subs or the odd starting position in Level 2 and Level 3.
