Final Fantasy VII: The Unused Text – Part 5
The Final Fantasy VII Unused Text Series Index!
Urban Dev. & Scientific Research Libraries (BLIN62_2)
To say the least, this section was complicated to catalogue. First of all, between the Japanese and English game, the book titles were moved around in the script identification data. From research I know that all the unlockable book entries are available without modding, hence we only need to deal with the locked ones. So it should just be a matter of lining up the inept English and Japanese book entries with one another, right? Wrong. Some books which are used in one version will be unused in the other version and vice versa. Some are unused in both the English and Japanese game, though. For this reason, I’ve divided the text entries into these three categories:
– Books that are locked in both the Japanese and English game.
– Books that are locked in the Japanese game, but used in the English game.
– Books that are locked in the English game, but used in the Japanese game. (Separate tables were written for the used Japanese entries and a retranslation of that book title.)
There are two library fields, BLIN62_2 and BLIN62_3. Unless otherwise mentioned, a book title exists in used form in one field or the other.
BOOKS THAT ARE LOCKED IN BOTH THE JAPANESE AND ENGLISH GAME
| 1Results of failed space mission | ５ 大型飛行機械「ヨナイ７９式」 | 5 – Colossal Air Machine “Yonai 79”: |
| “YA-79″ | 宇宙進出計画の失敗 | The Failure of the Plans for Space Advancement |
“Yonai” is a Japanese surname. One famous figure of this name was Mitsumasa Yonai, who served in the navy and was Japan’s Prime Minister. You will also notice here that the book’s number is different between the English and the Japanese game, which shows the freedom taken during localization to make the book entries work within Domino’s minigame.
| 6Shinra rocket space travel | ６ 神羅ロケットエンジンと | 6 – Shinra’s Rocket Engine & |
| 大陸間航行機 | Transcontinental Navigation Craft |
| 7Economic report: Space Dev Program | １ 最終予算報告書 | 1 – Final Budget Report: |
| 神羅宇宙開発部門 | Shinra Space Development Division |
| 10Materia production and its military uses | １ マテリアの製造および | 1 – The Manufacture of Materia & |
| その軍事的利用に関する権利 | Our Rights to Military Use |
| 3Special peace keeping law | ２ 特別治安維持法 | 2 – Special Maintenance of Public Order Act: |
| ハイデッカー私案 | Heidegger’s Outline |
| 1Breakdown of SOLDIER members by class | ３ クラス別ソルジャー配備データ | 3 – Data on the Deployment of Different SOLDIER Classes |
| 3Plan for new land weapons | ４ 新式地上兵器開発プラン | 4 – Plans for the Development of a New Land-Based Soldier |
| 19Modern history of the | ４ 宇宙開発部門 | 4 – The Space Development Division: |
| Midgar Space Dev Program Vol. 2 | 栄光の歴史 下巻 | A Glorious History (Vol. 2) |
| 4Midgar crime white paper | ６ ミッドガル治安白書 | 6 – Report on Public Order in Midgar: |
| 反神羅勢力の現状 | The Status of Anti-Shinra Influence |
“White Paper” is actually a real term for “an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem … and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields”.
Unlike with the other locked book titles, this one is never used, neither here nor in the other library field.
BOOKS THAT ARE LOCKED IN THE JAPANESE GAME, BUT USED IN THE ENGLISH GAME
| ２ 神羅プレート都市の | 2 – The Layout & Problem Areas |
| 設計とその問題点 | of Shinra’s Plate City |
Book’s name in English game: “2 Problems with Plate construction in Midgar”.
| ４ 生物の爆発的進化と | 4 – Mako Energy & the Explosive |
| 魔晄エネルギー | Evolution of Organisms |
Book’s name in English game: “2 Mako energy and the rise in life forms”.
| ６ 地上生物の最終進化論 | 6 – A Discourse on the Final Evolution of Land-Based Organisms |
Book’s name in English game: “8 Final evolutionary stages in land dwelling life”.
| ２ 宇宙開発部門 | 2 – The Space Development Division: |
| 栄光の歴史 上巻 | A Glorious History (Vol. 1) |
Book’s name in English game: “16 Modern history of Midgar space program vol. 1”.
| ４ 宇宙開発部門 | 4 – The Space Development Division: |
| 栄光の歴史 下巻 | A Glorious History (Vol. 2) |
Book’s name in English game: “19 Modern history of the Midgar Space Dev Program Vol. 2”.
It also exists in the other library as a used book in both the English and Japanese game.
BOOKS THAT ARE LOCKED IN THE ENGLISH GAME, BUT USED IN THE JAPANESE GAME
| 24Ranks and extended use |
| of Mako weaponry |
| １ 魔晄兵器の長期使用に | 1 – Special Regulations on the Long-Term |
| 関する特別規定 | Use of Mako Weapons |
This title has a copy in both games, which is used, but the number preceding the English book title is 4, while in the Japanese it is a 6.
| 10New plans for Urban Planning |
| １ 新都市建設計画書 | 1 – Planning Documents on New City Construction |
English book has a used copy with the number 8. Japanese copy uses the number 3.
| 10Biological characteristics |
| of the Ancients |
| ８ 伝承における古代種の | 8 – Biological Characteristics |
| 生物学的特性 | of the Legendary Ancients |
English book has a used copy with the number 1. No Japanese copy exists.
| 1Heidegger’s Shinra peace keeping law |
| １ 神羅特別治安維持法 | 1 – Shinra’s Special Maintenance of Public Order Act: |
| ハイデッカー私案 | Heidegger’s Outline |
Peace Preservation/Weapon Dev. & Space Dev. Research Libraries (BLIN62_3)
Location Name
| Shinra Bldg. 62f. | 神羅ビル・６２階 |
The unused location name won’t be noticed, because it’s the same name as in the previous field.
BOOKS THAT ARE LOCKED IN BOTH THE JAPANESE AND ENGLISH GAME
| 24 Ranks and extended use of Mako | １ 魔晄兵器の長期使用に | 1 – Special Regulations on the Long-Term |
| weaponry | 関する特別規定 | Use of Mako Weapons |
Used counterpart in this field, in the English game, has the number 4. The number is 6 in the Japanese version.
| 9 Midgar City Map: Sectors 5 – 8 | ５ ミッドガル区分地図 | 5 – Midgar Division Maps: |
| ５番街～８番街 | Sector 5 to Sector 8 |
| 3 An illustrated guide to city planning | ６ 図説 カトー式都市空間工法 | 6 – Diagrams of Kato-Style City Airspace Construction Methods |
“Kato” is a district as well a city in Japan.
| １ ジェノバプロジェクト | 1 – Progress Report on | |
| 1Jenova Project | 経過報告書 | The Jenova Project: |
| 神羅カンパニー科学部門 | Shinra Company Science Division |
| 6 Data on experimental animals | ２ ミッドガル周辺に生息する | 2 – Data on the Sudden Mutation of |
| living near Midgar | 突然変異生物実験データ | Organisms Living Around Midgar |
| 4 File on Dr. Gast, biologist | ３ ガストファイルα | 3 – Gast File α: |
| 生物博士ガスト・ファレミス | Gast Faremis, Professor of Biology |
| 4 File on Dr. Gast, biologist | ４ ガストファイルβ | 4 – Gast File β: |
| 生物博士ガスト・ファレミス | Gast Faremis, Professor of Biology |
These two book titles are sort of unused.
Although unused in this library field, in the Scientific Research Library (BLIN62_2, right library) these two book entries can be found, which are adaptations of the unused book titles of BLIN62_3.
| 3 File on Dr. Gast, Biologist | ３ ガストファイル | 3 – Gast File: |
| 生物博士ガスト・ファレミス | Gast Faremis, Professor of Biology |
The “alpha” has been removed.
| 14 The Ancients in History | ７ 歴史の中の古代種 | 7 – The Ancients Throughout History |
| 生物博士ガスト・ファレミス | Gast Faremis, Professor of Biology |
A bigger rewrite, so we can count the “beta” book as unused as well.
How unfair that Japanese gamers were treated to Gast’s surname at this early stage, while overseas fans had to wait for translations of the Ultimania Omega to learn of it.
| 6 Biological Characteristics of the Ancients | ６ 伝承における古代種の | 6 – Biological Characteristics |
| 生物学的特性 | of the Legendary Ancients |
BOOKS THAT ARE LOCKED IN THE JAPANESE GAME, BUT USED IN THE ENGLISH GAME
| １ 神羅特別治安維持法 | 1 – Shinra’s Special Maintenance of Public Order Act: |
| ハイデッカー私案 | Heidegger’s Outline |
Book’s name in English game: “14 Heidegger’s Shinra peace keeping law”.
| ２ 魔晄炉建造工事 | 2 – The Construction of Mako Reactors: |
| 都市部着工予定表 | Schedule for the Start of Municipal Construction |
Book’s name in English game: “5 Reactor construction chart”.
| ４ ミッドガル区分地図 | 4 – Midgar Division Maps: |
| ０番街～４番街 | Sector 0 to Sector 4 |
Book’s name in English game: “4 Midgar City Map: Sectors 0 – 4”.
| ３ 新都市建設計画書 | 3 – Planning Documents on New City Construction |
Book’s name in English game: “10 New plans for urban planning”.
BOOKS THAT ARE LOCKED IN THE ENGLISH GAME, BUT USED IN THE JAPANESE GAME
| 8Final evolutionary stages |
| in land dwelling life |
| ６ 地上生物の最終進化論 | 6 – A Discourse on the Final Evolution of Land-Based Organisms |
| 2Construction of Midgar city |
| plates and their problems |
| ２ 神羅プレート都市の | 2 – The Layout & Problem Areas |
| 設計とその閲題点 | of Shinra’s Plate City |
| 4Report of high Mako levels in life forms |
| ５ 生物体の高レベル魔晄による | 5 – Investigation on the Effect of High Mako |
| 影響に対する調査 | Levels in Organisms |
In summary, this field has only two unused book titles, which are the alpha and beta labelled volumes on Professor Gast. The other unused book title, found only in the other field, was the “Midgar Crime White Papers”.
63rd Floor, the Treasure Vault (BLIN63_1)
When you return to this field on disc 2 (PPV≥1008), you can find a weapon for Cid, the “Glow/Grow Lance”, in the third treasure room from the left. The other rooms have invisible rewards which can be modded back in.
Second room from the left…
| Received “All” Materia! | 『ぜんたいか』のマテリアを手にいれた！ |
| Received “All” Materia! | 『ぜんたいか』のマテリアを手にいれた！ |
In fact you receive 2x Megalixirs. This is one case where not only the English game lies, but the Japanese game as well! It really does say that you receive an “All” Materia in the original text. This receipt line might have been a placeholder for the planned, real, receipt line.
| Received “Hourglass”! | 『きんのすなどけい』を手にいれた！ | Received “Golden Hourglass”! |
| Received “Hourglass”! | 『きんのすなどけい』を手にいれた！ | Received “Golden Hourglass”! |
Yet again two items are received in succession. Except for in this unused case, Hourglass is never received on the field, but is a monster morph/drop item. This item will cause Stop on all targets. It is retranslated as “Golden Hourglass” here, but is always called Hourglass in the English game.
The Glow Lance has a check so that once you’ve picked it up, the item does not reappear next time you load the field. The other two item bags lack this check and so will keep re-spawning for every time you enter the 63rd floor.
Midgar Model (BLIN65_2)
| Received Key Item “Keycard 66”! | キーアイテム『カードキー６６』を手にいれた！ |
The keycard is received on BLIN65_1 by opening the chest that gets unlocked after you complete the Midgar model on BLIN65_2. From the looks of it you were to automatically receive the item after placing the last Midgar part. There is no hint of an unused chest here.
Jenova’s Container (BLIN67_3)
In the context of another of Cloud’s seizures after seeing Jenova, this text exists:
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “……A monster.” | 「……モンスターだ」 |
| {Tifa} | TIFA |
| “You all right?” | 「だいじょうぶ？」 |
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “Jenova…” | 「ジェノバ……」 |
It would not be out of place for Cloud to call Jenova “a monster”, but one wonders if this is part of some earlier scenario in which other menacing creatures were to be imprisoned here.
67th Floor (BLIN67_1)
Shinra Employee [Talk-to line]
| “That elevator back there is only | 「奥のサンプル運搬用エレベーターは | The use of that specimen transport elevator back |
| to transport Specimens. | 使用禁止だよ。６８階の研究室に | there is forbidden. It’s useful since it goes |
| You can’t use it. | 直結しているから便利なんだけどね」 | right to the 68th floor lab, though. |
| It would be a lot easier | ||
| if it led to the 68 Floor Research Lab.” |
Right before encountering Hojo on the floor above, PPV=278. After having rescued Aeris and once again gained control over Cloud, the PPV jumps to 284. This is important because the talk-to line above is only available when PPV=280, a value that the game completely skips. The intended condition must have been PPV≥280.
Hojo’s Floor, Elevator Field (BLIN68_2)
The text hints at a slightly different version of the scene in this field but nothing coherent is presented to us.
| Hojo | 宝条 |
| “Wh…what are you do– | 「な、なんということだ。 |
| Oh! My precious specimens…” | 大事なサンプルが……」 |
| Hojo | 宝条 | Hojo: |
| “Take care of the rest!” | 「あと始末しろ！」 | Deal with them later! |
| Hojo | 宝条 |
| “This is no ordinary specimen. | 「今度はこんなハンパな奴ではないぞ。 |
| This is a very ferocious specimen!” | もっと凶暴なサンプルだ！」 |
“Take care of the rest” is a more commanding line, as if Hojo intentionally summoned monsters to deal with AVALANCHE. In the final game, the poisonous monster “Sample: H0512” arrives via the specimen elevator and we get the impression that this was by accident rather than Hojo’s doing.
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “…The elevator is moving.” | 「……エレベーターが動いている」 |
Barret turns to Cloud.
| {Barret} | BARRET |
| “Oh shit… | 「やばいな…… |
| We’re surrounded.” | はさみうちだぜ」 |
This is likely part of the hinted scenario in which Hojo summons a group of monsters (or guards?) to dispose of AVALANCHE. Although the boss H0512 has three little helpers, there is never the impression that these surround our heroes in the finalized scene.
| “He’s rather strong. | 「あいつは少々手強い。 | He’s rather strong. |
| I’ll help you all out.” | 私の力を貸してやる」 | I’ll lend you my power. |
Tifa reacts to the red-furred animal talking, then you choose whether Tifa or Barret will take Aeris away from the scene.
| {Cloud} | CLOUD | Cloud: |
| “Come on!” | 「さあ、かかってこい！」 | Let’s go! |
Red XIII
| “You must be the leader? Come on!” | 「あんたがリーダーだな？ さあ！」 |
| {Barret} | BARRET |
| “I’ll take {Aeris}!” | 「オレはAERITHを！」 |
| {Tifa} | TIFA |
| “I’ll take {Aeris}!” | 「私はAERITHを！」 |
How these unused pieces fit or differ from the final scenario, in terms of dialogue and order of events, is naturally unclear because we have so little to work with.
The two “I’ll take {Aeris}!” lines give more the impression that Tifa or Barret were to decide on their own to take Aeris to safety. In the final game you get to choose, but perhaps in the original draft the one with the least or most love points was to take Aeris.
After the monster battle…
| {Aeris} | AERITH |
| “{Cloud}… | 「CLOUD…… |
| so you did come for me.” | やっぱり、来てくれたのね」 |
Red XIII jumps and startles Aeris.
| {Aeris} | AERITH | Aerith: |
| Eaaaaghhh! | 「きゃっ！」 | Eeek! |
No dialogue box appears in the final game to spell out her reaction.
| {Red XIII} | RED XIII |
| “I apologize for what happened back there. | 「さっきは失礼したな。 |
| I was merely acting to throw Hojo off guard……” | 宝条を油断させるために演技を |
| したつもりだったが……」 |
| {Aeris} | AERITH |
| “…….” | 「…………」 |
| {Tifa} | TIFA |
| “Let’s go!” | 「行きましょうってば！」 |
In the final game, Barret is the first to remind everyone that they need to leave.
Entering 69th Floor Early (BLIN69_1)
Used scenario.
If you enter the 69th floor before being captured by Shinra, the characters in your party will remind Cloud that “everyone is waiting at the 66th floor elevator”, just like they agreed when splitting up at the sample elevator.
The character who reminds Cloud of this is different depending on who is in your party. First in line is Barret, then Tifa, and then Aeris, meaning that Aeris will only speak if you also have Red XIII in your party.
Red XIII never speaks in this scenario, but a locked placeholder reveals that a text entry was prepared for him just in case.
| {Red XIII} | RED XIII |
| “” | 「」 |
Rendezvous at 66th Floor Elevator?
After picking your party in Hojo’s laboratory, the excluded characters will tell Cloud to meet them at the 66th floor elevator. This plan is yet again hammered down if you enter the 69th floor after this, as previously mentioned.
However, you never actually meet the others until after you are captured by Shinra, nor does it matter which floor you choose to enter the elevator from. Why then does the used game text make a big deal out of this meeting point, only to have Cloud never react to the others’ absence outside the elevator?
The list of locked entries below belongs to a huge duplicate group, in which the floors 66-68 are involved, and are not unlockable anywhere. With the pointless direction to meet the rest of your party at the 66th floor elevator in mind, plus the characters apparently waiting for an elevator in the locked text, I deduce that this text belongs to the unused rendezvous.
| {Barret} | BARRET | Barret: |
| “Damn, down.” | 「チッ、おりてやがる」 | Damn, get down. |
| {Tifa} | TIFA | Tifa: |
| “Hurry up!” | 「もう！ 早く来て！」 | Hurry up already! |
| {Red XIII} | RED XIII |
| “It’ll come soon.” | 「もうすぐ来る」 |
| {Barret} | BARRET |
| “Alright, let’s go!” | 「よし、行くぞ！」 |
| {Tifa} | TIFA |
| “Let’s go!” | 「さあ、行きましょう！」 |
| RED XIII | Red XIII: |
| 「行こうか」 | Let’s go, shall we? |
Given how crammed one elevator was with only Cloud, Barret and Tifa inside, we can imagine that the team was to use both elevators.
The final text entry above, by Red XIII, only exists in the Japanese original.
Prison Break (BLIN67_2)
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “Come on, {Tifa}, | 「ほら、TIFAはAERITHを。俺はBARRETたちを助ける」 |
| get {Aeris}. | |
| I’ll go help {Barret} | |
| and the others.” |
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “{Aeris}” | 「AERITH」 |
| {Aeris} | AERITH |
| “…What happened?” | 「……どうしたの？」 |
A scenario where Cloud wakes up Aeris, perhaps? Nothing substantial can be deduced here.
Jenova’s Container, Destroyed (BLIN673B)
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “…Did it get away? | 「……逃げたのか？ |
| Jenova…?” | ジェノバ……？」 |
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “Jenova too…” | 「ジェノバも……」 |
Cloud saying “Jenova too” could refer to Jenova getting out of her prison, like Cloud and the others just did. But on the other hand, it is never explained if the monsters suddenly roaming the building are spawns of Jenova or if these are Hojo’s creations. In the latter case, Cloud saying “Jenova too” is a reaction to the fact that not only the monsters/experiments had escaped their cages.
NOTE: Later, when Tifa says that she will wait behind for Cloud, there is actually an unused alternate line in the Japanese Original where Cloud’s name is hardcoded here, instead of depending on what the player named him. This is found in a number of field files within a duplicate group in JORG, but is not part of the used script.
70th Floor, Helicopter Platform (BLIN70_3)
When the game moves back to Cloud’s perspective, you can choose to access the menu and remove the other members’ Materia before battling Rufus. An unused message that does not contain the Materia-removal option exists. It might just be an early draft, or it was to appear after having removed the Materia from the other members.
| Access Menu with [MENU] | 【△ボタン】でメニューをひらく |
| Remove Materia from members with [SWITCH] | 【□ボタン】で他のメンバーのマテリアをはずす |
| End with [START]. | 【スタートボタン】で終了 |
| Access Menu with [MENU] | 【△ボタン】でメニューをひらく |
| End with [START] | 【スタートボタン】で終了 |
The Invisible Helicopter
The helicopter that brought Rufus to Shinra HQ is never seen in this field but it does exist. It has two positions: one that is strangely offset outside the platform, and its original, unused position which is on the platform.
Leaving the helicopter visible during the scenes on this field obscures the characters. Its position on the wrong side of the ledge must have been an effort to amend this problem. When this failed, the developers decided to make the helicopter invisible the whole time.
First Floor (BLIN_1)
| [the movie continues] | ムービーへ続くのだ！ | Continue on to the movie! |
Likely when this section was being test-played with the FMV not yet implemented, this text appeared as a “still under construction” message.
End of the Road (ROADEND)
Location Name
| Outside Plates | プレート外辺 | Plate Outskirts |
This location name is not used in any other field.
Kalm Has Good Food (MDS5_5)
When Cloud decides that it is time to leave, a scene is triggered. Some unused dialogue precedes the normal start of the scene.
| {Barret} | BARRET | Barret: |
| “To the Northeast, there’s a town | 「ここから北東に行くと | If you go northeast of here, |
| called Kalm.” | カームって町があるんだ」 | there’s a town called Kalm. |
| “The food at the Inn’s good. | 「宿屋のメシがうまくてなあ。 | The food at the inn’s really good. |
| Why don’t we head there first?” | とりあえずそこに行かねえか？」 | Why don’t we head there? |
| {Aeris} | AERITH | Aerith: |
| “You’re right. | 「そうね。 | Yeah. |
| I’ve heard about that town before. | 聞きたいこと、いろいろあるしね。 | There are a lot of things I want to ask. |
| {Cloud}?” | CLOUD？」 | Cloud? |
| {Barret} | BARRET | Barret: |
| “About Sephiroth, | 「セフィロスのこと、そして星の危機……」 | About Sephiroth, and the Planet’s crisis… |
| and about the crisis of the Planet…” |
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “You’re right. | 「そうだな。 |
| We need to know | セフィロスの行方の情報も |
| where Sephiroth went.” | 必要だからな」 |
| {Barret} | BARRET |
| “We need a group leader for our journey. | 「それにしたって野っ原を５人でゾロゾロ |
| ‘Course only me could be the leader.” | 歩くなんて危なくてしょうがねえ。 |
| おまえ、パーティーを２組に分けてみろ」 |
Barret says twice that “to the northeast there is a town called Kalm”, once in the unused text and once in the final scene.
| {Barret} | BARRET |
| “^#$^%… … awright. | 「チッ…………わかったよ。 |
| Go Northeast to a town | ここから【北東にカームって町】があるんだ。 |
| called Kalm. | 何かあったらそこを集合場所にしよう」 |
| If something happens, | |
| we’ll meet up there.” |
We see thusly that the unused part was intentionally scrapped.
| Access Menu with [MENU], | 【メニューボタン】でメニューをひらく | Access Menu with [MENU], |
| Change with [CANCEL], | 【キャンセルボタン】でパーティチェンジ | Change the party with [CANCEL], |
| End with [SELECT], | 【決定ボタン】で終了 | End with [SELECT] |
Normally a “character switch” menu is all that you get to choose from here, but the more flexible text window seen above, familiar from the Shinra HQ, exists in locked form. This is very unwise because without the PHS available you have no way of switching Accessories. In JORG there was no Materia “Exchange” option, so you had no way at all of dealing with the characters not in your party until the PHS was given.
Maybe it was just poor judgement or the person responsible assumed that Materia & Accessory swaps would be available through the temporary PHS menu.
Kalm (Unknown)
All the script in Kalm belongs to one huge duplicate group. One line is locked in all the fields.
| “They say Midgar’s in the middle of a war | 「ミッドガルじゃ、神羅とアバランチとか | Isn’t Midgar in the middle of a war |
| between the Shinra and | いうヤツらが戦争しているそうじゃないか」 | between Shinra and a group called |
| some terrorists called AVALANCHE.” | AVALANCHE? |
The Pleased Elderly Man (ELMIN4_2)
| “The world’s at peace… | 「すべて、世は事もなし……、っと。 | There’s nothing going on in the world… |
| all’s well.” | 和平じゃのう」 | All’s well. |
| “Tomorrow’s another day… | 「明日は明日の風がふく……、っと。 | Tomorrow will bring what tomorrow brings. |
| all’s well.” | 和平じゃのう」 | All’s well. |
| “I got my health, | 「今日も元気だ、ごはんがうまい……、っと。 | I’m feeling good today, the food’s delicious… |
| and enough to eat… | 和平じゃのう」 | All’s well. |
| all’s well.” |
On this field, the game generates a value between 0 and 255. A value less than 85 triggers his first used line, “The world’s at peace… all’s well.” Due to another oversight by the programmer, the line that follows has the same condition but is always checked second so the text will be skipped. By changing the value it is looking for to a number less than 170, for example, it can be triggered.
The interested can see here how Makou Reactor shows the mistake.
Truck to Nibelheim (TRACKIN)
As promised in the Sector 7 Slums article, we now find the complete text that precedes and follows from the unused truck flashback.
None of the dialogue is unlockable or involved in any sort of unused scene choreography, so all we have is the text.
Grunt
| 「はぁ……はぁ……」 | Pant… gasp… |
| セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| 「だいじょうぶか？」 | Are you alright? |
Grunt
| 「はい……すいません」 | Yeah… sorry. |
| セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| 「乗り物酔いの薬は | I didn’t pack anything |
| 積んでこなかったぞ」 | for motion sickness. |
Grunt
| 「いいんです、本当に。 | It’s alright, really. |
| 忘れた自分が悪いんです」 | It’s my fault for forgetting. |
| セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| 「外の景色でもながめていろ。 | Take a look out the window. |
| 少しは気がまぎれるだろ？」 | Maybe it will distract you. |
| CLOUD | Cloud: |
| 「ウヘヘヘ……」 | Hehehehe… |
| セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| 「おまえも気分が悪いのか？」 | Are you feeling sick too? |
| CLOUD | Cloud: |
| 「そういえば、セフィロス。 | By the way, Sephiroth, |
| マテリアって | how is Materia |
| どうやって作るんだ？」 | made? |
| セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| 「……星がつくる。 | …It’s made by the planet. |
| 長い長い時間をかけてな」 | It takes a very long time. |
| セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| 「もっとも……最近では | However… it seems |
| 神羅カンパニーがつくったマテリアも | that recently Materia made by Shinra |
| かなり出回っているようだが」 | has been appearing on the market. |
| CLOUD | Cloud: |
| 「マテリアをつくるなんて | Our company’s pretty impressive |
| 俺たちの会社もスゴイよな」 | if it can make Materia, huh. |
| セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| 「オレたちの会社か……」 | “Our company”, you say… |
| セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| 「……おまえ、ソルジャーを | …Haven’t you ever thought about |
| いや、神羅をやめたいと | wanting to quit SOLDIER… |
| 思ったことはないのか？」 | no, about wanting to quit Shinra? |
| CLOUD | Cloud: |
| 「……どうして？」 | …Why? |
Sephiroth’s Personality and Withering Ties with Shinra
The level of concern Sephiroth shows for his fellow soldiers in this unused scene is unprecedented in the final game. Aside from caring enough to ask Cloud how it feels to be back in Nibelheim, the used scenarios depict Sephiroth as cold and strict in his command.
Kazushige Nojima, writer of FFVII and indeed the one in charge of the TRACKIN field, might have made this change to a more insensitive Sephiroth in order to make his turn against humanity more expected and believable.
It demands attention, though, that if Cloud falls in battle during the flashback then Sephiroth is likely to revive him using Life2. Was this game mechanic intentionally implemented to show Sephiroth’s care for his comrades? If so then it serves its purpose, as Sephiroth’s act is indeed selfless considering how useless Cloud is in all the battles. The subsequent question, then, is if Nojima approved of this game mechanic by the end, or if it is a remnant of the “nice” Sephiroth, seen in the unused text, that was to be removed had there been better communication between Nojima and the battle directors.
But without word from the writer himself or the battle directors, we can’t be sure to begin with if this part of Sephiroth’s battle AI holds any relevance whatsoever to his personality, used or unused. In ideal game design, mechanics should reflect the world and characters; though I do admit to be possibly overthinking the issue.
Sephiroth’s heavily indicated desire to quit the company preceding the Nibelheim events is also an unused aspect in the final game. It might have been left out because the point of the story is to build up the reason for Sephiroth’s eventual turn against the human race, not to explain why he leaves the company.
When Kazushige Nojima returned to the writing chair for the development of Crisis Core, the prequel to FFVII, this formerly unused idea finally saw the light of day with the game’s release in 2007, ten years after the release of the original game.
In a moment between Zack and Sephiroth, our silver-haired SOLDIER speaks out his consideration to quit the company.
Although Nojima never had Sephiroth ask anyone “Are you all right?” in Crisis Core, we do see him showing care and concern for his closest friends.
| Sephiroth | セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| “That would be our Monster…” | 「モンスターのお出ましか」 | This must be our monster. |
| Sephiroth | セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| “Come on, let’s go to work.” | 「さあ、仕事だぞ」 | Well, time for work. |
| セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| 「……運転手がやられた」 | …The driver is dead. |
| セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| 「さて……どうしたものか」 | Hmm… what to do. |
| CLOUD | Cloud: |
| 「じゃあ、俺が」 | Right, I’ll handle it. |
| セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| 「道はわかるのか？」 | Do you know the way? |
| CLOUD | Cloud: |
| 「……実はニブルヘイムは 生まれ故郷なんだ」 | …Actually, Nibelheim is my hometown. |
| 『バトル：セフィロスＶＳモンスター』 | “Battle: Sephiroth VS Monster” |
The script does not tell us if the driver died from the collision between the dragon and the truck or if the beast killed him directly. This killed grunt calls into fray a possible continuity error of the final game, as in the truck we see three grunts, but only two arrive at the Nibelheim gates and partake in the events of the town. Is the lack of a third grunt at the gates a remnant of when the driver was supposed to be killed, or was he assigned duties elsewhere? We may never know.
Crisis Core repeats this “missing infantryman” mystery. Three grunts assemble in Shinra HQ, Cloud included, but then at the immediate arrival in Nibelheim only Cloud and one more infantryman are ever spotted. The game script confirms that Cloud is the NPC to the right.
The context of Cloud revealing his birthplace is also different. Here the revelation comes when he takes the driver’s seat, but in the final game he says this when Sephiroth informs him that the malfunctioning reactor is in Nibelheim.
The scene does not make it perfectly clear if Cloud took the driver’s seat, or if the truck had malfunctioned and Cloud meant that he would walk them to Nibelheim.
Either way, the pointer “Battle: Sephiroth VS Monster”, notably does not include Cloud as a combatant. He may have been added later on so that the gap in power between the two would make Sephiroth’s great strength leave an even stronger impact.
Although the battle pointer is the last text entry, the dialogue between Cloud and Sephiroth appears a bit casual if a dragon is waiting for them outside, making it ambiguous whether the battle took place before they spotted that the driver is dead, or after Cloud revealed that he was born in Nibelheim.
Nibelheim Gates (NIVGATE)
Location Name
| Nibelheim | ニブルヘイム |
There’s really no good reason for access to the menu to be restricted here.
Nibelheim Main Area (NIVL)
Before going to sleep at the inn, you can find Tifa’s father to the upper right on this field and talk to him.
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “You’re {Tifa}’s…” | 「TIFAの……」 |
Tifa’s Father
| “Right. | 「そう。 |
| I’m {Tifa}’s father.” | TIFAの父親だ」 |
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “…Long time no see, sir.” | 「……ひさしぶりです」 |
| {Tifa}’s father | TIFAパパ | Tifa’s father: |
| “…Stay away from my daughter.” | 「……娘には近づかないで | …Stay away from my daughter. |
| もらいたいものだな」 | That’s all I ask. |
After this we find an NPC that is never present on this field…
| “Is that you, {Cloud}?” | 「CLOUDかい？ |
| ☞ …Yeah | ☞ ……ああ |
| ☞ …No | ☞ ……ちがう |
Cloud
| “Mom?” | 「……母さんか？」 |
Cloud’s Mom
| “Here, I’ve brought you something!” | 「ほら、さしいれだよ！」 |
Cloud’s Mom
| “Don’t tell anyone in town!” | 「村のみんなには |
| ナイショだからね！」 |
| Received “Homemade Potion!” | 『手づくりポーション』を手にいれた！ |
Cloud’s mom does not exist here even as an unused field model and you can only ever meet her inside of her house.
There is no “Homemade Potion” in the item data. It may be in the same category as the “Orthopedic Underwear”, which despite having a receipt line does not actually add to the item list.
With two items that are quasi-received in the past, the other one notably NOT being a parody item, it begs the question if the developers ever intended for you to receive items retroactively via this interactive flashback.
Tifa’s House, 2nd Floor (NIV_TI2)
In Tifa’s room there is a letter from one of her friends who lives in Midgar. Cloud can choose to read it.
| {Tifa} | TIFA |
| “You remember what it said?” | 「内容もおぼえているとか……」 |
| ☞ I don’t remember | ☞ おぼえてない…… |
| ☞ I remember clearly | ☞ はっきりと |
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “Dear {Tifa}…” | 「TIFAへの手紙……」 |
| ☞ (Remember) | ☞ （思い出す） |
| ☞ (Stop) | ☞ （やめる） |
Fortunately in the final game you don’t have to make the same choice twice in order to read the letter.
Villager’s House (NVMIN1_1)
In this field you find a woman and her two children.
Kids’ Mother
| “Making the rounds?” | 「見回りですか？」 |
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “These kids are also Sephiroth fans…” | 「この子たちもセフィロスが……」 |
Girl
| “He’s soooo cool!!” | 「カッコイ～！！」 |
Boy
| “Way cool!!” | 「カッキー！！」 |
Cloud’s locked piece complements the kids’ exclamations and explains who they think is so cool.
Nibelheim Inn, 1st Floor (NIVINN_1)
When talking to the innkeeper he will recognize Cloud.
Inn Keeper
| “It must’ve been two years.” | 「２年ぶりかねえ」 | Has it really been two years? |
| “Say, you’ve really moved up in the world, | 「セフィロスさんの部下なんて | You’ve really done well for yourself, |
| being under Sephiroth’s command.” | 大出世だねえ、ほんとにぃ」 | to end up under Sephiroth’s command. |
Inn Keeper
| “Wow…” | 「ほんとにねぇ……」 | Yeah… |
| “This is really, somethin’.” | 「いんや～」 | That’s really somethin’. |
| “You used to be such a scrawny | 「あのひねくれボウズがねぇ……」 | To think, a punk kid like you… |
| kid, and now look at you!” |
After this you get to pick one of three dialogue options. Either ask where Sephiroth is, ask for a room, or inquire about the town’s situation. When picking the first option, the innkeeper will tell you that Sephiroth is waiting upstairs. Adjacent to that text entry is this unused snippet below. The true context in which it fits is unknown, and there are many possible retranslations, but we assume the theory that it was meant as a response to asking repeatedly about where Sephiroth is.
Inn Keeper
| “You STILL haven’t found one yet?” | 「ま～だ、見つからないのかい？」 | You still haven’t found him yet? |
When asking the innkeeper about the situation of the town, he will reveal that he is not sure the building of the reactor was such a good idea. The unused piece after that clearly points him out as being against the Shinra.
Inn Keeper
| “Anyhow, we’ve got to get rid of the monsters.” | 「とりあえず、モンスターたちが | Yeah, once those monster’s |
| いなくなればねぇ」 | ain’t around… | |
| “Then, we’ll be able to relax a little bit.” | 「そうすりゃ、ちょこっとは | then this place’ll |
| 良くなるさぁ」 | get a little better. |
Inn Keeper
| “I’ll let you in on a secret…” | 「ここだけの話……」 | I’ll let you in on a secret… |
| “The Shinra aren’t really popular here.” | 「この村じゃ、神羅さんの評判は | Shinra doesn’t really have a good |
| あんまり良くないのさぁ」 | reputation in this town. | |
| “You know what I mean, right?” | 「CLOUDちゃんなら | You know what I mean, |
| “You’re from here, so you know.” | わかるだろう？」 | right, Cloud? |
| 「この村の出身だもんねぇ」 | You grew up here ‘n’ all. |
We are never given the impression that Cloud grew up hearing bad things about Shinra.
Grunt?
| Will we be able to use this place, too?” | 「俺たちも、ここ、使えるのかな？」 |
At no point does a Shinra grunt roam this room, nor is there any field model data for a grunt here in NIVINN_1.
Nibelheim Inn, 2nd Floor (NIVINN_2)
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “It was the morning after that, | 「そのよく朝だったな、TIFA」 |
| right {Tifa}?” |
| {Tifa} | TIFA | Tifa: |
| “Yes, right…” | 「そ、そうね……」 | Th, that’s right… |
When you decide to go to sleep the screen fades to black and then it’s the next day, outside of the inn. Intended after the fade to black was this narrative transition.
Mt. Nibel Bridge (MTNVL3)
Shinra Grunt [Talk-to line]
| “I’m all right. | 「俺はだいじょうぶ。 | I’m fine. |
| You be careful too, Guide.” | ガイドさんこそ、気をつけて」 | You look after the guide. |
The infantryman with one foot on the bridge blocks your path to the grunt behind him. Bypassing him one way or the other makes this hidden talk-to line available.
One fun tidbit about the game code is that it calls the two grunts “Zax” and “Zako” respectively. “Zax” is what “Zack” is called in Japanese. “Zako” is a Japanese word that is rather vulgar and refers to someone as a worthless cannon fodder. Frequently, various characters in Japanese games, anime, and movies refer to their enemies as “zako”, if they are trying to make the point that their enemies are like insects to them. Also, random encounter enemies in RPGs are refered to as “zako teki” (Zako enemies) by Japanese gamers, because they are just faceless, weak cannon fodder foes. “Zako” would then be the grunt that disappears after the bridge falls.
Nibelheim Reactor Interior, Disc 2 Events Field (NVMKIN22)
The field where Cloud and Sephiroth look through the capsules harboring mako-created monsters is in fact NVMKIN21. But NVMKIN22 has bits from that scene…
It happened several times in development that the data of one field file was copied onto another, probably as a way of saving time from rebuilding the same foundations for a map’s game code. In this case, NVMKIN22 is used for the flashback scenes on disc 2, when Cloud and Tifa are in the Lifestream, but initially its data was a copy of NVMKIN21 and so contains pieces that belong to the flashbacks on disc 1.
The copied choreography that remains are Cloud’s lines from when Cloud and Sephiroth are observing the capsules. Nothing of Sephiroth’s data remains. There is not even an existing field model of Sephiroth here in which he is not carrying his sword.
In other words, modding back Cloud’s pieces serves no purpose as I have confirmed that they are identical to the used scene. All you need to do is imagine the scene without Sephiroth and you get what part of the copied data has remained.
For completionist reasons, here is a list of the lines that are unlockable but never seen on this field.
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “Uh, umm… Oh yeah! | 「え、ええと…… |
| It becomes a Materia.” | そうだった！ |
| マテリアができるんだな」 |
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “Wh… what is this!?” | 「こ、これは！？」 |
| {Cloud} | CLOUD | Cloud: |
| “… Is this some kind of monster?” | 「……これがモンスター？」 | …Is this a monster? |
| {Cloud} | CLOUD | Cloud: |
| “Normal members of SOLDIER? | 「普通のソルジャーって？ | Normal SOLDIERS? |
| You mean you’re different?” | あんたは違うのか？」 | You mean you’re different? |
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “H… hey, Sephiroth!” | 「お、おい、セフィロス！」 |
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “… Sephiroth.” | 「……セフィロス」 |
| {Cloud} | CLOUD |
| “Human!? No way!” | 「人間！？ まさか！」 |
Shinra Mansion, Piano Room (SININ1_2)
| End[START] | スタートボタン 終了 |
When playing the piano in Tifa’s house, you can choose to play without the key guide. This option is not given to you with the piano in the Shinra mansion, but the setting to play without a tone list still exists.
While this does indicate that the data for this piano initially was a copy of Tifa’s piano, it does not reveal if it was ever part of some unrealised sidequest. Its only role in the final game is the oddity that two of the keys are broken and that part of the solution for opening the safe on the second floor is carved on the floor behind it.
Unspecified Shinra Mansion Field
As though we did not have enough reading back in the Shinra HQ library, the Shinra Mansion presents us with seven unused scientific reports. The knowledge they may or may not have contained does not exist in the script files, unfortunately. The titles themselves are not unlockable anywhere and belong to a huge duplicate group. The fields relevant to this group are listed below.
The report/book names themselves look indifferent to whether this is in Nibelheim five years prior or during the game’s present. However the script in this group of field files is generally placed to match the order of events as presented in-game, hence why I decide to place the text entries here rather than in the future article which will cover present-day Nibelheim.
| “Information concerning Materia/Hojo” | 『マテリア関係資料／宝条』 | Information Concerning Materia/Hojo |
| ☞ Read it | ☞ 読んでみる | ☞ Read it |
| ☞ Ignore | ☞ よまない | ☞ Ignore |
| “Life of Materia” | 『マテリアの中の生命』 | The Life Within Materia |
| ☞ Read it | ☞ 読んでみる | ☞ Read it |
| ☞ Ignore | ☞ よまない | ☞ Ignore |
| “Legend of the Ancients, World Version” | 『古代種の伝説・世界編』 |
| ☞ Read it | ☞ 読んでみる |
| ☞ Ignore | ☞ よまない |
| “Next Quarter’s projected Budget/Hojo” | 『次期計画予算／宝条』 | Next Quarter’s Projected Budget/Hojo |
| ☞ Read it | ☞ 読んでみる | ☞ Read it |
| ☞ Ignore | ☞ よまない | ☞ Ignore |
| “North Pole Daily Report/Hojo” | 『北極日報／宝条』 |
| ☞ Read it | ☞ 読んでみる |
| ☞ Ignore | ☞ よまない |
| “/Hojo” | 『／宝条』 |
| ☞ Read it | ☞ 読んでみる |
| ☞ Ignore | ☞ よまない |
| “The Promised Land” | 『約束の地』 |
| ☞ Read it | ☞ 読んでみる |
| ☞ Ignore | ☞ よまない |
Perhaps these books would become readable after Sephiroth’s obsessive reading session, allowing you to read the same reports he had.
Shinra Mansion, Basement (SININB41)
| Sephiroth | セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| “Let me be alone.” | 「１人にしてくれ」 | Please leave me alone. |
| “Ha, ha, ha, ha!” | 「ハハハハ！」 |
Cloud’s Narration
| “Sephiroth didn’t come | それ以降セフィロスは神羅屋敷に | From then on, Sephiroth secluded himself |
| out of the Shinra Mansion…” | こもりきりになった…… | in the Shinra Mansion. |
If we trust the order of the text entries to be true to the progression of events in-game, Sephiroth was to laugh during his reading session. To silence some voices, no, this is not the same laugh line Sephiroth has when you go to the basement later on.
Nibelheim Burning, Overhead View (NIVL_B1)
This one is all about borders. Normally when you approach the fire to the right, a border will detect Cloud and cause Zangan to call for you, which is followed by Cloud walking away from the fire.
Zangan
| “He—y! | 「お～い！ | Hey! |
| Is anyone here?” | 誰かいるのか！？」 | Is someone there?! |
This prevents Cloud from reaching the other side. But by disabling that border, you can walk through the fire and trigger an unused bit by Zangan.
Zangan
| “He—y! | 「お～い！ | Hey! |
| Is anyone here?” | 誰かいるのか！？」 | Is someone there?! |
Zangan
| “Give me a hand!” | 「手をかしてくれっ！」 | Please give me a hand! |
The first line is the same as before but used in this hidden context. “Give me a hand” is otherwise never seen.
In the same theme, after Zangan runs into the burning building you normally can’t follow him because the camera man is in the way. Ignoring this limitation and running after Zangan unlocks another piece.
| Zangan | ザンガン | Zangan: |
| “Hey! What about the other houses?” | 「おい！ | Hey! |
| ほかの家の様子はどうだ？」 | How do the other houses look? |
This doubles as a talk-to line and as a reaction from crossing a border.
The Almost-Duplicate Fields of NIVL_B1 and NIVL_B12
The scenario with Cloud walking about the inferno of Nibelheim plays out in the NIVL_B1 field. The scenes that use Zack play out in NIVL_B12 instead. One detail, though, is that NIVL_B1 also has the data and triggers for the Zack scenario while NIVL_B12 correspondingly has the Cloud scenario.
They are essentially twin files, the only differences being their designated map IDs, plus the fact that only NIVL_B12 contains a brief (used) no-text scene in which we see the grunt, Cloud, trying to get up and collect his senses.
There is no point in presenting either the Zack scenario of NIVL_B1 or the Cloud scenario of NIVL_B12, as these are exact replicas of the used scenes. Moving on.
Nibelheim Burning, Ground View (NIVL_B2)
This map is used only in the short instance when Cloud sees Sephiroth slash the two townspeople to death, a scene that is without text.
The English field file only has duplicate text from NIVL_B22, the map identical in appearance which is used for the scenes in the Whirlwind Maze. The Japanese script presents some interesting stuff, though.
We can recognize a great deal from NIVL_B1, so we can imagine those scenes were once planned to take place here instead.
Location Name
| Nibelheim | ニブルヘイム |
| CLOUD | Cloud: |
| 「やめてくれーーーーっ！」 | Please, stop—-! |
| 「お～い！ | Hey! |
| 誰かいるのか！？」 | Is someone there!? |
| 「手をかしてくれっ！」 | Please give me a hand! |
| ザンガン | Zangan: |
| 「おっ、あんたか！ | Hey it’s you! |
| あんたは正気なんだろうな？」 | You’re still sane‚ right? |
| ザンガン | Zangan: |
| 「それならこっちに来て | Then please come over here |
| 手伝ってくれ！」 | and help me out! |
| ザンガン | Zangan: |
| 「俺は家の中を見てくる。 | I’ll check inside this house. |
| あんたはこの男をたのむ」 | You take care of that guy. |
| ザンガン | Zangan: |
| 「おい！ | Hey! |
| ほかの家の様子はどうだ？」 | How do the other houses look? |
Shinra Grunt (The Real Cloud)
| 「か……あ……さ…ん」 | Mo..ther… |
With the knowledge of who the delirious grunt is, we know the woman he is referring to. Had this been used during the flashbacks in Kalm it would have acted as a very early hint to Cloud not being the ex-SOLDIER he claims to be.
Camera Man
| 「……な、なぁ | …H, hey… |
| あれ……ほんとうに…… | Was… that… really… |
| ……セフィ…ロス？」 | Sephiroth…? |
The camera man’s line in NIVL_B1 is different from this scrapped version.
Camera Man [NIVL_B1]
| “…Hey, ummm… | 「……な、なぁ…… |
| Am I going to die?” | おれ、死んじゃうの？」 |
Please, stop—-!
Cloud’s reaction “please stop” seems most fitting for when Sephiroth strikes down the townspeople, which in the final game happens first after you help Zangan. If the order of the text here represents the intended order of events, then Cloud was to first see Sephiroth and then help Zangan.
Zangan and the grunt are unused models in this field. They have no other data aside from just being there and if you make them visible they both appear on the same spot.
Jenova Chamber (NVMKIN31)
| Sephiroth | セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| “But, they…” | 「でも、あいつらが……」 | But, they… |
| “These worthless ones, | 「何のとりえもないあいつらが | Those worthless fools stole |
| took the Planet from you. | 母さんたちからこの星を | the Planet from you, |
| Didn’t they, Mother?” | うばったんだよね」 | didn’t they, Mother? |
| Sephiroth | セフィロス | Sephiroth: |
| “But, don’t be sad anymore.” | 「でも、もう悲しまないで」 | But you mustn’t despair any longer. |
We can assume that the FMV of Sephiroth revealing Jenova was always planned, because there is no way for this field to smoothly transition to the one where Jenova’s capsule is clearly visible (NVMKIN32) without the FMV.
Originally there may have been no text in said sequence and so it was moved from the field to the movie.
Compare with the used text in the FMV:
| But they… | けどアイツラが…… | But, they… |
| Those worthless creatures | 何ととりえも無いアイツラが | Those worthless fools stole the Planet |
| are stealing the planet from Mother | 母さん達からこの星を奪ったんだよね | from you all, didn’t they, Mother? |
| But now I’m here with you | でも、もう悲しまないで | But you mustn’t despair any longer. |
| so don’t worry |
When comparing the unused field text with the FMV text, the Japanese text is different in a few places but they both say the same thing.
The PHS (ELMINN_1)
After the flashback, Cloud goes downstairs to meet the two characters who were previously not in his party.
| {Barret} | BARRET |
| “As long as we got [PHS], | 「その『ＰＨＳ』があれば |
| we can always reach each other. | いつでも連絡が取れるからな。 |
| Use it if something happens.” | なにかあったら、それを使うんだぜ」 |
Normally the game will never refer to this line, no matter which characters you had in your party before.
Sidequest Receipt Lines, Old Man (ELMIN4_2)
FFVII version difference tidbit: The elderly man does not exist here in the first Japanese release, nor does any of the text associated with him exist in that version.
By comparing the duplicate script of the Kalm fields in FFVII International, we find small variations between the receipt lines related to the sidequest to give rare items to the old man. It seems like a strange way to work on a game, to type text in any arbitrary field in a duplicate group and not care whether it will be used there or not, but this is apparently how the developers worked.
I list which field files the unused text comes from, for the sake of detail, but decide not to go so far as to provide image links for each. This would be pointless, as we know the field the text was intended for (ELMIN4_2), plus most will not be interested in knowing the name for each Kalm map.
By giving the old man the “Guide Book” item, he will throw you a Materia. Here are the used lines.
| “It’s Underwater Materia. | 「『潜水マテリア』じゃ。 | It’s “Dive Materia”. |
| Go on, it’s yours!” | 持っていってくれ」 | Go on and take it. |
| Received “Underwater” Materia! | 『せんすい』のマテリアを手にいれた！ | Received “Dive” Materia! |
List of the fields where the alternate receipt lines, below, are found:
ELMIN1_1, ELMIN1_2, ELMIN2_1, ELMIN2_2, ELMIN3_1, ELMIN3_2, ELMIN4_1, ELMINN_1, ELMINN_2, ELMPB, ELMTOW, ELM_I, ELM_WA.
| “It’s Underwater Materia. | 「【水中呼吸マテリア】じゃ。 | It’s “Breathe Underwater” Materia. |
| Go on, it’s yours!” | 持っていってくれ」 | Go on and take it. |
| Received “Underwater” Materia! | 『すいちゅうこきゅう』のマテリアを手にいれた！ | Received “Breathe Underwater” Materia! |
“Breathe Underwater” was the Materia’s name in the first Japanese release. It could only be listed in your Materia inventory by hacking the game. This Materia, along with the unused Earth Harp and Desert Rose in the first version, are the only hints of the sidequest that was to be in the second release.
For the old man’s line where he tells you the name of the Materia, in the ELM field the Materia name is surrounded by different brackets.
– ELMIN4_2, used: 『潜水マテリア』
– ELM, unused: 【潜水マテリア】
This is a mistake, as the 【】 symbols are normally reserved for button commands, highlighting location names and the text that pops up when you stand on a save point.
For giving him the Desert Rose, your reward is a Gold Chocobo. The used line…
| “It’s a Chocobo. | 「ワシのかわいいチョコボじゃ。 | It’s my cute little Chocobo. |
| Take it, it’s yours!” | 連れてゆくがええ」 | Take ‘im with you. |
…versus the alternate version, from the ELM field.
| “It’s a Chocobo. | 「【ウルトラチョコボ】じゃ。 | It’s an “Ultra Chocobo”. |
| Take it, it’s yours!” | 連れてゆくがええ」 | Take ‘im with you. |
There is nothing “Ultra” about this chocobo, unfortunately. It has low speed stats which can’t be improved by much. Notice also that this text entry uses the wrong brackets.
Apparently the old man has Materia powerful enough for him to take over the world, but for an Earth Harp he gives up that power.
| “It’s a 3-piece Master Materia set, | 「『マスターマテリア３点セット』じゃ。 |
| … and it’s all yours!” | 持っていってくれ」 |
In all other fields except for where this text is used, the Japanese entry says 【マスターマテリア３点セット】 rather than 『マスターマテリア３点セット』. The only difference are the brackets, with the latter type being the correct one.
Well, that was a long journey. We’ve made it from the cross-dressing sidequest all the way to leaving Kalm. In Part 6, we will trek through the Chocobo Farm, Fort Condor and then sail off to the other continent to see what wonderful secrets await us there!
