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Part 5: Rescuing Aeris, Story Time at the Inn

The Midgar Train, Sector 7 Slums and the Honey Bee Inn, all areas that Motomu Toriyama was responsible for, provided us with condensed amounts of unused material. As we take a pause from his work, the game heavily decreases in unused content per area. Though no field in later parts of the game rival the sheer amount of unseen text as seen in the game’s beginning, there is still much left to analyse.

Now, let’s get out of Midgar. The individuals of the FFVII development team responsible for this article’s main events are Masaru Oka and Kazushige Nojima. The former left behind a more difficult version of Mayor Domino’s password challenge in Shinra HQ, while Nojima wrote aspects of Sephiroth’s character that would not be used until ten years after the original game’s release…

Fasten your seat belts, dear readers. From now on we’ll be speeding through the game’s scenarios.

Wall Market Pub (MKTPB)

One factoid worthy of mention is that the name Wall Market, “ウォールマーケット” is, in Japanese, a play on the word Walmart, “ウォルマート”. Only the end of the Japanese writing has been changed. Thanks to GlitterBerri for this observation.

{Aeris} AERITH
“Wasn’t there a Pharmacy here?” たしか、薬屋さん、あったよね？」

In the pub’s toilet there is an ill woman who will ask you for medicine. The above is Aeris’ unused hint that you should go to the pharmacy.

{Aeris} AERITH
“Something…” 「はだ触りは」
☞　　　That feels clean ☞　　　さらっとしたの
☞　　　That feels soft ☞　　　さわっとしたの


Boutique Owner
“hm, hm, hm, and?” 「ふんふん、それで？」


{Aeris} AERITH
“And something…” 「ひかり具合は」


Materia Shop (MKT_M)


Shopkeeper
“Let’s do some shoppin’.” 「おかいものしましょうや」 How ’bout you do some shoppin’.

All other stores aside from the Materia and Weapon shop in Wall Market have a line by the shopkeeper that precedes accessing the shopping menu. Though the line is generic and could belong to Cloud or Aeris, it is most natural to assume it belongs to the shopkeeper and is thus retranslated that way.

Weapon Shop (MKT_W)


Cashier
“How ’bout it? 「どうじゃ？
Wanna buy somethin’?” 何か買わんか？」

When talking to the guy at the counter you are immediately transferred to the shop menu, just like in the Materia shop. The cashier never speaks.

This field holds more secrets which will be dealt with very soon.

Storage Room (MKT_IA)

Monitor
“…” 「……………　　」


Monitor
“…Beeeeeep… 「………ヒ……
blipppp…” パー…………」

Sometimes the unused text is just too riveting, is it not?

Gym (MKT_MENS)

When questing to get a wig for Cloud, you engage in a squatting competition with one of the gym athletes with “The Beautiful Bro” as the judge.

The Beautiful Bro
“Oh, a tie.” 「あらまぁ、引き分けね」


The Beautiful Bro
“Congratulations, you win.” 「おめでとー、あなたの勝ちね」


The Beautiful Bro
“Here, take this.” 「あんたには、これをやろう」


Southern Wall Market (MRKT2)

Blue-Clad Guy
“Say, you’re a cutie, 「へへへ、お姉さんきれいだね」
heh, heh, heh.”

The game code makes a big deal out of making sure that after you’ve received the “Member’s Card”, or when Cloud is dressed up (PPV=192), this NPC is gone. For whatever reason he was meant to leave Wall Market. He does not have any unused text for reacting to the Meteor crisis.

Torture Chamber (COLNE_4)

Throughout the world of FFVII, flyers for the “Turtle’s Paradise” bar of Wutai are scattered. Here is an unused location for one of these flyers.

Turtle’s Paradise 　　　【かめ道楽　通信】
No. 2 　　　　　ナンバー２
One thing even the Gold Saucer 　　　ゴールドソーサーに
doesn’t have is… ただひとつ、たりないもの……
A good place for drinks 　　それはおいしいお酒と
with a great atmosphere! 　　ムードのある居酒屋！
Come on by and see us 　　　　ぜひいちど
at “Turtle’s Paradise” 居酒屋『かめ道楽』へ！！

Entry #2 is placed in the first floor of the Shinra Building. We find, however, that the Japanese text is identical to flyer #3 (aside from the number), found in the Ghost Hotel of the Gold Saucer.

Flyer in Ghost Hotel
[Turtle’s Paradise] 　　　【かめ道楽　通信】
No. 3 　　　　　ナンバー３
Forget the bad times 　　　ゴールドソーサーに
with a nice drink…… ただひとつ、たりないもの……
Only thing missing 　　それはおいしいお酒と
in the Gold Saucer is…… 　　ムードのある居酒屋！
A pub with good drinks 　　　　ぜひいちど
and a great atmosphere! 居酒屋『かめ道楽』へ！！
Stop in the
“Turtle’s Paradise”!

The flyer was most likely moved because of how extremely out of place it was to have a bar advertisement in a torture chamber.

Living Room (COLNE_3)

If Don Corneo picks Tifa or Aeris, Cloud will fight off the Don’s lackeys in this room.

Scotch ソッチ Scotch:
“Grr! C’mon, what’s the matter 「ク～！！ Grr!
with you good-for-nothings!?” 　だらしないヤツらめ！」 You slatterns!
“All right now, COME ON! 「い、いくぞ！ H, here I go!
I’ll show you how it’s done!!” 　手下の意地を I’ll show you how stubborn
　見せてやる！！」 us peons can be!


「ここでバトル！」 We battle here!

Judging from the brackets used, this is an unused NPC line. Developer notes use the 『』 brackets rather than 「」.

Dio’s Love Room (COLNE_6)

If Don Corneo picks Cloud, many dialogue paths are available depending on the choices you pick. In one scenario, Cloud can mention Barret and say,
“You know, he’s one of the ones you were trying to find out about.
You know, AVALANCHE……?” to which Don Corneo will ask how he (or, well, “she”) knows about it. In the final game Cloud will then reveal his true identity. Here is an unused continuation where he decides to go on with the act.

CLOUD Cloud:
「あの、ちょっと小耳に Um, I just happened
　はさんだ……のよね。 to overhear…
　最近７番街スラムに……」 In the Sector 7 slums recently…


コルネオ Corneo:
「あ～、わかったぞ！」 Ah, I know!
「アレだな、他の２人の女のことか？ It’s about those other two girls, isn’t it?
　ん～きまってるじゃないか Hmm.. it’s already decided, isn’t it?
　お前が一番だよ。 You’re my number one choice.
　ま、あの２人も悪くはないがな」 But they weren’t bad either.
「女の目からみたらどうだ？」 What do you think, from a woman’s perspective?
☞　　　AERITHの方がきれい ☞　　　Aeris is prettier.
☞　　　TIFAの方がきれい ☞　　　Tifa is prettier.
☞　　　やっぱり私が一番きれい ☞　　　I’m definitely the prettiest.

The supposed continuation, if one was ever decided, from here is unknown.

If Don Corneo asks for a kiss and you decline, Don Corneo will ask why and then Cloud will say that he is gonna need that mouth to get some “information” before he jumps and reveals his identity. In the unused text Don Corneo has time to express his confusion at the situation.

{Cloud} CLOUD
“Because I’m gonna need 「あんたのその口は
that mouth of yours to 　情報をもらすのに
give me some information!!” 　使ってもらうからさ！！」


Don Corneo
コルネオ
“Information? What information?” 「話？　話ってなんの？」


Don Corneo
コルネオ
“Th…then why?” 「そ、そんならなんで？」

Presumably it was only after Don Corneo’s final line here that Cloud was to jump and reveal his true identity.

Shinra HQ, President’s Office (BLIN70_2)

Location name
Shinra Bldg. 70f. 神羅ビル・７０階


Heidegger ハイデッカー
“Gya, haaa, haa!” 「ガハハハ！」

Heidegger’s laugh is placed after the President’s final dialogue in the scene where they discuss plans to destroy Sector 7, but before the first line in the scene when Cloud and the others are caught by Shinra. Heidegger’s unused laugh belongs to one scene or the other.

Sector 7 Slums, Pillar Base (MDS7PLR1)

Fast-forward to when the pillar and AVALANCHE are under attack by Shinra.

{Aeris} AERITH Aerith:
“…gun fire?” 「……銃声？」 …Gunfire?


{Cloud} CLOUD Cloud:
“{Barret}? 「BARRETか！？」 Barret?!

In the familiar scene Wedge falls from the top of the pillar to the ground. Our poor chubby friend has an unused line:

ウェッジ Wedge:
“{Cloud}… 「CLOUDさん…… Cloud…
It hurts…” 　い、痛いです……」 I, it hurts…

At this point in the game the field is playing the music track “Let The Battles Begin!” (闘う者達, lit. “Those Who Fight”). You can’t access the rest of Sector 7 Slums, but all those fields are programmed to play this music track.
This is the only hint of a plan that you were to have the option to go to the bar and all the other locations. No unused text showing a plan like this exists, though. All the slum people will act the same as when you first left.

Top of Pillar (PILLAR_3)

The series of unimportant snippets of scrapped text continues. First, when Reno arrives…

Reno レノ Reno:
“You’re too late. 「おそかった、と You’re late, man.
Once I push this button…” 　このスイッチを押すと……」 Once I push this button…


{Barret} BARRET
“Stop!” 「やめろ！」

…then when Barret shoots at Tseng…

Tseng ツォン Tseng:
“I wouldn’t try that…… 「そんなことをされると Do that and you
You just might make me 　大切なゲストがケガ might just injure
injure our special guest.” 　するじゃないか」 our special guest.


{Cloud} CLOUD
“{Aeris}!!” 「AERITH！！」


{Tifa} TIFA
“{Aeris}!!” 「AERITH！！」

…and finally when the collapse starts.

Tseng ツォン Tseng:
“Ha, ha, ha… 「クックックッ！ Hahaha!
Well, it should be starting right about now. 　そろそろ始まるぞ。 It’s begun.
Think you can escape in time?” 　逃げきれるかな？」 Think you can escape in time?


{Tifa} TIFA
“We’re not going to make it!” 「間に合わないわ！」


{Barret} BARRET
“Yo, we can use this wire to get out!” 「おい、このワイヤーを使って
　脱出できるぜ！」


{Barret} BARRET
“Jus’ hang on to me!” 「オレにつかまってろ！」

Thus it was, that Sector 7 was destroyed.

Sector 6 Playground, Ruined (MDS6_22)

While Barret is speaking about how corrupt the Shinra company is, Cloud leaves. Barret remembers what Tifa just said, about Marlene probably being safe, and they run after Cloud.

{Barret} BARRET
“Damn! Marlene!!” 「そうだ！　マリン！！」


{Tifa} TIFA Tifa:
“{Aeris} said that Marlene was 「マリンはだいじょうぶって Aeris was saying that
safe.” 　AERITHは言ってたけど……」 Marlene was safe…


{Barret} BARRET
“{Tifa}. 「TIFA。
There ain’t no turnin’ back now.” 　もう、あともどりはできねえんだ」

Tifa’s unused line is out of place and contradicts the final script. Aeris only says in the previous scene that a “she” is safe; she does not speak Marlene’s name.
To speculate, Aeris’ script might have been changed to only refer to a “she” to give a reason for Barret to panic later on and assume that Marlene is dead. Or, the line by Tifa was a contradiction from the start and thus left out.

Listen to Sephiroth! (MDS6_1)

After Barret and Tifa catch up to Cloud he has another episode. In the final game, you are briefly transported to one of the black space fields, BLACKBGC, where Sephiroth’s message is shown, then brought back to MDS6_1.

MDS6_1 has its own version of that same message, but it is never displayed.


“Now listen good! 「よく聞け！ Listen well!
The Ancients are the 　古代種こそが The Ancients are the rightful
rightful rulers of this Planet!” 　この星の正当なる支配者！」 rulers of this Planet!

There are minor differences between the two versions.

In my veins courses the blood of the Ancients. 「われこそ古代種の血をひきし者。 In my veins courses the blood of the Ancients.
I am one of the rightful heirs to this planet! 　この星の正統なる後継者！」 I am the true heir to this Planet!

In the unused line Sephiroth does not claim that he is an Ancient and he speaks more generally that they are the rightful rulers, rather than emphasizing his own supposed birthright.

Incidentally, this exact dialogue by Sephiroth is never spoken in Cloud’s later recollection of the Nibelheim events. Sephiroth mentions that the Planet originally belonged to the Cetra and he reveals that he is the result of a project that tried to create Ancients, but these are altered variations of Cloud’s flashback episode in MDS6_1/BLACKBGC.

This line thus falls into the same category as Cloud’s mysterious flashback in the first reactor, when the text “Watch out! This isn’t just a reactor!!” appears, but is never seen again even in the complete flashback sequences. Obviously the script of the Nibelheim events was tweaked numerous times. The origin of the used “This isn’t just a reactor!!” line can be found in the Early Material Files of the FFVII Ultimania Omega book.

Beginning of Elmyra’s Flashback,

Alternate-Angle Version (EALIN_1)

It is time to cover the last in the series of alternate-angle scenes in Aeris’ house. Normally a border at the entrance to the house will send you to EALIN_12, the lower-perspective field, when you enter during this specific point in the game (PPV=248). Denying this allows you to see the bird’s eye perspective of the scene, which, like so many others, is very lacking in text in the English game. The Japanese text is the same as in the used scenes.

エルミナ Elmyra:
「CLOUD……だったね」 Cloud……wasn’t it?


エルミナ Elmyra:
「AERITHのことだろ？」 It’s about Aerith, isn’t it?


{Cloud} CLOUD Cloud:
「……すまない。 …I’m sorry.
　神羅にさらわれた」 She was taken by Shinra.


エルミナ Elmyra:
「知ってるよ。 I know.
　ここから連れていかれたからね」 They took her from here.


CLOUD Cloud:
「ここから？」 They were here?


エルミナ Elmyra:
「AERITHが望んだことだよ…」 That’s what Aerith wanted…


CLOUD Cloud:
「どうしてAERITHは Why is Shinra after Aerith?
　神羅に狙われるんだ？」


エルミナ Elmyra:
「AERITHは古代種。 Aerith is an Ancient.
　古代種の生き残りなんだとさ」 The sole survivor, it seems.


BARRET Barret:
「……なんだとさ、だって？ “It seems”…?
　あんた母親だろ？」 Aren’t you her mother?


エルミナ Elmyra:
「……本当の母親じゃないんだよ。 Not her real mother.
　あれは……そう、１５年前…」 ……it must have been 15 years ago…


エルミナ Elmyra:
「……戦争中でね。 ……during the war.
　わたしの夫は戦地に行ってた。 My husband was sent to the front.
　ウータイという遠い国さ」 Some far away place called Wutai.


「ある日、休暇で帰ってくるって One day, I went to the station because
　てがみをもらったから I got a letter saying
　わたしは駅までむかえにいったのさ」 he was coming home on leave.

In EALIN_1, this final text entry is placed in a normal dialogue box. However, in the used version, it is transparent and without borders.

Casualty at the Train Station (MDS7ST3)

Elmyra’s flashback alternates between the MDS7ST3 and MDS7ST32 field, with her discovery of Aeris and the dying Ifalna taking place in the latter field. Even so, the text from that scene exists in MDS7ST3 as well.

You used to see that kind of thing 戦争中はよくある風景だったね。
a lot during the war.


Please take {Aeris} somewhere safe. AERITHを安全なところへ。 Please take Aerith somewhere safe.
That’s the last thing she said before she died. そう言い残して彼女は死んだ。 That’s the last thing she said before she died.
My husband never came back, and I had no child. わたしの夫は帰らず、子供もいない。 My husband never came home, and I had no children.
I think I must have been very lonesome. わたしもさびしかったんだろうね。 I think I must have been very lonesome.
So I took {Aeris} home with me. AERITHを家に連れて So I took Aerith home with me.
帰ることにしたんだ。

Aside from the spacing, the used Japanese text in MDS7ST32 is identical with the unused one in MDS7ST3. The English translation, just like the Turtle Paradise Newsletters from before, says the same thing with only slight variations.

[MDS7ST32 version]
You used to see this sort of thing 戦争中はよくある風景だったね。
a lot during the war.
Her last words were, AERITHを安全なところへ。
“Please take {Aeris} そう言い残して彼女は死んだ。
somewhere safe.”
My husband never came back. わたしの夫は帰らず、子供もいない。 My husband never came home, and I had no children.
I had no child. I was lonely. わたしもさびしかったんだろうね。 I had no child. I was lonely.
So I decided to take her home with me. AERITHを家に連れて帰ることにしたんだ。 So I decided to take her home with me.

Of note is that in MDS7ST3, the models for Ifalna or child Aeris are not implemented. In other words, the choreography for the tearful MDS7ST32 scene does not exist there.

Flashback Scenes, Unnaturally Brought

Back (EALIN_1)

After the train station flashback, you normally watch a series of scenes in EALIN_12 involving Elmyra, child-Aeris and finally Tseng. In EALIN_1, however, theses scenes are not choreographed and a great number of text entries are unflagged; i. e., they are never referenced. Many character actions and related unused field models exist in EALIN_1, but they do not have a framework to be used in.

Just for fun, while modding FFVII, I thought it would be a neat experiment to try and copy the scene choreography from EALIN_12 and paste it in the EALIN_1 field data. To my astonishment, the result was a fairly fluid re-enactment of the scenes, with only a few glitches! The code from the lower-perspective field, plus the already existing, unused actions in EALIN_1, fit together well to create the missing alternate-angle scene.
This marks one of the few occasions in which I mod back “unflagged” text pieces, given that this is a special case scenario where the scene data did exist albeit in a different field. So with that, plus making sure that from the train station you are transported to this field rather than the alternate, we are all set to go.

I still mark below which text pieces were originally unflagged, to properly represent the normal state of the EALIN_1 field in relation to these scenes.

Elmyra
「AERITHはすぐに Aerith became attached
　わたしになついてくれた。 to me right away.
　よくしゃべる子でねえ。 She used to talk to me about everything.
　いろいろ話してくれたよ」


エルミナ Elmyra:
「まあ、てきとうにくつろいでおくれよ」 Well now, make yourself at home.

This line above by Elmyra is unused even in the normal version of the scene. It is directed towards Aeris.

Elmyra
「どこかの研究所みたいな She said she had escaped with her mother
　ところから母親と逃げ出したこと。 from some kind of research laboratory somewhere.
　お母さんは星に帰っただけだから And that she wasn’t lonely because her
　さびしくなんかない……いろいろね」 mother had only returned to the planet… things like that.

In the used scene this text is shown in a transparent dialogue window that has no borders. Here, however, it’s displayed in a normal text box with borders and a background.

BARRET Barret:
「星に帰っただって？」 Returned to the Planet?


エルミナ Elmyra:
「わたしには意味がわからなかったよ。 I didn’t know what she meant.
　夜空の星かって聞いたら I asked if she meant a planet like you see in
　ちがう、この星だっていわれて……」 the night sky, but she said it was this planet.
「まあ、いろんな意味で不思議な She was a mysterious child in many ways.
　子供だったね」

The word for “star” and “planet” is the same in Japanese. In the used English text Elmyra will say “thought she meant a star”, but the word “planet” works just as well.


AERITH Aerith:
「お母さん」 Mom.


AERITH Aerith:
「泣かないでね」 Please don’t cry.


エルミナ Elmyra:
「AERITHが突然言い出した。 Aerith just blurted that out all of a sudden.
　何があったのかって聞いたら……」 When I asked her if something happened…


AERITH Aerith:
「お母さんの大切な人が Someone dear to you has just died.
　死んじゃったよ」 He became a spirit and came to
「心だけになってお母さんに see you, but he returned to the
　会いにきたけど planet.
　でも、星に帰ってしまったの」


エルミナ Elmyra:
「わたしは信じなかった。 At that time I didn’t believe her.


エルミナ Elmyra:
「でも…」 But…


エルミナ Elmyra:
「それから何日かして… Several days later……
　夫が戦死したという知らせが… I… received a notice saying
　届いたんだ…」 my husband had died…


エルミナ Elmyra:
「……とまあ、こんな具合でね」 ……and that was it.
「いろいろあったけど A lot had happened,
　わたしらは幸せだった。 but we were happy.
　ところがある日……」 Until one day……

Here is where the changed view reveals a tender, never before seen detail. Aeris is, in fact, standing next to Elmyra, patting her hand and comforting her. Very moving, indeed.
However, the data that makes the young Aeris do this is different between EALIN_1 and EALIN_12 and it is not part of the data I copied from the latter. In the normal field for this scene, the game makes sure that child-Aeris is invisible at this point. If you make her visible, she will be standing far behind Elmyra, but still doing the patting motion.

The data to place her adjacent to Elmyra is simply not there, at least not in the part of the game code that refers to this unseen action.


Now, Tseng appears. Only he is not his normal self. His field model is severely messed up, with his polygons being greatly misplaced.

What the… Tseng’s PC model in this field.
ツォン Tseng:
「AERITHを返してほしいのです。 We want you to return Aerith to us.
　ずいぶん探しました」 We’ve been searching for her for a long time.


AERITH Aerith:
「いやっ！ No!
　絶対いやっ！」 Never!


ツォン Tseng:
「AERITH、君は大切な子供なんだ。 Aerith, you’re a very special child.
　君は特別な血をひいている」 Within you flows special blood.
「君の本当のお母さんの血。 The blood of your true mother.
　『古代種』の血だ」 The blood of an Ancient.


エルミナ Elmyra:
「もちろん聞いたよ。 I heard, of course.
　『古代種』って何だってね」 About the Ancients.


ツォン Tseng:
「古代種は至上の幸福が約束された土地へ The Ancients will guide us to a land that
　我々を導いてくれるのです」 promises supreme happiness.
「AERITHはこのまずしいスラムの人々に Aerith is capable of bringing happiness
　幸福を与えることができるのです。 to the poor of the Slums.
「ですから我々神羅カンパニーは That is why Shinra would like
　ぜひともAERITHの協力を……』 Aerith’s cooperation.


AERITH Aerith:
「ちがうもん！ He’s wrong!
　AERITH、古代種なんかじゃ I’m not an Ancient!
　ないもん！」 I’m not!

This is when the Tseng field model nudges child Aeris and the screen suddenly goes bonkers. From previous experience, having messed up field models interact with others and the environment can cause glitches with the 2D graphics. At the time of writing, I do not know the cause of this.

ツォン Tseng:
「でもAERITH、君はときどき But Aerith, surely you hear
　誰もいないのに声が voices sometimes
　聞こえることがあるだろ？」 when you’re all alone?


AERITH Aerith:
「そんなことないもん！」 No, I don’t!


エルミナ Elmyra:
「でも、わたしにはわかっていた。 But I knew.
　あの子の不思議な能力……」 I knew about her mysterious abilities.
「一生けんめい、かくそうとしていたから She tried so hard to hide it,
　わたしは気づかないふりを so I acted as though
　していたけどね」 I never noticed.


Aeris’ House, Final Alternate-Angle Scene

(EALIN_12)

During the flashback, when Elmyra has just taken in Aeris, Elmyra has one unused line for when child Aeris is running down the stairs.

Elmyra エルミナ Elmyra:
“Well now, make yourselves at home.” 「まあ、てきとうにくつろいでおくれよ」 Well now, make yourself at home.

After this we have, at last, the final alternate-angle scene in Aeris’ house (see Part 3 for the other scenes in this house). This one normally takes place in EALIN_1, but exists as a fully formed sequence in EALIN_12 as well. Yet again, it was originally not translated and the Japanese text is the same here as in the used scene. In the Japanese game, the dialogue windows will often not be able to display the entire text. Other times, however, the game will pick a ridiculously large dialogue window for the text to occupy. In the Japanese version, if the field text speed is higher than about 3/4 of full speed, at one point or another a dialogue box will refuse to be clicked away, thus freezing the game.

CLOUD Cloud:
「よく何年も神羅から So, you were able to stay out of
　逃げつづけることができたな」 Shinra’s reach for quite a few years.


エルミナ Elmyra:
「神羅はAERITHの協力が必要だったから Shinra needed Aerith’s cooperation,
　手荒なマネはできなかったんだろうね」 so they couldn’t be too rough.


TIFA Tifa:
「じゃあ、今回はどうして……」 So, why is it different this time…?


エルミナ Elmyra:
「小さな女の子を連れて She came back here with
　ここに帰って来たんだ」 a little girl in tow.
「その途中でツォンのやつに On the way, she was
　みつかってしまったらしくてね。 discovered by Tseng.
　逃げ切れなかったんだろ、きっと」 She mustn’t have been able to escape.
「女の子の無事と引き替えに In exchange for the little girl’s
　自分が神羅に行くことに safety, she agreed to go along
　なったんだ」 with Shinra.


{Cloud} CLOUD Cloud:
「マリン、だな」 Must have been Marlene.


BARRET Barret:
「マリン！！ Marlene!!
　マリンのためにAERITHは So Aerith was captured
　つかまったのか！」 for Marlene’s sake!


BARRET Barret:
「すまねえ。 Sorry.
　マリンはオレの娘だ。 Marlene’s my daughter.
　すまねえ……本当に……」 I’m sorry… truly…
EALIN_1 version, used. EALIN_12 version, unused.
エルミナ Elmyra:
「あんたが父親かい！？ You’re her father?!
　あんた、娘をほったらかして What on earth are you doing,
　何をやってるんだい！？』 leaving your daughter alone like that?!


BARRET Barret:
「……その話はやめてくれ。 …Please don’t say things like that.
　オレだって何度も考えたさ。 I’ve thought the same thing myself many times.
　オレが死んじまったらマリンは…ってな」 What would happen to Marlene if I died…


BARRET Barret:
「でもよ、答えはでねえんだ。 But the answer never comes.
　マリンといつもいっしょにいたい。 I want to be with Marlene forever.
　でも、それじゃあ戦えない」 But then I wouldn’t be able to fight.


BARRET Barret:
「戦わなければ星が死ぬ」 If I don’t fight, the Planet dies.


BARRET Barret:
「おう！　オレは戦うぜ！」 So, I fight!


BARRET Barret:
「でも、マリンが心配だ。 But I’m worried about Marlene.
　いつでもそばにいてやりたい」 I want to stay by her side, always.


BARRET Barret:
「な？　グルグルまわっちまうんだ」 You see? I’m just going around in circles.


エルミナ Elmyra:
「……わからないでもないけどね。 …I can’t say I don’t understand.
　ま、とにかく２階で眠ってるから Anyway, she’s resting upstairs,
　会っておやりよ」 you should go see her.

Barret goes to the second floor and you regain control of Cloud. EALIN_12 has very little space to move around and it is very difficult to move past Elmyra and reach the stairs. In the end, though, it is pointless because the stairs have no entrance/exit data.

[Tifa’s First Talk-To Line]
TIFA Tifa:
「私のせい……。 It’s my fault…
　私がAERITHを巻きこんだから」 I dragged Aerith into this.

Elmyra’s response immediately follows.

エルミナ Elmyra:
「あんた、気にするんじゃないよ。 Don’t you worry.
　AERITHだってそんなふうに Aerith wouldn’t
　思っちゃいないよ」 think that.


[Tifa’s Second Talk-To Line]
TIFA Tifa:
「なんか落ちこんじゃう」 That makes me feel a little better.

The retranslation is quite different from Tifa’s used line in the English game (EALIN_1), where she will say, “I feel so depressed.” Yes, the Japanese text of the two fields is still the same.

[Talk-To Line]
エルミナ Elmyra:
「はぁ……」 Sigh…
No lack of space for the text here…

The remainder of the script is then triggered by trying to exit the house. In the Japanese scene, if the speed of the field text is above 1/3 of full speed, the dialogue box will never go away and so the game will freeze.

TIFA Tifa:
「AERITHのところへ行くのね」 You’re going after Aerith, aren’t you.


{Cloud} CLOUD
“Yeah.” 「ああ」


TIFA Tifa:
「私も行くから」 I’m coming too.


CLOUD Cloud:
「神羅の本社にのりこむ。 We’re going into Shinra headquarters.
　……カクゴが必要だぞ」 You’ll need to prepare…


TIFA Tifa:
「わかってるわ」 I know.


TIFA Tifa:
「それに今は思いきり身体を I have a feeling we’ll need to tackle
　動かしたい気分なの」 this with all our strength.


TIFA Tifa:
「じっとしてると……なんか、ダメ」 We can’t just sit here…


BARRET Barret:
「すまねえが、もうしばらく I’m sorry, but can I ask you to look
　マリンをあずかってくれねえか？」 after Marlene a little longer?


エルミナ Elmyra:
「ああ、かまわないよ」 Yes, of course.


BARRET Barret:
「それから、ここは危険だ。 It’s dangerous here.
　どこかへ移ったほうがいい」 You should move somewhere else.


エルミナ Elmyra:
「……そうだねえ。 …You’re right.
　でも、必ず迎えにくるんだよ。 But you must come for us.
　死んじゃいけないよ」 Don’t die.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa leave and you are transported outside, just like in the used scene.

It is difficult to figure out why EALIN_1 became the chosen field instead of EALIN_12, which has the aesthetic advantage of levelling you, the player, with the characters. On one hand EALIN_12 is a prison field with no entrance/exit data and very little room for the characters to move around, so Cloud can’t even get to the stairs. On the other hand, the time it would take to import data like this should have been trivial.

Wall Market, Weapon Shop (MKT_W)

We are back at the weapon shop for some batteries that we will need for our journey up to Shinra HQ!

Junk Collector
“Great! 「そうかそうか Izzat so.
How ’bout another one?” 　もう１つどうだい？」 How ’bout another one?


{Cloud} CLOUD Cloud:
“…Hmm.” 「……そうだな」 ….Hmm.
☞　　　All right, I’ll take ’em ☞　　　わかった、買おう ☞　　　I’ll take it.
☞　　　No, that’s enough ☞　　　もういらない ☞　　　No, that’s enough.


Junk Collector
“Huh?
Sorry, those were the last ones.”

“How ’bout another one?” hints that you were meant to buy one battery at a time.
In fact, in the used script the item dealer says, “How ’bout 100 gil for each?” and does not tell you that he is selling all three batteries at once, or that you’ll make the purchase for 300 gil no matter what. If you have less than 300 gil he will say that you don’t have enough so it is impossible to buy less than 3 batteries at one time.
The unused script from climbing up the debris (WCRIMB_1 & WCRIMB_2) confirms the scrapped option, as Cloud will react if he has run out of batteries.

The Shiny Batteries of Hope (WCRIMB_1)

{Cloud} CLOUD
“Damn, out of batteries…” 「しまった。
　もうバッテリーがない……」

Again, in the final game it is impossible to run out of batteries as there are three required, and you never buy less than three of them.

The Shiny Flags of Hope (WCRIMB_2)

{Cloud} CLOUD
“Damn, out of batteries…” 「しまった。
　もうバッテリーがない……」

Rather than checking the number of batteries you have like in WCRIMB_1, this spot in WCRIMB_2 checks a set of flags. In other words, the number of batteries you have is essentially meaningless. The game will still deplete one Battery from your inventory, but it is not a requirement to have a battery. By deactivating the flags, which were set immediately after buying them from the junk collector, you can unlock this reaction from Cloud.

For two different functions for checking “batteries” to exist, and for both to be in use, is truly another testament to the messy programming of FFVII.


WCRIMB_1 and WCRIMB_2 are the two sole files in a small duplicate group; i. e., each has the text of the other field.
In WCRIMB_1, Cloud has to latch on to a swinging wire in order to get to the other side. In brackets, he tells you that you must press the OK button at the right time in order to catch onto it. Here we find a difference between the JORG and JINT script. In JORG the instructions use a circle, （○ボタンでジャンプ）, while in JINT it simply refers to the OK button, （決定ボタンでジャンプ）. This is because the player might have changed it so that the Circle button no longer is the OK button.

But in WCRIMB_2, the field where this minigame does not happen, FFVII International still contains the JORG version of Cloud’s instructional dialogue.

{Cloud} CLOUD Cloud:
“Looks like the only way is 「どうやら、あれに飛び移るしか Looks like there’s nothing for it
to jump onto that bar.” 　ないようだな」 but to jump on that.
“Should make it if I 「あれが、いちばん近づく前に If I jump before it’s at its closest,
jump before it comes too close. 　ジャンプすればよさそうだな。 it should be alright.
(use [OK] to jump)” 　（○ボタンでジャンプ）」 (use O to jump)


Entrance, Shinra HQ (SINBIL_1)

{Barret} BARRET
“Hey, you oughta know 「おい、このビルには
this building well.” 　くわしいんだろ？」


{Tifa} TIFA
“What’s wrong?” 「どうしたの？」


{Cloud} CLOUD
“…Not really, 「……知らない。
now that I think about it,” 　そういえば本社に
“this’s the first time I’ve ever been 　来るのは初めてだ」
to the Headquarters.”

Cloud’s used line references back to his unused line in the route map screen (see Part 1) where he says to Jessie, “I didn’t work at headquarters or anything.”

First Floor, Shinra HQ (BLIN_1)

The stairs, which are host to some funny used dialogue, unfortunately have nothing unused to offer. The main entrance provides some snippets.

“Battle!!” バトル！！

This message would have appeared before the field designers had decided on the battle ID to be used here. The Shinra building has a total of three “Battle!!” pointers.

[Shinra S-27] 『　神羅　　Ｓー２７式　』


[Shinra PA-86] 『　神羅　　ＰＡー８６式　』


[Shinra S-510] 『　神羅　　Ｓー５１０式　』


[Shinra SA-37] 『　神羅　　ＳＡー３７式　』

These are model numbers for cars manufactured by Shinra. Several cars are on display on the first floor. Does this list represent the actual exhibit?
On both the FFVII International Bonus Disc and page 238 of the FFVII Ultimania Omega you can read the name of each car. The two sources are consistent with each other, so here is an image with the Bonus Disc text pasted onto the BLIN_1 field.

A total of six cars are on display rather than four as in the list. There is no sight of the s-510 car here and it can’t be found on the other floors, either. Although, by triggering the “Shinra Car Commercial” FMV on the second floor shop, you can see the s-510 both with and without its coachwork.

The most available explanation for the presence of the unflagged car model entries is that you were to be able to read the model number, a function which is not present in the final game. The lack of the s-510 car also spawns the question of whether the field once displayed different cars, if the unused car name text at all represents the cars on display.

Third Floor, Shinra HQ (BLIN3_1)

Hardy Datona ハーディ＝デイトナ Hardy Daytona

Not only does the original translator misspell Hardy Daytona, but the text displayed in the FFVII International Bonus Disc is also a misspelling.

Elevator of Trials (BLINELE)

バトル！！ “Battle!!”

A number of battles have to be fought here in order to finally reach the 59th floor; thusly, we have another pointer for one or more battles. Both singular “battle” and plural “battles” are appropriate translations.

59th Floor (BLIN59)

[Save Point] 【セーブポイント】
Access the menu and select メニューを開いて「セーブ」を選ぶと
[SAVE] to save your game. ゲームの状態を保存できます。

As with all other examples, the hint of an unused save point is never accompanied by an unused save point field model.

Battle!! バトル！！

Here you battle three “Mighty Grunts” before getting the keycard to the next floor. No more placeholders for “have-yet-to-choose-battle-ID” appear in the Shinra HQ text.

Outside Elevator (ELEOUT)

When activating the elevator, Barret and Tifa will split from Cloud. In the final game, all you can get is one single line each from Cloud’s two friends.

[Talk-to line]
{Barret} BARRET
“This is the real thing. 「ここからが本番だ。ゆだんするな」
Don’t let your guard down.”


{Cloud} CLOUD Cloud:
“…I don’t know. 「……知らない。 …I don’t know.
Now that you mention it, 　そういえば本社に来るのは初めてだ。 Now that you mention it,
this’s my first time at headquarters. 　あんたは知っているのか？」 this’s my first time at headquarters.
What about you?” Are you familiar with it?


{Barret} BARRET
“…I been here before. 「……前に来たことがある。
Back when I still had both my hands.” 　まだ、両腕があるころにな」

Cloud’s response is familiar from the scene at the entrance to Shinra HQ, except that in the used scene he does not ask Barret anything.

Barret was most likely at headquarters to discuss the building of Corel’s Mako Reactor. He mentions in his flashback that his first time hearing the term ‘Mako’ was when the Shinra arrived to his village to spread the word of Mako Energy. If he had been to Shinra HQ before that, then he would have known about their source of power.
Keep in mind, though, that we are dealing with unused text, so Barret’s earlier visit to this building does not count as established canon.

[Talk-to line]
{Tifa} TIFA
“I hope {Aeris} is all right.” 「AERITH、無事だといいね」


{Tifa} TIFA
“{Aeris}… 「AERITH………
She’s been through a lot, huh.” 　いろいろ大変だったのね」
☞　　　Yeah ☞　　　そうだな
☞　　　You too, {Tifa} ☞　　　TIFAだって

No hint of unused changes in Love Points exists in this field but the above dialogue options would likely have used this mechanic.

62nd Floor, The Library (BLIN62_1)

In order to get a full understanding of the unused text related to the password challenge, we need to summarise how this test works in the retail version.

Domino’s Password Challenge, Final Game

In order to gain Mayor Domino’s keycard, which will give you admittance to even higher floors, you must pick the correct password. Guess it right the first time and you also get an Elemental Materia. In the Japanese game, this means picking out one of six sentences, each made up of four kanji characters.
In the English game, this means selecting a word. The options are: BEST, KING, ORBS, BOMB, MAKO, HOJO. The game does not pick the same password to be the correct answer every time. Without further knowledge, you therefore have a 1/6 chance of choosing correctly the first time. The game will never choose ORBS or HOJO as the correct answer, thus improving your odds to 1/4.
(If you are playing the French, German or Spanish version of FFVII, however, MAKO is always the correct answer.)
Keep in mind, the only thing at stake here is the Elemental Materia; you won’t miss out on the keycard by repeatedly picking the wrong word/sentence.

For help on how to figure out the correct password, you may speak to the Deputy Mayor, Hart. By paying him 500 gil, then 1000 gil and finally 2000 gil he will provide progressively more useful hints. After getting the final hint he will repeat it every time you speak to him, until the challenge is over.
For the retranslated parts I’ve had him named “Hut”, as he and Domino are references to the restaurant chain Pizza Hut and the pizza delivery corporation Domino’s Pizza, respectively.

The key is to find the four misplaced book entries in the libraries, match a number X with the Xth letter in that book title, and then combine the four letters into the correct word.
In the Japanese game you match the number with the kanji in that book entry and form a sentence from the four misplaced books.

To get a feel for how the challenge was adapted for the English game, here is a retranslation of the password options you are given.

Domino
“So, what’s the password?” 「合言葉は？」 So, what’s the password?
☞　　　BEST ☞　　　市長最高！！ ☞　　　Town-Mayor-Aw(e)-Some!!
☞　　　KING ☞　　　神羅最低！！ ☞　　　Shin-Ra-Aw(e)-Ful!!
☞　　　ORBS ☞　　　魔晄最高！！ ☞　　　Ma-Ko-Aw(e)-Some!!
☞　　　BOMB ☞　　　市長爆発！！ ☞　　　Town-Mayor-Explo-Sion!!
☞　　　MAKO ☞　　　魔晄爆発！！ ☞　　　Ma-Ko-Explo-Sion!!
☞　　　HOJO ☞　　　神羅爆発！！ ☞　　　Shin-Ra-Explo-Sion!!
☞　　　Wait a second ☞　　　ちょっと待ってくれ ☞　　　Hold on a sec.

This ends our summary of the final game’s password test. Let’s begin the reconstruction of the old version!


In the Japanese game only, we find this list of kanji characters.

☞　　　神 ☞　　　Shin-
☞　　　市 ☞　　　Town
☞　　　都 ☞　　　City
☞　　　魔 ☞　　　Ma-


☞　　　晄 ☞　　　Ko
☞　　　民 ☞　　　People
☞　　　羅 ☞　　　Ra
☞　　　長 ☞　　　Mayor


☞　　　最 ☞　　　Aw(e)
☞　　　万 ☞　　　Ban-
☞　　　一 ☞　　　One
☞　　　爆 ☞　　　Ex-


☞　　　歳 ☞　　 zai
☞　　　高 ☞　　 some
☞　　　発 ☞　　 plosion
☞　　　低 ☞　　 ful

Each kanji has a wide array of possible translations and depends completely on the context in which they are used. This demonstrates the impossibility of doing a “literal” version of the Japanese puzzle in the English game. GlitterBerri made the translations above to fit with the password options of both the used and unused text.

The same character list also exists in flagged format.

神 Shin-
市 Town
都 City
魔 Ma-
晄 Ko
民 People
羅 Ra
長 Mayor
最 Aw(e)
万 Ban-
一 One
爆 Ex-
歳 zai
高 some
発 plosion
低 ful

If you mod back the flagged entries, you will find that they line up in the upper left corner of the screen and form a sentence, as though you had picked kanji characters like in those unflagged kanji lists.

Town-Mayor-Aw(e)-Some!!, “The Mayor Is Awesome”

Indeed, the flagged symbols are related to flags which are very commonly used for sorting responses to dialogue options! Without a doubt, in the original puzzle you were to construct the entire sentence yourself, rather than picking one finished passage. Domino’s unused text agrees with this conclusion, as we see his reaction between each kanji selection.

ドミノ Domino:
「ホウ……で、次は？」 Huh… and the next?


ドミノ Domino:
「フンフン……次は？」 Hmm… and the next?


ドミノ Domino:
「ウンウン……では、最後は？」 Uh-huh… and the last?


Domino ドミノ
“Nope! You’re ALL wrong! 「ぜんぜん違う！
It’s a much better word than that! 　もっとすばらしい言葉だ！
Try again!” 　やり直し！」

Creating the wrong sentence (or forming the wrong word, which would have been the equivalent in the English game) would have been very easy. With four consecutive choices and four characters in each, we have a total of 256 commutations! That is a 1/256 chance of forming the correct answer. Compare this with the much more forgiving challenge in the final game where you have, at face value, a 1/6 chance of guessing right.

One small note: the kanji list contains 16 characters, but the final password options you are given only use 11 of those. The ones not used are 都 (City), 民 (People), 万 (Ban-), 一 (One), 歳 (zai).

With so many possible sentences, the writers played around with a variety of responses for Domino.

ドミノ Domino:
「神・羅・万・歳！？ Shin-Ra-Ban-Zai?!
　神羅万歳だと……？ Shinra Banzai, you say…?


ドミノ Domino:
「神・羅・最・高！？ Shin-Ra-Aw(e)-Some?!
　神羅最高だと……？ Shinra is awesome, you say…?


ドミノ Domino:
「な、なに！？ W, what?!
　この私が最低だと……？ I’m awful, you say…?


「バ、バッカモーン！！ I, idiot!!
　大間違いだ！ That’s totally wrong!
　カードなんかやるか！」 What are you going to do with that card!


ドミノ Domino:
「う～ん……おしい。 Ooo… so close.


「私をたたえずにいられない I can’t say I don’t see
　キミたちの気持ちは why you’d want to
　わからなくもないがね……」 flatter me, but…


「たしかにその通りなんだが。 You’re exactly right.
　合言葉とはちょっと違うんだな」 But that’s not quite the password.

This appears to be a response from the Mayor if you chose “The Mayor is awesome”, unless there are other kanji combinations that he could perceive as flattering.

ドミノ Domino:
「フン…… Hmm…
　さすがは悪名高いアバランチ」 Just what I’d expect from the infamous AVALANCHE.
「魔晄爆発とは People think you’re disturbed due
　ぶっそうなことを考えるものだ」 to the explosion at the reactor.
「だが、そんな言葉を But the word I would use, as a member
　上流階級の私が使うと？」 of the upper echelon of society?


ドミノ Domino:
「……ノーコメントだ」 …No comment.
「まったく、これだから The general public,
　一般大衆というやつは……」 they’ll…

The writers could have written a massive array of responses for Domino, given the 256 possible answers (even though many of the combinations result in utter nonsense). They surely struggled with deciding when to stop making up reactions. We’ll get back to Domino again soon.

Hart, or “Hut”, has unused dialogue as well. In the final version you can only ask him for hints or nothing at all. The option to ask for the correct password right away once existed.

“What do you want to know?” 「なんでもお答えしますよ？」 I’ll answer anything!
☞　　　The password…duh! ☞　　　合言葉を教えて ☞　　　Tell me the password.
☞　　　How about a hint? ☞　　　ヒントをくれ ☞　　　How about a hint?
☞　　　Get out of my face ☞　　　助けなどいらない ☞　　　I don’t need any help.


ハット Hut:
「おやおや Well now…
　いきなりですか……」 It’s a little sudden, but…
「まあ、いいでしょう。 Well, alright.
　市民の要望にこたえるのが Answering the demands of the
　わたくしたち役人の使命です」 populace is the job of us officials!
「ヒミツの合言葉 I’ll go ahead and tell you
　スッパリとお教えしましょう！」 the secret password!
「……７００００ギルで」 …For 70,000 gil, that is.
☞　　　金をだそう ☞　　　I’ll pay.
☞　　　ふざけるな！ ☞　　　Don’t be ridiculous!


ハット Hut:
「ホ、ホントに７００００ギルを？」 R, really? For 70,000 gil?
☞　　　本気だ ☞　　　I’m serious.
☞　　　やっぱりやめておこう ☞　　　No way in hell.


ハット Hut:
「おお、なんとなんと！ Oh, is that so!
　あなたがたのような人が To think that folks like
　そんな大金を！」 you could be that rich!
「人は見かけに…… Can’t judge a book by its…
　いえいえ、ただのひとりごとで。 Nevermind, just a little saying.
　では、お教えしましょう。 Alright, I’ll tell you.


「いいですか…… OK… the password
　合言葉は『市長最高』 is “The-Mayor-Is-Awesome”.
　『市・長・最・高』です」 The town mayor is awesome!
「ま、ハッキリ言えばおせじですな。 It’s flattery, to be perfectly honest.
　それでよろこぶんだから He’ll be pleased with that,
　単純なものです」 so it’s an easy choice.
「あ、今のは市長にはナイショですよ！」 But don’t tell the mayor what I just said!

Hart notably has no text entries in which any other password is listed as the correct one. Remember, though, that Domino has an unused reaction where flattering him will not be the correct answer, a guess which likely was “the mayor is awesome”. Perhaps the text box where Hart reveals the correct password was to have a function to search the game data and write out the answer in that playthrough. Either that, or the alternate dialogue by Hart has been deleted or was never implemented at all.


“…for 2000 gil.” 「……２０００ギルで」 …for 2000 gil.
☞　　　Give him the money ☞　　　金をだそう ☞　　　Give him the money
☞　　　Forget it! ☞　　　ふざけるな！ ☞　　　Don’t be ridiculous!


“…for 5000 gil.” 「……５０００ギルで」 …for 5000 gil.
☞　　　Give him the money ☞　　　金をだそう ☞　　　Give him the money
☞　　　Forget it! ☞　　　ふざけるな！ ☞　　　Don’t be ridiculous!


“…for 15000 gil.” 「……１５０００ギルで」 …for 15000 gil.
☞　　　Give him the money ☞　　　金をだそう ☞　　　Give him the money
☞　　　Forget it! ☞　　　ふざけるな！ ☞　　　Don’t be ridiculous!

The final game makes the “match book title with number” mechanic very clear by the time you’ve paid 2000 gil in the final game. Assuming that the hints were already written, the designers must have meant to split up his hints so that you didn’t get the full puzzle spoiler until you’ve given him the 15,000 gil (bringing you to a grand total of 23,500 gil).

Now, Hart gets a little upset if you ask for yet another hint after the last one…

Hart ハット Hut:
“I can’t believe it! I gave you all 「しかし、これだけの But I gave you all those
these hints, and you STILL don’t get it?” 　ヒントでもわからないとは……」 hints and you still don’t…
“You guys are amazing! 「あなたがた、やっぱりスゴイ人だ。 You really are something.
　いろんなイミで」 In more ways than one….
Really, amazing…” 「こうなったらもう After all that, I might as well go
“Well, seeing as things have come to this, 　ズバリ合言葉をお教えします！ ahead and tell you the password!
I might as well just tell you.”


Hart ハット Hut:
“What do you mean the next hint? 「次のヒントって…… What do you mean, the next hint?
I’ve practically told you, didn’t I?” 　もう、ズバリ答えを I already told you the
　言っちゃったじゃないですか！」 answer, didn’t I?!
“…all right. 「……わかりました。 …Fine.
Since this seems like a special case, 　特別にわたくしのカードキーを I’ll give you my key
I’ll give you MY key card!” 　さしあげましょう！」 card, just this once!

You can never receive the key card from Hart in the final game. Domino has an unused reaction to this failure by AVALANCHE.

ドミノ Domino:
「フン、けっきょくハットに Hm, so I see you got a
　カードをもらったか」 card from Hut.
「やはり頭を使うのは Are you that bad
　苦手かね？」 at using your head?
「言っておくが I’ll tell you anyway.
　ハットのカードでは You can only reach the 65th
　６５階までしかのぼれんよ」 floor with Hut’s card
「私のカードなら…… With my card…
　やっぱり６５階までだ」 Yep, the 65th floor as well.
「神羅め、この私を……市長の私を Those Shinra scum, treating
　助役とおなじあつかいに……」 me like… like an assistant official…

This scrapped dialogue adds an extra layer of humiliation to Domino’s position, as Hart’s card reaches just as high as Domino’s own.

The Transformation of the Password Challenge

Rather than picking a complete sentence, you were to pick four kanji symbols to form the sentence. This meant a 1/256 chance of guessing the right answer.
Hart would give you the option to learn the right password for a whopping 70,000 gil, or pay for hints until he gave you his own password out of pity. If the number of used hints plus the unused instances add up, that cost would have been 23,500 gil. By asking for another hint, Hart was to give you his key card which was of the same type as Domino’s.

The option to pay for the correct password was removed and the total sacrifice of gil reduced to 3500 for all the hints. After paying for the last hint he repeated it every time you spoke to him until the challenge was over.

Domino’s test then became significantly easier as instead of forming a sentence, you ended up having to pick one of six finished potential passwords, meaning the odds were now 1/6.

It is highly speculatory whether the original password challenge was to use one and the same answer for each playthrough or not. My conclusion is that the initial draft was the same as the final one, with the game randomly choosing between a set of possible correct passwords.


That ends that. You can receive a Materia here, but it is never on the field. Hence this piece from a scenario where the mayor was to leave it behind for you:

You cannot take on any more Materia. これいじょうマテリアは持てません。
Please discard some Materia. なにかマテリアをすててください。


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