Final Fantasy 7 community effort to mod unused content back into the classic JRPG takes another big step forward

The Final Fantasy 7 community have been on a long journey to restore cut content, early unused designs, and better localization to the original 1997 JRPG, and they’ve just taken another big step toward completion.

The Shinra Archaeology Cut mod has been slowly rejigging parts of the classic game via various updates, and the latest one “retranslates the game script up through the events of Corel Prison and includes a collection of new optional features,” according to mod makers Shinra Archaeology Department. Final Fantasy 7 was notorious for having a few odd lines in the English translations – “This guy are sick,” for example – and while the modern PC port fixes a few lines, Square Enix still left some garbled parts in.

Elsewhere in the changes is the fact that Cait Sith is getting “an authentic Scottish accent.” That’s because Cait Sith is based on a creature from Scottish folklore called cat-sith, which is why the little guy’s always had an accent in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Advent Children, and Dirge of Cerberus.

Another is the option to restore several of the game’s background images to how they appeared in the initial Japanese release of FFVII rather than their revised versions for FFVII International. (Original left, International right) pic.twitter.com/rt5rYhuq1dJuly 20, 2024

“We’ve also included the option to restore the early versions of several of the games FMVs, as well as an alternate version of the ending FMV with the dialogue found on Tetsuya Nomura’s original storyboard,” the modding team continues. “Another is the option to restore several of the game’s background images to how they appeared in the initial Japanese release of FFVII rather than their revised versions for FFVII International.” And finally, Yuffie now has an optional red and white costume that’s based on her early concept design.

It’s interesting to see new (old?) stuff make its way back into the 27-year-old game, all while Square Enix makes more major, official changes in its ongoing remake trilogy that’ll apparently deliver an even greater ending than the original, according to Rebirth’s co-director.

But even the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth explainer book can’t explain what’s up with the JRPG’s divisive ending.

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