This is my Final Fantasy 6 page. FF6 is a classic; arguably the best RPG ever made and certainly my favorite.
Save files:
- SRM: My Save File For FF6J RPGOne Translation 1.2 (make sure to right click and save as...)
- Slot 1, all characters available and at level 99, all magic learned on all characters, all specialty character skills maxed (sans Gau's rages), all Phantom Beasts, excellent equipment for all, all the best items available. Savegame is positioned just before the final battle with Cefca.
- Slot 2, only the three required characters necessary for facing Cefca have been acquired. They are as uber as they can possibly get and ready to fight Cefca. Play through this save to see a special ending.
- Slot 3, just before you go to the floating island. Most characters are high level. Bonus character Mog already available.
Additional Screenshots: FF6 (PSX), FF3US (SNES)
Soundtrack:
- OST - The original soundtrack has been dumped into SPC files, which you can legally download here among other places. (Wikipedia Entry)
- Grand Finale - A full orchestra version of selected OST songs composed by Nobuo Uematsu - Wikipedia Entry
- Piano Collection - A piano version of selected OST songs performed by Reiko Nomura - Wikipedia Entry
- Orchestral Game Concert 4 - A full orchestra CD with songs from various video games. Track 11 titled "The Dream Oath~Maria and Draku" is from FF6, which is an amazing full performance of the opera by the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra. (More Info)
- Final Fantasy Vocal Collections 1, Pray - A CD with various orchestrated vocal performances. Track 4 titled "Wanderer of Time - FFVI Tina" is a beautiful version of the opening theme (or Tina's theme). (More Info)
FF6 FAQ:
- There are 4 versions of FF6.
- FF6J: The original FF6 was never released outside of Japan. This is, however, the only real version of FF6. Until recently, you either played one of the poor English knockoffs, or learned Japanese to play FF6.
- FF3US: The first English-translated FF6 was renamed to FF3 because the real FF2 and 3 were never sold in the US, making FF6 the third FF game to be released in the US. This version is poorly translated, characters/items/terms were renamed, some stuff was censored, the story was slightly altered, and all around sucked when compared to the real thing.
- FF6A: A version of FF6 was made for the Playstation and released in the Final Fantasy Anthology package. This version is essentially identical to FF3US except a few of the more annoying details have been fixed, such as the some of the horrible translation errors (like the infamous "Fenix Down") and the "FF3" title screen. It's still nowhere near being an accurate English port of FF6 though. On the bright side, the CG movies included with FF6A are absolutely gorgeous.
- FF6J (unoff-j2e): In response to the need for a direct port of FF6 to English, without retaining all the ridiculous version changes, Sky Render of USENET:alt.games.final-fantasy.rpg fame translated FF6's script properly into English and set about to hack the script into Japanese ROM to produce a j2e style hacked FF6J ROM. Details below.
- FF6J: The original FF6 was never released outside of Japan. This is, however, the only real version of FF6. Until recently, you either played one of the poor English knockoffs, or learned Japanese to play FF6.
- Sky Render's properly translated hacked FF6 ROM? Cool! Details please!
In the beginning there was nothing but ambition. When Render realized ROM hacking was harder than he had anticipated, the project was placed on the backburner, much to my disappointment. Sky Render eventually enlisted the help of RPGOne and specifically ChrisRPG. With ChrisRPG as the ROM hacker and Sky Render as the translator, the project took off once again. To download the patch for the FF6J ROM, go here. No, I don't offer the ROM on this site, sorry.
Versions 1.0 and 1.1 of their translation both bore severe issues and while more complete than their 0.x brethren, the "final" nature of their releases brought severe criticism, particularly from the likes of these guys. In all fairness, Derrick Sobodash's review has plenty of merit. Especially when taken in the context that he was reviewing version 1.0 of the translation. I'm not sure how nicely I would have reviewed it either. The the bottom line is though, the translation has improved and Sobodash's review was simply too harsh. I bring before you a review of version 1.2.
First the good things. Overall, I found the translation to be very polished compared to the earlier versions I'd used. The good clearly outweighed the bad. But with FF6 being my favorite game, I've decided to make a list of every single little nitpick I had with the translation, along with an accompanying screenshot, which you can find below. That said, one thing that shine in this translation is the attention to detail. All the original Japanese terminology is directly translated instead of "interpreted" for us English speakers like Woolsey did. I'm particularly fond of the character names, the lack of censorship, and the inflections that some of the characters like Relm and Stragus use. - Here's a few noteworthy highlights.
The opening screen is stunningly beautiful. It was taken from the 3d movies that came with FF6A.
Ah, the real title screen...
Correctly spelled Phoenix Downs! Granted they fixed this in FF6A too, this was my biggest pet peeve in Woolsey's translation.
The new translation is tactfully profane.
This was in Woolsey's version too, but it's one of the better dialogs in the game, so I screenshotted them.
Characters tend to have more quirky, funny, and interesting speech.
Gotta screenshot uncursing the Bloodstained Shield...
Screenshots from Gau's sidequest.
The final showdown...
- Here's the (extensive) list of problems / nitpicks in translation 1.2. This is in (approximate) order of the script.
All instances of "alright" should be changed to "all right". This issue occurs multiple times. "Alright" is a usage error and is not an actual word in the English language.
Grammar problem in this line: "With this on, the wearer can no longer control their thoughts, and are forced to follow orders."
"Wearer" is singular but "their" and "are" are plural.
The line should read instead, "With this on, you no longer had control of your thoughts and were forced to unwillingly follow orders."
Logical problem in this line: "Despite the Empire's rise in power, the city's not about to join the Returners, the underground resistance movement."
This isn't actually Sky Render's fault here, the original text had this problem too. The problem is, Jun shouldn't have to explain what the Returners are to Lock seeing as how Lock's a member. The added clarification in this sentence was added by the original authors to let the player of the game know what the Returners were, but it was a poor decision. They're defined well enough when Lock and Edgar introduce the Returners to Tina. I recommend removing that unnecessary clarification.
The line should read instead, "Despite the Empire's rise in power, the city's not about to join the Returners."
Awkwardness in this line: "Second, you're my favorite type to think of..."
There's nothing technically wrong with that line, but it would convey better meaning if it read, "Second, you're just my type..." This is one case in which localization for English speakers is a good idea.
Even though this is how the original dialog reads in Japanese, there's redundancy in this line: "That's not true. On the contrary, there may be many people who see you as important to them."
To fix this, remove "That's not true." or "On the contrary," - This is another case in which localization for English speakers is a good idea.
Clarity problem / Awkwardness in this line: "I am Cayene, Samurai of the Doma kingdom!! If compelled, I shall fight normally!"
Anyone reading this besides huge fans of Japanese history know what "normally" refers to here? It's Samurai jargon that the vast majority of FF6's audience won't understand. (It has to do with a Samurai fighting against the code of honor for the purpose of survival.) The line should be reworded. This is another case in which localization for English speakers is a good idea.
Spelling problem in this line: "A message from Emperor Ghastra, brough via courier pigeon."
"brough" should be "brought".
Glitch in this line which reads as: "I was going to have to fight at Doma, but I got s
red
and ran away... The Imperial troops found me later, though,"
To fix this, move the s and the invisible c down to the next line.
Phrase association problem in this line: "Cefca is carrying out a plan to massacre the eastern land of Doma using poison, aren't you...!?"
Since Celes wasn't talking to Cefca in that line, the "aren't you...!?" is inappropriate. It should read "isn't he...!?"
Glitch in this line which reads as: "Even if it cost me my life, I refuse to let her go. Th
we shalt duel!"
The cut off line should be fixed and should read something like "Then we shalt duel!"
I disagree with the translation of the gravestones in Darryl's tomb, "RENIRAMBUS A FO NOS" or "SON OF A SUBMARINER". This is one example where Ted Woolsey's localization is actually better. I recommend changing it back to "THE WORLD IS SQUARE" or using something similar, but more appropriate such as "soulstornasunder (Souls Torn Asunder), asoultornasunder (A Soul Torn Asunder), worldofdeadsouls (World Of Dead Souls), or fourbrokenpieces (Four Broken Pieces)."
I disagree with the translation of Stragus' name. Render excuses himself by saying that all official documents call him "Stragos." The ending says "Stragus," yet Render names him "Strago." Why? Use "Stragus" at least for consistency with the ending, or use "Stragos" and change the ending credits.
- So what exactly were all the changes done to FF3US when compared to FF6J?
Sky Render made a complete list for us. I will quote the parts I feel are relevant:
The original copy of the document with more detailed lists of the changes that I did not find relevant enough to list here can be found at the original author's siteFor the US release of FF6 (as FF3US), the following was done:
- Black and white splash screen was added
- Title graphics were changed from Final Fantasy VI to Final Fantasy III
- Background image behind title was removed
- Square logo was replaced with plain text that reads "Square Co., Ltd"
- "Licensed by Nintendo" was added to title screen
- Weimin Li and Aiko Ito were added under Remake Planner, Ted Woolsey under Translator for opening credits
- Both large and small fonts were changed from Japanese to English
- Controller customization was removed
- Sword Skill renaming screen was removed
- Character class titles were removed
- Item count removed from Equip and Accessory menus
- Items were given a type listing (shown after their total number)
- Silence spell's graphic was changed from Kanji to English text (MUTE)
- Siren and Lakshmi summons were censored (clothing was added)
- Pub sign graphics were changed to say Cafe
- MP growth curve was modified to result in lower MP values overall
- A bug was integrated accidentally, which causes the game to lock up if you try to use Sketch on an invisible monster; version 1.1 repaired this
- Bug involving an enemy encounter in the Opera House was fixed
- Bug involving equipping the last item on the item list as a helmet when no helmets are owned was fixed
- Player receives only 1 Valiant Knife after completing the Phoenix Cave (instead of 2, which was presumably a bug)
- Weimin Li and Aiko Ito were added under Remake Planner, Ted Woolsey under Translator for ending credits
Basic Terms:
US Version Japanese Version Magitek Magic-Based Magicite Magirock Cider Wine Moogle Moglie Cafe Pub GP Gil Menus:
US Version Japanese Version Skill Ability Espers Phantom Beast SwdTech Sword Skill Blitz Deathblow Lore Memorized Technique Relics Accessory Character Names:
US Version Japanese Version Terra Tina Locke Lock Sabin Mash Cyan Cayenne Strago Stragos* Banon Banan Kefka Cefca Kupek Moglin Kupop Mogpu Kumama Mogchi Kuku Morul Kutan Mogtan Kupan Mogul Kushu Mogshin Kurin Mogpon Kuru Mugmug Kamog Zumomog Maduin Madeen Vicks Biggs Gerad Geoff Madonna Madaline Duane Dean Kararin Katrina Gestahl Ghastra Elayne Mina Owain Shyun Arvis Jun * - Stragos is listed as Stragus in the ending credits of the game, but all official books about Final Fantasy VI list his name as Stragos.
Misc:
- Location Names were changed
- Stats names were changed
- Status Ailment Names were changed
- Magic Spell Names were changed
- Summoned Monster (Esper) Names were changed
- Summoned Monster Attack (Esper Attack) Names were changed
- Battle Command Names were changed
- Desperation Attack (Limit Brekas) Names were changed
- Magic-Based (Magitech Armor) Attack Names were changed
- Slot Attack Names were changed
- Sword Skill (SwrdTech) Names were changed
- Deathblow (Blitz) Names were changed
- Memorized Technique (Lores) Names were changed
- Dance Names were changed
- Item Names were changed
- Rare Item Names were changed
- Monster Names were changed
- Monster Attack Names were changed
Copyright 2003 Sky Render and RPGone Translations
Alterations made by Eric Newport
- Okay, I'm going to play this game. Got any tips?
No, not really. For all its glory, FF6 is an absurdly easy game. Get a walkthrough if you feel you need one. Sky Render's is a pretty good one.
Some general things... don't let Shadow die on the floating island. When you get to the part where you can jump onto the airship, select "wait" and let your time run out. Shadow will show up at the last second and join you. Also, I recommend getting the Ragnarok Phantom Beast, not the sword. Finally, you MUST get Mog's watery dance while in the world of balance. Otherwise you can't get it. There are some other things to do and not to do, but they're pretty easy to pick up on. Some things people worry about a lot are getting all of Stragus' memorized techniques at the right times or Gau's rages. Don't worry about it. Wait until the end of the game to even attempt all of Stragus' memorized techniques. You can get almost all of them in Cefca's tower, and 90% of them from a single monster who likes to use a bunch of them. As for Gau's rages, don't even bother. Gau's a worthless character and FF6 is too easy a game to bother with making all your characters perfect and uber. You can, however, get all of Gau's rages at the end of the game if you should choose to do so. It's just time consuming and pointless.
