Regional Differences

This is a sub-page of Final Fantasy VII.

To do:
Add more differences between the original Japanese version and the international versions.

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Changes from Japan to International Versions#

General Changes:

The number of available spaces for character names was increased from 6 to 9.
The random encounter rate was reduced in some areas. Random encounters were removed entirely from the square area of Sector 8 at the start of the game, and outside of Holzoff's cabin at the base of Gaea's Cliff.
Third world indicators were added to the background to show areas you could enter, with red indicators representing new places and green indicators representing places you can climb.
The menus were given an overhaul. In the item screen, the Japanese version has two lines for the items while the international versions has one line for the items and has the character portraits affixed to one side.
Diamond Weapon was made into a boss rather than just appearing in a cutscene. This also made it possible to steal Yuffie's "Rising Sun" weapon, which was unused in the Japanese version.
The optional Emerald and Ruby Weapon bosses were added.
The Underwater materia was made accessible.
Three items related to the Emerald/Ruby Weapons were added: The Guidebook, Desert Rose, and Earth Harp.
It was made easier to keep your body temperature up while climbing Gaea's Cliff.
The Temple of the Ancients' clock puzzle removed the more complicated version that was found in the original Japanese version and gives you the simplified version from the start. In the original Japanese version, you had to fail three times to get the simplified version.
The mechanics of the Chocobuckle attack were changed from damage=(number of escapes)*(level of user) to just the number of escapes.
The Test 0 enemy was removed.
The Kalm traveler is introduced.
Minor graphical changes to some backgrounds.
The animation for Safer Sephiroth's Super Nova attack was changed completely, bearing little resemblance to the original and being nearly two minutes long. Japanese Super Nova, US Super Nova. Additionally, the damage algorithm was altered. The original JP had a set spell power, while the US is (damage=current HP*15/16), or roughly 94% of a character's current HP, and it attempts to inflict multiple bad statuses.
A screensaver-like star field was added after the credits, similar to the end credits sequence of Final Fantasy IV.

A few cutscenes were added:

Two new flashback cutscenes were added.
An FMV on Disc 2 was extended to show the new bosses.

A few changes were made in the Speed Square Minigame:

In the original Japanese version there was no point limit for when you shoot the water wheel. In all future versions, there is a point limit of 285.
It is no longer possible to target the Zeppelin's propeller.

A few enemies had their statuses changed:

Chocobo enemies were made immune to Paralyzed.
Gi Nattak was made immune to Sleep and Poison.

All of these changes were incorporated for the game's re-release in Japan as Final Fantasy VII International, along with a bonus disc that westerners never received.

(Source: 1)

Changes from US to EU Versions#

Since the Speed Square minigames function at different speeds depending on the version, the European version is slower than the North American version, making it easier.
A few of the texts were changed between the two English language versions of the game:

The description of the Peace Ring is more accurate in the European version:

US	Europe
Protects against [Berserk/Fury/Sadness]	Protects against [Confu/Berserk/Fury/Sadness]

The location names of the two floors of the Kalm inn were made consistent:

US	Europe
1st floor of inn Inn: 2f	Inn: 1f Inn: 2f

A Japanese-style emoticon (which isn't present in the Japanese text either) was removed from a note at the Mount Corel bridge:

US	Europe
“The shack is here!! (^^);”	“The shack is here!!”

The name of the level 4 prize of the submarine game in the Gold Saucer was corrected:

US	Europe
Received "Caldron"!	Received "Cauldron"!

The name of an item received at the bottom of the Northern Cave was properly localized:

US	Europe
Received "Last Elixir"!	Received "Megalixir"!

The message shown when getting the Knights of the Round materia was corrected:

US	Europe
Received "Knight of the Round" Materia!	Received "Knights of the Round" Materia!

A nonsensical phrase in the Materia division tutorial was removed:

US	Europe
“That's why, the amount of Materia that we can have is limited to 200… only what we can equip.”	“That's why, the amount of Materia that we can have is limited to 200….”

One sentence in the save tutorial was removed:

US	Europe
Put the Card firmly into the slot. Put it in either the right or left side. Then when you're ready, access the menu.	Put the Card firmly into the slot. Then when you're ready, access the menu.

The PlayStation name was removed from the instructions in the game's tutorial rooms:

US	Europe
“Do not open the PlayStation or change discs until instructed.” “Until you get instructions, don't open or take discs out of the PlayStation.”	“Do not open the Console or change discs until instructed.” “Until you get instructions, don't open or take discs out of the Console.”

A misspelled error message on the save screen was changed (looks like somebody messed up, though...):

US	Europe
No enough memory left on Memory card.	Please change this to “Memory card full”

Changes between Spanish Rev 0 and Spanish Rev 1#

The Spanish-language version of the game was revised around one month after its release. Aside from Japan with its "International" release, Spain was the only region to get a revised release, and it only updated one file: init/kernel.bin.

init/kernel.bin	Rev 0	Rev 1
Date	1997-09-19	1997-10-17

The changes to `init/kernel.bin` only shortened the descriptions of some items, weapons, armor, and accessories. It's not clear why they were changed, as the longer descriptions don't seem to cause any problems.

English name	English description	Spanish name	Spanish desc. Rev 0	Spanish desc. Rev 1
Champion Belt	“Power”&“Vitality” +30	Cinturón campeón	“Fuerza”y“Vitalidad” +30	“Fuerza”y“Vital” +30
Poison Ring	Drains [Poison] attacks, protects against [Poison]	Anillo veneno	Agota ataques de [Veneno], protege contra [Veneno]	Baja [Ve] anti[Ve]
Touph Ring	“Vitality”&“Spirit” +50	Anillo fuerte	“Vitalidad”y“Espíritu” +50	“Vital”y“Espír” +50
Circlet	“Magic”&“Spirit” +30	Círculo	“Magia”y“Espíritu” +30	“Magia”y“Espír” +30
Silver Glasses	Protects against [Darkness]	Vasos plata	Protege contra [Oscuridad]	Anti [Oscuridad]
Headband	Protects against [Sleep]	Diadema	Protege contra [Sueño]	Anti [Sueño]
Fairy Ring	Protects against [Poison/Darkness]	Anillo hada	Protege contra [Veneno/Oscuridad]	Anti [Ven/Osc]
Jem Ring	Protects against [Paralyze/Petrify/Slow-numb]	Anillo gema	Protege contra [Paralizar/Petrificar/Adormecer]	Anti [Par/Pet/Ador]
White Cape	Protects against [Frog/Small]	Capa blanca	Protege contra [Rana/Pequeño]	Anti [Rana/Peq]
Sprint Shoes	Automatically put you in [Haste]	Zapatillas	Pone en estado de [Prisa]	Estado [Prisa]
Peace Ring	Protects against [Berserk/Fury/Sadness]	Anillo paz	Protege contra [Confusión/Locura/Furia/Tristeza]	Anti [Co/Lo/Fur/Tr]
Ribbon	Protects against all abnormal status	Cinta	Protege contra estados anormales	Anti anormalidad
Tetra Elemental	Drains [Fire/Cold/Lightning/Earth] attacks	Tetra elemental	Agota ataques de [Fuego/Frío/Rayo/Tierra]	Baja [Fu/Fr/Ray/Ti]
Safety Bit	Protects against [Sudden Death/Petrify/Slow-numb]	Trozo seguridad	Protege [Muerte repentina/Petrificar/Adormecer]	Anti [Mue/Pet/Ador]
Curse Ring	It increases each status but…	Anillo mala suerte	Aumenta cada estado pero…	Sube cada estado pero…
Protect Ring	Automatically sets up [Barrier/MBarrier]	Anillo protector	Establece [Barrera/BarreraM]	Pone [Barr/BarrM]
Reflect Ring	Automatically sets up [Reflect]	Anillo reflejo	Establece [Reflejo]	Pone [Reflejo]
HypnoCrown	Increases Manipulation rate	Hipnocorona	Aumenta veloc. manipulación	Más rapidez
Dragon Armlet	Drains 1/2 [Fire/Cold/Lightning] attack	Aro de dragón	Agota 1/2 [Fuego/Frío/Rayo]	1/2 [Fueg/Frío/Ray]
Minerva Band	Women's Armlet nullifies [Fire/Cold/Gravity/Holy]	Aro de Minerva	Aro de mujer anula [Fuego/Frío/Gravedad/Sagrado]	Anula [Fu/Fr/Gr/Sa]
Escort Guard	Man's Armlet nullifies [Lightning/Earth/Water/Poison]	Guardia escolta	Aro de hombre anula [Rayo/Tierra/Agua/Veneno]	Anula [Ra/Ti/Ag/Ve]
Ziedrich	Decreases all elemental attacks by 1/2	Cesador	Disminuye 1/2 de ataques elementales	Baja 1/2 ataq elem
Precious Watch	A gorgeous watch	Reloj precioso	Un reloj precioso	Reloj precioso
Smoke Bomb	Can escape from opponents during battle	Bomba humo	Puedes escapar durante batalla	Para escapar
Speed Drink	Casts [Haste] on one ally	Bebida velocidad	Hechiza [Prisa] a aliado	[Prisa] a aliado
Hero Drink	Raises ability once during battle	Bebida héroe	Aumenta capacidad una vez	Una habilidad más
Vaccine	Protects against transformations	Vacuna	Protege de transformaciones	Anti transformación
Grenade	Explosive damage against one opponent	Granada	Daño explosivo contra un enemigo	Daña al enemigo
Shrapnel	Explosive damage against all opponents	Metralla	Daño explosivo contra enemigos	Daña a enemigos
Right arm	Explosive damage against all opponents	Brazo derecho	Daño explosivo contra enemigos	Daña a enemigos
Kiss of Death	Uses “Death” on all opponents	Beso mortal	Da “Muerte” a enemigos	Da “Muerte” a enemigos
Dream Powder	Uses “Sleepel” on all opponents	Polvo dormir	Da “Sueño” en enemigos	“Sueño” a enemigos
Mute Mask	Uses “Silence” on all opponents	Máscara silencio	Da “Silencio” en enemigos	“Silencio” a enemigos
War Gong	Uses “Berserk” on all opponents	Gong	Da “Locura” a todos los enemigos	“Locura” a enemigos
Loco weed	Uses “Confu” on all opponents	Hierbas	Da “Confusión” a enemigos	“Confusión” a enemigos
Fire Fang	Uses “Fire2” on all opponents	Colmillo fuego	Usa “Fuego 2” en todos los enemigos	“Fueg 2” a enemigos
Fire Veil	Uses “Fire3” on all opponents	Velo fuego	Usa “Fuego 3” en enemigos	“Fueg 3” a enemigos
Antarctic Wind	Uses “Ice2” on all opponents	Viento antártico	Usa “Hielo 2” en enemigos	“Hiel 2” a enemigos
Ice Crystal	Uses “Ice3” on all opponents	Cristal hielo	Usa “Hielo 3” en enemigos	“Hiel 3” a enemigos
Bolt Plume	Uses “Bolt2” on all opponents	Pluma rayo	Usa “Rayo 2” en enemigos	“Rayo 2” a enemigos
Swift Bolt	Uses “Bolt3” on all opponents	Rayo rápido	Usa “Rayo 3” en enemigos	“Rayo 3” a enemigos
Earth Drum	Uses “Quake2” on all opponents	Tambor tierra	Usa “Sismo 2” en enemigos	“Sismo 2” a enemigos
Earth Mallet	Uses “Quake3” on all opponents	Mazo tierra	Usa “Sismo 3” en enemigos	“Sismo 3” a enemigos
Deadly Waste	Uses “Bio2” on all opponents	Basura letal	Usa “Bio2” en enemigos	“Bio2” a enemigos
M-Tentacles	Uses “Bio3” on all opponents	M-Tentáculos	Usa “Bio3” en enemigos	“Bio3” a enemigos
Stardust	Uses “Comet2” on all opponents	Polvo estelar	Usa “Cometa 2” en enemigos	“Comet2” a enemigos
Light Curtain	Creates [Barrier] around all allies	Cortina de luz	Crea [Barrera] rodeando aliados	[Barr] rodea aliado
Lunar Curtain	Creates [MBarrier] around all allies	Cortina lunar	Crea [Barrera M] rodeando aliados	[BarM] rodea aliado
Mirror	Uses “Reflect” on all allies	Espejo	Usa “Reflejo” en aliados	“Reflejo” en aliados
Holy Torch	Uses “DeSpell” on all opponents	Antorcha sagrada	Usa “Hec.Mrt.” en enemigos	“Hec Mrt” a enemigo
Bird Wing	Uses whirlwind on all opponents	Ala pájaro	Usa torbellino en enemigos	Produce torbellino
Dragon Scales	Water damage on all opponents	Escamas dragón	Daño por agua en enemigos	Daño por agua
Impaler	Changes one opponent to a frog	Empalar	Transforma a enemigo en rana	Transforma en rana
Shrivel	Uses “Mini” on one opponent	Secado	Transforma a enemigo en pequeño	Transforma en peq
Molotov	Fire damage on one opponent	Molotov	Daño por fuego a enemigo	Daño por fuego
S-mine	Explosive damage on one opponent	Mina S	Daño explosivo a enemigo	Daño a enemigo
Graviball	Uses “Demi” against one opponent	Gravibola	Usa “Semi” contra enemigo	“Semi” al enemigo
T/S Bomb	Uses “Demi2” against one opponent	Bomba T/S	Usa “Semi2” contra enemigo	“Semi2” al enemigo
Ink	Uses [Darkness] against one opponent	Tinta	Usa [Oscuridad] contra enemigo	[Oscur] al enemigo
Dragon Fang	Lightning damage against all opponents	Colmillo dragón	Daño por rayo contra enemigos	Daño por rayo
Cauldron	Uses [Poison/Confu/Sleepel/Silence/Small/Frog]	Caldera	Usa [Veneno/Conf/Sueño/Silen/Pequeño/Rana]	[Ve/Co/Su/Si/Pe/Ra]
Sylkis Greens	When you want a Chocobo…	Verduras Sylkis	Si quieres un Chocobo…	Si deseas un Chocobo…
Reagan Greens	When you want a Chocobo…	Verduras Reagan	Si quieres un Chocobo…	Si deseas un Chocobo…
Mimett Greens	When you want a Chocobo…	Verduras Mimett	Si quieres un Chocobo…	Si deseas un Chocobo…
Curiel Greens	When you want a Chocobo…	Verduras Curiel	Si quieres un Chocobo…	Si deseas un Chocobo…
Pahsana Greens	When you want a Chocobo…	Verduras Pahsana	Si quieres un Chocobo…	Si deseas un Chocobo…
Tantal Greens	When you want a Chocobo…	Verduras Tantal	Si quieres un Chocobo…	Si deseas un Chocobo…
Krakka Greens	When you want a Chocobo…	Verduras Krakka	Si quieres un Chocobo…	Si deseas un Chocobo…
Gysahl Greens	When you want a Chocobo…	Verduras Gysahl	Si quieres un Chocobo…	Si deseas un Chocobo…
Tent	Restores ally's max HP/MP. Use at Save Point.	Carpa	Restau. max PG/PM aliado. Usar en Guard. punto.	Máx PG/PM (G. pto)
Zeio Nut	When you want to breed Chocobos…	Nuez Zeio	Si quieres criar Chocobos…	Para criar Chocobos…
Carob Nut	When you want to breed Chocobos…	Nuez Algarrobo	Si quieres criar Chocobos…	Para criar Chocobos…
Porov Nut	When you want to breed Chocobos…	Nuez Porov	Si quieres criar Chocobos…	Para criar Chocobos…
Pram Nut	When you want to breed Chocobos…	Nuez Pram	Si quieres criar Chocobos…	Para criar Chocobos…
Lasan Nut	When you want to breed Chocobos…	Nuez Lasan	Si quieres criar Chocobos…	Para criar Chocobos…
Saraha Nut	When you want to breed Chocobos…	Nuez Saraha	Si quieres criar Chocobos…	Para criar Chocobos…
Luchile Nut	When you want to breed Chocobos…	Nuez Luchile	Si quieres criar Chocobos…	Para criar Chocobos…
Pepio Nut	When you want to breed Chocobos…	Nuez Pepio	Si quieres criar Chocobos…	Para criar Chocobos…
Battery	Looks like it can start some sort of machine	Batería	Puede iniciar una máquina	Puede iniciar máquina
Tissue	This one's a little tough…	Pañuelo	Este es algo difícil…	Esto es difícil…
Omnislash	Learn Limit Skill “Omnislash”	Omnilátigo	Habilidad límite “Omnilátigo”	Hab lím “Omnilátig”
Catastrophe	Learn Limit Skill “Catastrophe”	Catástrofe	Habilidad límite “Catástrofe”	Hab lím “Catástrof”
Final Heaven	Learn Limit Skill “Final Heaven”	Cielo final	Habilidad límite “Cielo final”	Hab lím “Cielo fin”
Great Gospel	Learn Limit Skill “Great Gospel”	Gran evangelio	Habilidad límite “Gran evangelio”	Hab lím “G evangel”
Cosmo Memory	Learn Limit Skill “Cosmo Memory”	Mem. cósmica	Habilidad límite “Memoria cósmica”	Hab lím “Me cósmic”
All Creation	Learn Limit Skill “All Creation”	Toda creación	Habilidad límite “Toda creación”	Hab lím “Creación”
Chaos	Learn Limit Skill “Chaos”	Caos	Habilidad límite “Caos”	Hab lím “Caos”
Highwind	Learn Limit Skill “Highwind”	Gran viento	Habilidad límite “Gran viento”	Hab lím “G viento”
1/35 soldier	Shinra armored ‘attack’ soldiers: 12 in the set!	Soldado 1/35	Soldados Shinra de ataque ‘armado’: ¡12 en acción!	Shinra ‘armds’: 12
Super Sweeper	A new machine to protect the reactor!	Super barredor	Nueva máquina para proteger reactor	Máq protege reactor
Masamune Blade	A perfect copy of Sephiroth's sword!	Espada Masamune	¡Copia real de espada de Sefirot!	Espada de Sefirot
Save Crystal	Use this to create a SAVE Point in the ‘North Cave’	Cristal salvador	Crea Guardar punto en ‘Caverna del norte’	Guard pt ‘Cav del N’
Combat Diary	A record of Master Dio's fiercest battles	Diario de combate	Lista de luchas más reñidas de Mstro. Dio	Luchas de Dio
Gambler	Second part of Dio's diary: The Gold Saucer years	Jugador	2da. parte del diario de Dio: Los Años de Gold Saucer	Vol 2: En Gold S
Earth Harp	Calms the hearts of all who hear it	Arpa tierra	Calma el corazón del que la oye	Calma al que la oye
Guide Book	Map of another world. It slumbers with sunken ships	Guía	Mapa de otro mundo. Yace con barcos hundidos	Mapa en naufragios
Yoshiyuki	Sword is used when an ally is down	Yoshiyuki	Espada usada si cae el aliado	Espada de ayuda
Master Fist	Power up when condition changes	Puño maestro	Reanima al cambiar condición	Reanimar cambio
Gatling Gun	Initial equip. Long range weapon	Arma abrir	Equip. inicial. Largo alcance	Largo alcance
Princess Guard	Raises Power when you need to protect others nearby	Guarda princesa	Aumenta poder para poder proteger a otros	Poder para proteger

(Source: jrra)