Patches

All patches require a ROM with a header, if applicable. Any patch labelled as a bug fix is optimized in a manner such that no free space has been consumed. It should therefore come as no surprise that certain patches classified as such only change a small number of bytes. “Uncredited” indicates that the bug in question is apparent or common to such an extent that it would be inappropriate to credit an individual for its discovery. The information contained herein may or may not apply to the PlayStation versions of the game.

  1. Bug Fixes
    1. Verdant Respite Fix
    2. Disorganized Formation Fix
    3. Instant Airship Fix
    4. The Sleazy Lender Fix
    5. Missing Dialogue Fix
    6. The Magic Bridge Fix
    7. Flight of Storm Drgn Fix
    8. Naming Shadow Fix
    9. Vanishing Magicite Fix
    10. Transportation Device Fix
    11. The Echoing Waters Fix
    12. The Invisible Hanger Fix
    13. Broken Gate Fix
    14. The Cowardly Dog Fix
    15. Missing Light Fix
    16. Narshe's Secret Entrance Fix
    17. Shop Menu Fix
    18. Magic Sorting Fix
    19. Misplaced Cursor Fix
    20. The Unilateral Blockade Fix
    21. Frozen Mosaic Fix
    22. Song Title Corrections
    23. Shadow Chupon Fix
    24. A World of Corruption Fix
    25. The Peninsula of Death Fix
    26. Amnesic Cursor Fix
  2. Miscellaneous
    1. Color Restoration
Bug Fixes
File and Data Description

Verdant Respite Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

This fix adds the “allow random encounters” attribute to all the light-green grass tiles with dark-green pixels in a corner; such tiles are only found in the World of Balance, outside of the Veldt.

The following illustration provides a visual representation of how the aforementioned tiles are laid on the overworld map, specifically the area around Narshe: download.

Disorganized Formation Fix

Applicable for
GBA (JU)

Bug discovered by
genkaku666

In order for each monster to fit the smaller screen of the Game Boy Advance, certain monster formations have been slightly altered from their original positions. The Prometheus, Fortis formation was done in such a manner that Prometheus, in a pincer attack, will appear on the same side as Fortis, where half of it will be off the edge of the screen. This bug was fixed for the European release.

This patch fixes the bug by substituting each coordinate value of a monster with the corresponding value obtained from the European release.

Instant Airship Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

When you go aboard the airship while it is in flight, the game sets a flag that will put you in control of the airship the next time the overworld map is accessed. This flag, however, is not cleared when the game-over screen appears. As a result, it is possible to take control of the airship at any point in the game, depending on where the game is saved, and provided that the game is not interrupted once the flag is set, as it is not stored in SRAM.

There are two ways to trigger this bug. The first method involves the Floating Continent and imposes certain requirements, which are summarized as follows:

  1. Go aboard the airship from the overworld map, not the Floating Continent (may not be required).
  2. Go to the Floating Continent without going through the IAF sequence.
  3. Get annihilated on the Floating Continent.

The second method has yet to see the light of day, and—in response to all the negative publicity aimed at my Airship/Game Over Bug Guide—may never even be made public.

The bug is resolved by secretly loading the overworld map before the game-over screen appears. As an alternative solution, it would have been possible to prevent the flag from being set, but I decided not to pursue this option, as I am not certain whether the flag serves any useful purpose to the game.

The Sleazy Lender Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

The game wrongly deducts 150 GP instead of 80 GP whenever the party rents a chocobo in Nikeah; this patch rectifies that.

Missing Dialogue Fix

Applicable for
SNES (1.0, 1.1)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

In the SNES versions, there are two instances where the End of Message control character is improperly used, which has the effect of preventing the remaining portion of the message from being displayed. They are as follows:

  1. EDGAR: I thought we were allies! What are you doing in my domain?<End of Message>TROOPER: Allies? The Empire and this back-water, two-bit kingdom?!
  2. EDGAR: We can only fight Magitek enemies with Magitek weapons…<End of Message>BANON: Fool! That's how the Magi Wars are said to have started! EDGAR: Then what do we do? BANON: We have to communicate with an Esper… LOCKE: With an Esper!?

This patch fixes the bug by replacing each occurrence with the originally intended Page Break control.

The Magic Bridge Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

In South Figaro, it is possible to cross the river via a secret passage behind the cafe and thereby go through Locke's scenario without stealing clothes, which produces a few oddities. The existence of the shortcut is a direct result of having a black, passable tile on the first background layer at the specified location.

The resolution of the problem is achieved by using a black, impassable tile from the respective tileset, which coincidentally appears immediately before the faulty tile in the said tileset.

Flight of Storm Drgn Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

This patch fixes the bug where Storm Drgn is shifted a space upward each time it performs a complete revolution—a process that causes the creature to eventually loop around the map and, from the perspective of the player, become invisible.

Naming Shadow Fix

Version 1.1

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

The function that invokes the naming screen for Shadow during Sabin's scenario fails to account for the fact that the party's leader may not necessarily be Sabin. As a result, minor oddities will arise should Cyan be the lead party member when the event occurs.

This patch eliminates the bug by replacing all of the references to Sabin in the code with references to the lead party member.

Vanishing Magicite Fix

Version 1.1

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

In Zozo, when the Maduin magicite glows in the presence of Terra, it is actually Siren that serves to represent Maduin. Because an entity cannot exist in two places at the same time, neglecting to collect Siren will result in the disappearance of the object from its original location, so that it may interact with Terra. Likewise, shortly after the flashback concludes, the magicite is relocated.

The rectification of this oversight is achieved by resorting to the Ramuh magicite, which effectually prevents such a situation from occurring, as one cannot extricate oneself from acquiring this particular esper.

Transportation Device Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

The game wrongly places two mismatching tiles on the westernmost transportation device of the Floating Continent each time it finishes its animation; the patch corrects this minor defect.

The following image illustrates the difference between the tiles: download.

The Echoing Waters Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

Following the inclusion of Banon at the Returners' Hideout, the ambient music heard within the tunnel leading to Lete River is played 28% louder than intended, and will only adjust itself upon leaving the menu or reentering the area; the patch addresses this issue.

The Invisible Hanger Fix

Applicable for
GBA (J)

Bug discovered by
(Uncredited)

In order for each monster to fit the smaller screen of the Game Boy Advance, certain monster formations have been slightly altered from their original positions. The Drop x3 formation was done in such a manner that the monsters appear as if they were suspended by an invisible support structure, as none of the sprites actually touch the top edge of the screen. This bug is exclusive to the Japanese version of the game.

The bug is resolved by substituting each coordinate value of a monster with the corresponding value obtained from the American release.

Broken Gate Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

After Vicks destroys the gate inside the mines of Narshe, the game wrongly places a mismatching tile in the newly revealed area; the patch corrects this minor defect.

The following image illustrates the difference between the two tiles: download.

The Cowardly Dog Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

The function that integrates Shadow into the party at Albrook fails to account for the fact that Shadow may never have been granted Interceptor status. As a result, it is possible for Interceptor to remain unavailable until Shadow is recruited in the World of Ruin.

This patch corrects the oversight by inflicting the aforementioned status on Shadow as the party disembarks at Crescent Island.

Missing Light Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
(Uncredited)

The light object that sits on a chest inside Kefka's Tower was configured to disappear after the interconnected switches for the second and third parties have been pushed simultaneously. The purpose of this object is simply to demonstrate that the chest serves as a switch. While it is reactivated when you exit the tower, the object ceases to exist after Poltrgeist is defeated.

The patch corrects that behavior by preventing the object from becoming unavailable.

Narshe's Secret Entrance Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

The game wrongly places a mismatching tile on the secret entrance in Narshe following the party's escape from the cave at the beginning of the game; the patch corrects this minor defect.

The following image illustrates the difference between the two tiles: download.

Shop Menu Fix

Version 1.1

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

This patch fixes the bug that causes the shop menu to display improperly when the player closes the buy menu on the first possible frame; under certain circumstances, reentering the buy menu would freeze the game. This bug is exclusive to the Super Famicom and Super Nintendo versions of the game.

Magic Sorting Fix

Applicable for
SNES (1.0, 1.1)

Bug discovered by
Novalia Spirit

In both SNES versions, the function that makes the magic menu more compact in battle fails to account for the fact that the standard, triple-column format was abandoned. As a result, the algorithm excludes three unavailable spells at a time rather than two, which can make the menu more difficult to navigate. This fix makes the necessary adjustments to the code.

Misplaced Cursor Fix

Applicable for
SNES (1.0, 1.1)

Bug discovered by
Lenophis

Returning from a subscreen in the Espers menu causes the scrolling cursor to be shifted upward by eight pixels from its intended position; the patch corrects this minor defect.

The Unilateral Blockade Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JU)

Bug discovered by
assassin17, (Uncredited)

Bug description courtesy of assassin17:

A lone Latimeria and a lone L.90 Magic can both pincer attack your party. That's obviously illogical. Maybe you're pincered between the single enemy and a volatile pocket of air? Almost all formations of single enemies have pincer attacks disabled in the data (or have a forced front, back, or side attack), but somehow these two slipped through. Curiously, they do have back attack disabled.

Note that this bug was fixed for the European Game Boy Advance release.

Frozen Mosaic Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1)

Discoverer of bug is unknown

This bug requires the activation of the mosaic effect from a subscreen in which you can switch between characters. For instance, try to access SwdTech from Terra's skills menu, then quickly press L or R. After the screen fades back in, the mosaic pattern will remain, and will only dissolve once the main menu is closed, or if the mosaic effect is triggered again. The SNES versions correct this behavior to a degree, as the requirements are more restrictive, thereby requiring more precise timing.

Song Title Corrections

Applicable for
GBA (J)

Bug discovered by
(Uncredited)

In the music player, the string “Magi” is not displayed as such. Rather, “h_control” takes its place, which is what the data actually contains; this patch rectifies that.

Shadow Chupon Fix

Applicable for
SNES (1.0, 1.1)

Bug discovered by
(Uncredited)

Betting the Striker at the colosseum will result in two names appearing under the opponent if Shadow is the contender. The function whose purpose is to overwrite the name of the rival with that of Shadow fails in doing so, as it employs incorrect coordinates. Hence, regardless of the circumstances, Chupon will always be listed.

The issue is resolved simply by substituting the aforementioned coordinates. Refer to the documentation for additional details.

A World of Corruption Fix

Applicable for
SFC

Discoverer of bug is unknown

This patch corrects a problem in the Super Famicom version where attempting to simultaneously board the airship and access the main menu will result in the corruption of map graphics in video memory.

The Peninsula of Death Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1), GBA (JUE)

Bug discovered by
assassin17

The zone covering a large portion of the peninsula directly east of Kefka's Tower has its enemy encounters set to default, thereby resulting in encounters that solely involve Leafers, which occasionally ally with Dark Winds. This patch addresses the issue by reproducing the characteristics of the zone that covers the rest of the peninsula.

Amnesic Cursor Fix

Applicable for
SFC, SNES (1.0, 1.1)

Bug discovered by
(Uncredited)

This patch remediates the problem whereby the item menu, when configured to remember the position of the cursor, fails to update the memorized position following the expenditure of a Tent, Warp Stone, or Rename Card.

Miscellaneous
File and Data Description

Color Restoration

Applicable for
GBA (JUE)

To accommodate for the undersized, relatively dark monitor of the Game Boy Advance, a variety of colors in Final Fantasy VI Advance exhibit a higher degree of saturation than that of the earlier versions. Consequently, the graphics generally appear brighter, and certain colors diverge significantly from their original specifications. As such, the purpose of this patch is to restore the colors to their former state.

A more detailed description is contained within the document bundled with the release. A collection of images designed to provide a basis for comparison can be found here.