The “debug room” of Final Fantasy VII is a hidden area present in every copy of the game that isn’t intended for players to ever visit. It existed only for the developers to test scenarios and other assets – as well as work through stress with a bit of maniacal humor – and normally, we might except a “debug room” to be deleted from the final product. In this case, however, it was evidently easier (or less risky) to leave its coding alone but just make it impossible for players to access.
That sounds like a challenge, said players. And thus did fans crack the Debug Room, gain access, and share the amusing – and sometimes disturbing – tales of wading into a place only meant for programmers who slept a shared total of thirteen hours in the past month.
The Debug Room does have some interesting content – not the least of which is Clerith-related.
The player controls Cloud when visiting the Debug Room, and you can visit different “rooms” that are likely the play-area of different developers so they could focus on the content they were in charge of. In the room that likely belongs to Hiroki Chiba, you will see a number of character models standing against a black screen, and you are able to talk to each of them and access various scenarios and locations.
If Cloud talks to young Tifa, a menu pops up:
- love love
- 7ban dokan
- matte matte
- checkyou kouen
- yameta
You’ll see right away the English translation is half-assed at best, but “love love” is recognizeable enough. What scene could be called the “love love” scene?
Click it, and the scene you start is… Cloud and Aeris’s “date” in the Sector 6 park, right before they take a break and sit side-by-side at the playground.
Cute, right? Interesting to know that a developer was the one to term this scene the “love love” scene!
Some other fun info! In the screenshot above, you’ll see that Aeris’s name is “Earith” in the Debug Room. Here are the character names:
- Ballet
- Earith
- Tifa
- Red
- Ketcy
- Cid
- Yufi
- Vince
Recognize them all? What’s more fun is that, for no discernable reason, some of the characters also have a special joke nickname. While some of these jokes were lost in the English version, Aeris’s is intact:
How fitting! Aeris is “Princess.” Selecting this will change Aeris’s name to “Princess” in your menu.
But let’s talk about the most infamous room in the Debug Room.
Players get the option to select either “Fore those in a hurry” or “For those with a little time.” Selecting the latter will give Cloud free roam to chat with the other characters – two doctors and a giant Aeris, as well as one more hidden character… the floor.
Huh? You’re not thinking of… stepping on me are you?
The floor, Debug Room
I may be a floor but that don’t give you the right!!
Interacting with the floor (near Giant Aeris) will result in this conversation. If you step forward.. the floor screams, audibly.
Let’s ignore that and move on and talk with Giant Aeris. Here’s what she says:
Hello there, wanna be-hero.
Giant Aeris, Debug Room
You ready for your journey?
Talking to her will bring up a list of locations that Cloud can then be transported to upon selection. The last option doesn’t seem like a location in Final Fantasy VII, however: Hades.
Hades? As in, “hell”?
Click it, and Aeris says:
Silly…
Giant Aeris, Debug Room
Didn’t anyone tell you?
This IS Hades.
Did I mention those programmers probably needed more sleep?
Earth & Sky: A Cloud x Aeris Love Story 