Development:The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/Script Differences

This is a sub-page of Development:The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

To do: Compare the entire script including other localizations. For example, "Chris Houlihan" being renamed to "Chris Anthem": SFC.7z\SFC\ソースデータ\ゼルダの伝説神々のトライフォース\フランス_PAL\Fra_msg\bun\fra_zelda3.txt SFC.7z\SFC\ソースデータ\ゼルダの伝説神々のトライフォース\ドイツ_PAL\Ger_msg\bun\back\msgall.da French version prototypes with the "Retour vers le Passé" subtitle. Fix the Maiden dialogue comparisons to actually be comparisons rather than the very confusing bunched-up method below.

Maiden Dialogue English Drafts

Earlier drafts of the Maidens' English dialogue can be found in the files named yama00.txt through yama0a.txt.

Yama00.txt

Draft                                  Release
...This world used to be the           ...This world used to be the
Sacred Land where the Triforce         Golden Land where the Triforce
was placed.                            was hidden.

But, the man who found it...
Because Gannon, the boss of            But because Ganon, the boss
thieves wished it, the world           of thieves, wished it the world
was transformed...                     was transformed...

I'm sure he's intending to		I'm sure he's intending to
conquer even our Light World		conquer even our Light World
after building his power here.		after building his power here.

Using the powers of the
descendants of the seven wise          He is trying to open a larger
men as keys, he is going to try        gate between worlds near the
to open an even larger path            castle using our powers.
around the castle.  But, the           But the gate is not open
path is not open completely...         completely yet...

There is still time! If the            If we seven maidens come
seven of us come together, we          together, we can break the
can break the barrier around           barrier around Ganon's hiding
Gannon's hiding place.                 place.

I will tell you where the other        I will tell you where the other
girls are held.  I believe you         girls are held. I believe you
will destroy Gannon.                   will destroy Ganon.

I will return to my original           I will return to my original
shape at that time.                    form at that time.

Yama01.txt

Draft                                  Release
That is why it was hidden in           That is why it was hidden in
the Sacred Land.  Knowledge of         the Golden Land. Only a select
this place was had by only a           few knew of its location,

select few individuals.                but at some point that
But, at some point that                knowledge was lost...
knowledge was lost...

The person who rediscovered            The person who rediscovered
the Sacred Land was the evil           the Golden Land was
Gannondorf the thief.                  Ganondorf the evil thief.

Luckily, he couldn't figure out		Luckily, he couldn't figure out	
how to return to the Light		how to return to the Light
World...				World...

...Well, remember...                   ...Well, remember that you
You have magical powers only           have magical powers, which only
The Hero can make the most of!         The Hero can make the most of!

There are some other magical           There are some other magical
warping points like the one you        warping points like the one you
saw on Mount Hebra.                    saw on Death Mountain.

By using them you can go back          By using them you can go
and forth between the two              between the two worlds and
worlds and find the monsters           find the evils hidden in the

hiding in the Dark World.              Dark World. You are the only
You are the only one who can           one who can destroy
destory Gannondorf the thief-          Ganondorf, the thief-no,

no, Gannon the evil King Of            Ganon, the evil King Of
Darkness...  I will pray for           Darkness!
you!

Yama02.txt

Draft                                  Release
If the evil one destroys the           If the evil one destroys the
Hero, nothing can save the             Hero, nothing can save the
world from falling to evil.            world from his wicked reign.

I also recall that only a person       Only a person of the Knights Of
of the Knights Of Hyrule who           Hyrule, who protected the
protected the royalty of Hylia         royalty of Hylia, can become
can become the Hero...                 the Hero...

Yama03.txt

Draft                                  Release
It is strange that the last one        It is ironic that the last one in
in the line has the potential to       the line has the potential to
become the Hero of legend.             become the Hero of legend.

Surely you can destory Gannon!         Surely you can destroy Ganon!

Yama04.txt

Draft                                  Release
If we combine the courage of           Our powers will increase if we
the Knights with the wisdom of         mix the courage of the Knights
the wise men, our powers will          with the wisdom of the wise
increase.                              men.

We have only a short time until        Only a short time remains
the path at the castle that            until the gate at the castle
connects the Light and Dark            linking the worlds opens
Worlds opens completely.               completely.

I believe that if you destroy          If you defeat
Gannon, the Dark World will            Ganon, this world will vanish
vanish and the Triforce will           and the Triforce will wait for
wait for a new owner.                  a new holder.

Yama05.txt

Draft                                   Release
Gannon captured us because he           Ganon captured us because he
couldn't break the seal of the          couldn't break the seal of the
wise men with his power alone.          wise men with his power alone.

And then, using the wizard		And then, using the wizard
Agahnim as his pawn, he drew us		Agahnim as his pawn, he drew us
to the Dark World.			to the Dark World.

After cracking the seal with            After cracking the seal with
our powers we were no longer            our powers, he sealed us inside
useful to him, so he sealed us          of these crystals.
inside of these crystals.

He then offered us to his loyal         He then gave us to his loyal
monsters.  But the fatal gap in         monsters. But Ganon didn't
Gannon's plan was he didn't             plan on your getting this far.
know about you.

Yama06.txt

Draft                                  Release
I appreciate your coming so far        I appreciate your coming so far
to rescue me.  As I thought,           to rescue me. As I thought,
you are the legendary Hero.            you are the legendary Hero.
I felt this since the first            I have felt this from the first
time we met.                           time we met.
...  ...  ...                          ... ... ...

Gannon has created a barrier           Ganon is waiting inside of his
around his mountain tower.  He         tower to pass through the
is waiting inside for the time         gate linking the two worlds.
when he can pass through the
gate linking the two worlds.

Once Gannon enters the Light           Once Ganon enters the Light
World, it is unlikely that             World, it is unlikely that
anyone can stop him.                   anyone can stop him.

But, if he stays in the closed         But if he stays in the closed
space of this world, you can           space of this world, you can
find him where ever he runs.           find him wherever he runs.

Now, hurry to the Tower Of             Now, go to the Tower Of
Gannon with seven crystals.            Ganon! We will use our
We will use our combined powers        combined powers to break the
to break the barrier.                  barrier.

Yama0a.txt

Zelda's alternate message, only seen if you beat Turtle Rock with less than six Crystals.

Draft                                  Release
(same initial text as yama06.txt)

You still need to help some of         Some maidens still need your
the missing girls.  After you          help, though. Once you rescue
rescue them all, you should go         them all, go to Ganon's Tower.
to the Tower Of Gannon.

We who are of the blood-line of        We who are of the blood-line of
the wise men will use our power        the wise men will then use our
to break Gannon's barrier!             power to break Ganon's barrier!

(Discovery of script differences: Delda)

Unique Japanese Dialogue Files

Within the directory that contains the Japanese dialogue from the Japanese version's source are some Japanese dialogue text files which have no English localization equivalent.

Msg00b0.txt

＠ｆｅ，６７＠　サマンサパパから
＠ｆｅ，７５＠　手紙　　をあずかった
＠ｆｅ，７６＠　神父に　とどけよう！
＠ｆｅ，７ｆ＠

Translation:

Samansapapa gave you a letter. Deliver it to the priest!

This was in the middle of item acquisition messages (for example, the message after it is for acquiring the Lamp). Possibly connected to the unused "Letter" item. "Samansapapa" may be an early name for Sahasrahla.

Msg00b2.txt

＠ｆｅ，６７＠このアイテムには
＠ｆｅ，７５＠　　メッセ−ジがありません
＠ｆｅ，７ｆ＠

Translation:

This item doesn't have a message.

This was in between the item get messages for the Lamp and the Boomerang.

Msg00d8.txt

＠ｆｅ，６７＠ヤクたたずのツエだ！
＠ｆｅ，７５＠魔法の力を使うわりには．
＠ｆｅ，７６＠攻撃力はもうひとつか＿？
＠ｆｅ，７ｆ＠

Translation:

It's the Cane of Uselessness! For something that uses magic power, its damage output isn't very good, is it...?

This was in between the item get message for the Red Mail and one of the swords. Possibly a developer in-joke.

Msg00da.txt

盾のかたさが強くなった！
＠ｆ８＠頼もしい味方だ！
＠ｆｂ＠

Translation:

Your shield is now tougher! What a great friend!

This was between a sword upgrade and the Mirror Shield.

Msg03b4.txt

ちゃんときこえましたかな？
＠ｆｅ，７５＠　　＞　う　ん
＠ｆｅ，７６＠　　　　ぜんぜん
＠ｆｅ，６８，ｆｅ，７ｆ＠

Translation:

Did you hear all of that?
> Yep
Not at all

This was at the beginning of the fortune teller segment of dialogue.

Msg03c0.txt

＠ｆｅ，６７＠ケケッ　こいつは　ひさびさに
＠ｆｅ，７５＠新入さんだね。
＠ｆｅ，７６＠バカなやつだよ。
＠ｆｅ，７ｅ，ｆｅ，７３＠ど−せ　おまえも黄金の力が
＠ｆｅ，７３＠ほしくてこの世界に
＠ｆｅ，７３＠のこのこやって来たんだろう。
＠ｆｅ，７ｅ，ｆｅ，７３＠ざんねんだったな。黄金の力は
＠ｆｅ，７３＠もうガノン　て　悪党が
＠ｆｅ，７３＠−人じめしてやがるぜ。
＠ｆｅ，７ｅ，ｆｅ，７３＠しかも．この世界じゃ　心が
＠ｆｅ，７３＠そのまま姿に　あらわれやがる
＠ｆｅ，７３＠悪党はみんなモンスタ−だぜ！
＠ｆｅ，７ｅ，ｆｅ，７３＠おいらも　このざまだ。
＠ｆｅ，７３＠お前も　いまに姿が　かわるぞ
＠ｆｅ，７３＠さあ．もう行った　行った　＿
＠ｆｅ，７ｆ＠

Translation:

Keheh... You're the first newcomer I've seen in a while. You're a fool. Anyway, I bet you waltzed into this world because you wanted the Golden Power, didn't you? Too bad for you. A villain named Ganon is already hogging it for himself. What's more, in this world, how you look reflects your heart. All the bad guys are monsters! I ended up sharing their fate. You're going to transform too, before long. Now beat it!

Msg03d6.txt

へへっ．すまねえな。
＠ｆｅ，７５＠じつは．もうネタぎれだぜ。
＠ｆｅ，７６＠まあ．ゲンキだしてくれよな。
＠ｆｅ，７ｆ＠

Translation:

Heheh, sorry. To be honest, I'm fresh out of info. Hey, chin up, alright?

Msg024d.txt

＠ｆｅ，６ｂ，２，ｆｅ，６ａ＠よ．ガノンにとどめを
＠ｆｅ，７５＠さすには［ぎんの矢］がなけれ
＠ｆｅ，７６＠ばならぬ。わかっておるな。
＠ｆｅ，７ｆ＠

Translation:

Link, to deliver the final blow to Ganon, you must use the Silver Arrows. Were you aware?

This is in the middle of the Telepathic Tile messages. A similar message exists as a Telepathic Tile message in the US version of the final game: "When Ganon is stunned, give him his last moment with a Silver Arrow! Do you understand, Link?" However, oddly, there is no equivalent to msg024d.txt in the US source.

Msg0190.txt

＠ｆｅ，６７＠よう．＠ｆｅ，６ａ＠　よかったら
＠ｆｅ，７５＠ウチへ入って．ケンちゃんに
＠ｆｅ，７６＠会ってやってくれよ＿。
＠ｆｅ，７ｆ＠

Translation:

Come inside my house and see Ken if you'd like...

It's not entirely certain who or what the Ken being referenced here is - whether it is a character or possibly something else. The honorific modifying "Ken" in the Japanese dialogue is "-chan" or ちゃん, which often refers to someone like a young girl or a small animal. It can occasionally be used somewhat playfully referring to other things as well, but without further context for this message, it is difficult to say which way this message falls.

Msg0245.txt

＠ｆｅ，６ｂ，２，ｆｅ，６ａ＠よ．きこえるか？
＠ｆｅ，７５＠魔物のようなカオのドクロが
＠ｆｅ，７６＠さいごの入口じゃ。よいな＿。
＠ｆｅ，７ｆ＠

Translation:

Link, can you hear me? A skull with a monstrous face is the final entrance. Understood?

This is in the middle of the Telepathic Tile messages. The message before it mentions Link needing to ascend to the top of Spectacle Rock, and the message after it is Sahasrahla's message about objects existing simultaneously in both worlds with similar shapes.

Msg0251.txt

＠ｆｅ，６ｂ，２，ｆｅ，６ａ＠よ．３つクビの魔物に
＠ｆｅ，７５＠出会ったら．まず左右のクビか
＠ｆｅ，７６＠ら．やっつけるのじゃ。
＠ｆｅ，７ｅ，ｆｅ，７３＠クビのうごきを封じて．マスタ
＠ｆｅ，７３＠−ソ−ドをふるうがよい。
＠ｆｅ，７３＠
＠ｆｅ，７ｆ＠

Translation:

Link, if you encounter a three-headed monster, start by destroying its left and right heads. Once you've prevented the heads from moving, then you can strike the last head with your Master Sword.

This is in the middle of Ice Palace's Telepathic Tile messages, but appears to be a hint referring to how to defeat Trinexx.

Msg0383.txt

かじ屋さんの剣をおかりした。
＠ｆｅ，７５＠剣がきたえあがったら．ちゃん
＠ｆｅ，７６＠とかえそう！
＠ｆｅ，７ｆ＠

Translation:

You borrowed the blacksmiths' sword. Remember to give it back once your own sword has been forged!

This is in the middle of the Blacksmith dialogue.

Msg0452.txt

はやく　うらのせかいへ
＠ｆｅ，７５＠かえりたいよ。
＠ｆｅ，７ｆ＠

Translation:

I hope I can go back to the Dark World soon.

This is in the middle of Kiki the Monkey's dialogue. Given its place in the middle of other Kiki dialogue, this could be a cut line from Kiki if the player were at one point able to use the Magic Mirror to teleport out of the Dark World and go to the Light World with Kiki in tow. In the final game, taking him to the Light World is impossible. Kiki will utter "Ki ki? What are you doing? I don't want to go there!" and Link will teleport as normal but Kiki will not teleport with Link.

One potential problem with this hypothesis would be the lack of the typical "キキッ！" or "ki ki!" appearing in this text, which appears in all other Kiki dialogue. However, like many other Dark World inhabitants, Kiki may actually be a Light Worlder who only changed shape due to the influence of the Dark World. Thus he may have a normal human form in the Light World, negating the need for the verbal tic associated with his monkey form in this line. Why he would want to return to the Dark World if that is the case would be anyone's guess; however, it would certainly be needed from the point of view of the developers and the player in order to open the Palace of Darkness to progress the game.

(Source: Delda (collating and commentary on location of dialogue files))