Concordia University

Final Fantasies: Final Fantasy III/VI Authenticity Hacks

This conference paper examines how fan-made ROM hacks of Final Fantasy III (released in North America as Final Fantasy VI, Square Soft, 1993 on the Super Nintendo) construct competing notions of authenticity.

• The paper argues that authenticity is paradoxical: though imagined as pure and unmediated, fan advocates actively plan and design it, producing an idealized reconstruction of the game built from perceived narrative and ludic essentials.
• The study focuses on three fan hacks of Final Fantasy VI (originally Final Fantasy III in Japan, Square Soft, 1993, SNES) that claim to offer a more accurate or complete version than the North American localization: Ted Woolsey Uncensored Edition, FF6: Brave New World, and Final Fantasy VI: Retranslated.
• The hacking scene around this title has produced over 200 modifications, making it one of the most heavily altered SNES/SFC games.