diff --git a/engines/mm/mm1/messages.cpp b/engines/mm/mm1/messages.cpp
index 2ab8d9d872c..f646f571b57 100644
--- a/engines/mm/mm1/messages.cpp
+++ b/engines/mm/mm1/messages.cpp
@@ -100,13 +100,7 @@ InfoMessage &InfoMessage::operator=(const InfoMessage &src) {
 }
 
 size_t Line::size() const {
-	size_t total = 0;
-	for (uint i = 0; i < _text.size(); ++i) {
-		if (_text[i] != '|')
-			++total;
-	}
-
-	return total;
+	return _text.size();
 }
 
 } // namespace MM1
diff --git a/engines/mm/mm1/views/combat.cpp b/engines/mm/mm1/views/combat.cpp
index d3b34e9d82a..19c46403da9 100644
--- a/engines/mm/mm1/views/combat.cpp
+++ b/engines/mm/mm1/views/combat.cpp
@@ -681,6 +681,7 @@ void Combat::writeMonsterAttack() {
 
 		if (!_lines.back()._text.empty())
 			writeString(0, yp, _lines.back()._text);
+		_lines.clear();
 	}
 }
 
@@ -757,16 +758,9 @@ void Combat::shoot() {
 }
 
 void Combat::writeMessage() {
-	size_t idx;
-
 	resetBottom();
-	for (const auto &line : _message) {
-		Common::String text = line._text;
-		while ((idx = text.findFirstOf('|')) != Common::String::npos)
-			text.deleteChar(idx);
-
-		writeString(line.x, line.y, text);
-	}
+	for (const auto &line : _message)
+		writeString(line.x, line.y, line._text);
 }
 
 void Combat::writeCharAttackDamage() {
diff --git a/engines/mm/mm1/views/text_view.cpp b/engines/mm/mm1/views/text_view.cpp
index ceccaf7c2d1..3954be21c23 100644
--- a/engines/mm/mm1/views/text_view.cpp
+++ b/engines/mm/mm1/views/text_view.cpp
@@ -60,8 +60,7 @@ void TextView::writeChar(int x, int y, unsigned char c) {
 
 void TextView::writeString(const Common::String &str) {
 	for (const unsigned char *s = (const unsigned char *)str.c_str(); *s; ++s) {
-		if (*s != '|')
-			writeChar(*s);
+		writeChar(*s);
 
 		if (*s >= ' ' && _textPos.x == 0 && (*(s + 1) == '\r' || *(s + 1) == '\n'))
 			// Ignore carraige returns right after line wraps. The original didn't