iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

After some trial and error, I was able to directly insert my own art for both Face and Style Load. The process is very similar to how it can be done in the Steam version, but takes a bit more effort for it to run smoothly. #Elminage #エルミナージュゴシック #DRPG

This is a screenshot of the 3DS game, Elminage Gothic. It's showing the status window for one of my party members, an Alchemist (top screen) and the rest of my party (bottom screen). The main thing to note is that it successfully shows the PNGs I used to replace some of the default artwork. It's a little hard to tell, but transparency is present for Face Load but can really only be seen whenever you see your character's portrait on the top screen.

I'm playing this on an actual N3DS, but with custom firmware installed. If you try doing this using its in-house patching feature, it works with some caveats. From my very limited understanding, the game frequently has to "load" the custom assets whenever it needs to be presented and basically slows the whole pacing of the game as you play it. To avoid all this, I ended up have to directly replace the applicable files and rebuild the game again.

For anyone familiar with inserting custom artwork for the PC version of Elminage Gothic, the applicable files follow the exact same naming structure. From there, it's a matter of making sure the art you use is the right size. For Face Load, it's 48x48 (.png) and 256x256 (.png).

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Bounced back to my playthrough on Steam and after a few hours of battling on the 1st floor of Ibag Tower, I finally found a Duma's Gem! Visually, it reminds me of the King's Map you can find in King's Field: The Ancient City. #Elminage #エルミナージュゴシック #DRPG

This is a screenshot of the Steam game, Elminage Gothic. It's the identification screen after successfully identifying a ? Junk item into a Duma's Gem. In the PSP and Steam versions of the game, there are maps you can buy or find that have the same use as "Dioseed,' the Lv. 1 Mage spell that reveals the map. Unfortunately, the first map is a consumable (but is cheap and can be infinitely bought from stores) while the second map that can be found in an early dungeon has a chance of breaking upon use (it's apparently very tattered based on the item description in the 3DS version).

The Duma's Gem is an infinite-use, non-breakable version that can only be found in Ibag Tower, the game's third and final postgame dungeon. It's a rare drop on the 1st floor and can be stolen from Stargazers that start showing up near the top of the tower. In the 3DS version, this item isn't as useful since it has a new toggleable setting that prevents maps from breaking. That aside, you have a chance of finding an unidentified Duma's Gem in a junk pile In Afum Zar Light Cave (B1F).

The name itself seems like a pretty clear reference of "Dumapic" the Lv. 1 Mage spell in Wizardy.

This is a screenshot from the 3DS game, Elminage Gem. This is an image of how the Duma's Gem looks like: A blue crystal ball that's on a fancy-looking golden pedestal.

This is an image from the PS2 game, King's Field the Ancient City. Shown is the King's Map, an item that can be found very late in the game. The resemblance to the Duma's Gem is almost uncanny. This has a more snowglobe-like design with a blue-green ball a more solid-looking golden base.

King's Field: The Ancient City has a number of static, paper maps you can find. The King's Map is the final map item that can be found that actually shows your position through a 3D map similar to the one in Metroid Prime. It's honestly a bit unwieldy to use and since you find it so late in the game, it's not that useful in my opinion.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

One feature that was missing in the original version of Elminage Gothic was a way to redo battles against unique enemies (like floor masters) and bosses. This was added back in the 3DS version in the game's second postgame dungeon (Cave of the Ancients). #Elminage #エルミナージュゴシック #DRPG

This is a screenshot from the 3DS game, Elminage Gothic. In the Cave of the Ancients, the 2nd postgame dungeon, there's now a new room in B1F where you can revisit unique enemies and bosses that you previously encountered.

This is split into 5 separate event tiles. (0,1), (1,4) and (3,4) are reserved for unique enemies tied to side quests. (4,2) is for floor masters. (2,2) is for story-related bosses and other unique enemies.

In Elminage 1-3, you'd normally be able to access this feature when you have access to the titular "Elminage" location after beating the game, but since Gothic is considered a separate setting from the original trilogy, "Elminage" doesn't exist as an area.

This is a screenshot from the 3DS game, Elminage Gothic. Like a lot of dungeons in this version of game, some changes were made to the Cave of the Ancients.

Outside of the new room mentioned earlier (NE portion of the floor), there's a new NPC you can interact with at (9,13) that can lead to a battle if you happen to have a Devilish in your current party.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Currently replaying the 3DS version of Elminage Gothic and having just unlocked Afum Zar Light Cave, the visibility is night and day compared to the PSP version. I've also included the PC version as well for completion's sake. #Elminage #エルミナージュゴシック #DRPG

This is a screenshot of the 3DS game, Elminage Gothic. This is just outside the entrance of an optional dungeon, Afum Zar Light Cave.

This is a screenshot of the PSP game, Elminage Gothic. This is just outside the entrance of an optional dungeon, Afum Zar Light Cave. Despite its name, it's actually really hard to see when playing the game and the screenshot doesn't exactly convey this too well. Poor visibility in most of the game's dungeon was a common criticism that was later rectified in the PC and 3DS versions.

This is a screenshot of the PC game, Elminage Gothic. This is just outside the entrance of an optional dungeon, Afum Zar Light Cave. Out of all three (3) versions of the game, I think the PC version definitely looks the best and accurately conveys the "light" aspect of the name.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I decided to take on Incarnation right after defeating Nordetanit and somehow managed to defeat it on the first try! I was beyond ecstatic to have finally conquered Ibag Tower in its entirety. It's definitely been a ride and I learned a lot from this playthrough. #Elminage #エルミナージュゴシック #DRPG

This is a screenshot of the PSP game, Elminage Gothic. In the background is Incarnation, the final floor master the game has to offer. The beginning of the fight was definitely stressful before I could get a few casts of Miracle going. Beyond that, I was extremely lucky and was able to make it fall asleep thanks to my Valkyrie's sleep-infused attacks. This put a stop to its attacks and let me deal a ton of damage until it woke up.

Hecatoncheir (Hekankale in the English version) was also another MVP. I'm glad I made the effort to try and contract it as it made for an excellent back-up Brawler with its 6 actions per turn. It also has the Tackle EX Skill, combined with my actual Brawler party member who also had Tackle, it was easy to stop Incarnation from regenerating its HP.

This is a screenshot from the PSP game, Elminage Gothic. This is the results screen after defeating Incarnation.

This is a screenshot of the PSP game, Elminage Gothic. After over 130 hours, I think I'm just about done with my playthrough of the PSP version of the game. I'm still missing quite a bit of equipment and monsters, but overall, I'm satisfied with how much I was able to accomplish.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

After several days of grinding away at battles and being warped into rocks, an Our Wand finally dropped! I'm honestly not sure if this is or a pair of Flame Boots are harder to get in this game. #Elminage #エルミナージュ3 #DRPG

This is a screenshot of a PSP game, Elminage 3. In this identification window, a ? Wand was identified as an "Our Wand," a rare drop in the Fairy Village. I would put the drop rate of this on the same level as an Ancient Sword, especially on a first playthrough.

This is a screenshot of the PSP game, Elminage 3. This is the 1st page of the Our Wand's stat window. It's a seemingly unimpressive weapon on paper, but similar to the Ancient Sword, its attack range increases based on the age of the wielder.

This is a screenshot of a PSP game, Elminage 3. This is the item description of the Our Wand.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

I wasn't particularly looking for it, but finding a Savage Axe this early in the game is pretty nice. Weird take, but the early levels of Elminage 3 are pretty rough and remind me of a less intense version of Gothic's. #Elminage #エルミナージュ3 #DRPG

This is a screenshot of the PSP game, Elminage III (UMD ver.) Depicted is the information pane of a weapon, the Savage Axe. You can find it as a rare drop in the northeast section of Perpeko Forest. Despite being a threat level 2 dungeon, here and other sections of the forest have the chance to drop what I considered lategame equipment in the previous game.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

I finished the postgame and it was so interesting to learn more about the world of Elminage and finally see Ulna happy! I really want to move on to the 3rd game, but I still need to get things ready for Style Load. #Elminage #エルミナージュ2 #DRPG

This is a screenshot of the PSP game, Elminage II. Upon finishing quest no. 74, Ulna gives you a unique accessory, "Ulna's Sprout," which vastly increases resistances to various abnormal statuses. Apparently, you can only get one per file, but there's a way to duplicate it using characters that join you through quest completion, like Soara or Jera.

This is a screenshot of the PSP game, Elminage II, showing my user record for my file. I was able to finally complete all of the game's events (74) in my first run! I skimped quite a bit on cataloguing both items and monsters as there are over 600 and 400 of each, respectively.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Because I'm stubborn (and kinda dumb), I wanted to try and get a Medal of Power on my first run, too. It took longer than I thought and by comparison, 5 Muramasas dropped during the process. #Elminage #エルミナージュ2 #DRPG

This is a screenshot of the PSP game, Elminage II, specifically the item identification screen showing a Medal of Power being successfully identified. These are fairly rare items that allow the wearer to randomly change into a class if you "release" its hidden power after equipping it as an accessory. Changing classes this way also allows the wearer to retain their "Innocent" status, meaning they can still equip Innocent equipment. A character loses this status if they change classes the normal way.

Fun fact: I had actually found a Medal of Power much earlier, but as I tried to take a screenshot of it, the plugin froze and I had to unfortunately restart my PSP. I now religiously save my game before I take any important screenshots like this one.

This is a screenshot of the PSP game, Elminage II. This one shows the shop inventory for weapons where Muramasa is currently highlighted with five (5) in stock. A regular person would probably be happy to find a single Muramasa, period, but it gradually became an annoying sight as I kept finding more. On the plus side, they sell for a lot!

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

I actually haven't beat Elminage 2 yet and felt like coming back to it on a whim. I wanted to finish quest no. 42 on my first run and after some time, a Flame Rod finally appeared! #Elminage #エルミナージュ2 #DRPG

Screenshot of Elminage 2. This is the identification screen of a ?Staff that was revealed to be a Flame Rod. This particular staff belongs to the 'rare' tier of drops that you can get when opening chests on 2F of the Burning Old Castle.

This is a photo of my Playstation Portable where I'm playing Elminage 2 on. Right below it is a tally counter that currently is at 283. That's how many battles it took me to find a Flame Rod. For drops like these, you're encouraged to get them on your second/third runs (loops) of the game where the drop rates for these items are increased.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Cataloged enough items for the title screen to change color. Also just hit High Master on my thief, gonna go on a stealing spree to gear up my brawler. #Elminage #エルミナージュ #DRPG

This is a screenshot where the thief in my party has reached Lv. 26 and has achieved "High Master" status, unlocking several passives. For a thief, the main highlight is being able to steal any item that an enemy has on their person. A lot of enemies have exclusive equipment that can't be obtained through treasure chests and tend to be pretty good. The only downside is that they're typically cursed but this can be removed through Alchemy. Devilish party members can also freely equip cursed equipment, in my case, it's my brawler.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Even though I'm currently playing through Labyrinth of Galleria, I couldn't help but also pick up the Switch port of Elminage Original. I've forgotten the beginning can be difficult if you're unlucky with drops and don't want to grind it out using Abi. #Elminage #エルミナージュ #DRPG

The title screen of the Nintendo Switch game, Elminage Original. Fun fact, the color of the title will change depending on your progress in the game.

The field screen of Elminage Original. My 6-man party is currently in B1F of Kradia Cavern, the tutorial dungeon of the game. The party includes a male Dwarf (Fighter), female Devilish (Brawler), female Human (Valkyrie), male Gnome (Cleric), male Hotlet (Thief), and female Fairy (Mage).

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 19/07/2024

I recently bought a grip for my PSP and to test it out, I went with Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity. It's been a while since I last played, I'm unbelievably rusty. #PSPo2i #PhantasyStarPortable2Infinity #ファンタシースターポータブル2インフィニティ

Screenshot of PSP game, Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity. It's My Room, I tried to go for a bar-like theme for it.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 13/06/2024

One thing I like about the Elminage series is its inclusion of goblins and ogres where they're treated similarly to the other playable races. In Elminage 2's goblin questline, I found it pretty funny and also a bit touching. #Elminage #エルミナージュ2 #DRPG

Screenshot from Elminage 2, a Playstation Portable game. Montana, a goblin prince, has to bungee jump in order to claim his title as king.

Screenshot of Elminage 2, a Playstation Portable game. Montana thanks the party in his ascension to becoming a king after helping him meet his predecessors.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 11/06/2024

Completing Quest No. 62+63 lets you contract Miyuki and strengthens the short sword she originally gives you. When you summon her while wielding it, its damage doubles. Another good incentive to have her around is that she has Vigilance, reducing ambushes. #Elminage #エルミナージュ2 #DRPG

Screenshot of Elminage 2, a Playstation Portable game. The player receives Counting Snow: First Frost, a short sword, as a reward for completing quest number 63.

Screenshot from Elminage 2, a Playstation Portable game. The item details of Counting Snow: First Frost are shown here where its damage range has doubled from 5~10 to 10~20 as a result of having Miyuki summoned as an ally.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 10/06/2024

Elminage 2 has a lot of CGs included. When trying to get the Breastplate of Intelligence from Mistress, this one zooms in as the coins you drop into the cup cause the water in it to gradually overflow. It's definitely a series that has two sides to it. #Elminage #エルミナージュ2 #DRPG

Screenshot from Elminage 2, a Playstation Portable game. This is from a minigame similar in concept to Dave the Diver's shark teeth minigame. You and your opponent take turns placing 1 to 3 coins into a cup filled with water. Whoever causes the cup to completely spill out loses. In this game, 30 coins is the limit. A CG (computer graphic) is shown for this minigame of your opponent, Mistress in a seductive pose. The CG zooms in closer to her cleaveage once the cup is nearly filled with 30 coins.

Screenshot from Elminage 2, a Playstation Portable game, where the player receives the Breastplate of Intelligence, a key item.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 08/06/2024

Since I was feeling lucky, I started searching for an Ancient Sword in Elminage Original, too. Coincidentally, this also took a little over 20 battles! #Elminage #エルミナージュ #DRPG

A screenshot of Elminage Original, a game on Steam, of the identification window showing an identifed Ancient Sword.

A screenshot of Elminage Original, a game on Steam, of the item information for the Ancient Sword.

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Strauss ⚔ @defaultscreenname.bsky.social · 07/06/2024

Amazingly, I found an Ancient Sword in the Blanc Desert and it took less than 20 battles (non-NG+). This was something I couldn't find when I played Elminage Original, so I think I got real lucky. #Elminage #エルミナージュ2 #DRPG

Screenshot from Elminage 2, a Playstation Portable game, showing the statistical information of an Ancient Sword.

Screenshot from Elminage 2, a Playstation Portable game, showing the quest log that required showing the questgiver an Ancient Sword.

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