cj_iwakura
Member
- Developer: Starfish
- Publisher:
UFO InteractiveRising StarNinja Games Japan - Platforms: 3DS (originally PS2 then PSP)
- Genre: Dungeon RPG
- Distribution: Download Only
- Price: $19.99
- Music By: Hitoshi Sakimoto & Baslscape
- Release Dates: 2008 [PS2, JP] / 11/20/12 [PSP] / 8/10/17 [3DS]
Elminage Original is a (yet another) update of 2008's "The Priestess of Darkness and The Ring of Gods".
This is the first game in the series. There is also Elminage 2, 3, Gothic, and... let's stop there.
The fourth has been localized for Steam. Hopefully this is a sign that the 3DS versions of 2 and 3 are soon to come, since they've never been localized.
The five rings that protect the world have been scattered after five sorceresses attempted to release the Demon King.
They who can find the five rings and restore the barrier on the Dragon's Fang shall be richly rewarded.Today, many adventurers pass through the gates of Trangelda, their true motives hidden within their hearts.
Elminage Original is an atmospheric, dungeon RPG where players assemble a band of adventures and embark to conquer dungeons and recover the rings!
The five rings lie in dungeons across the world throughout temples, caverns and forests, their locations randomly placed when starting a game. Earn Fame by completing events and infuse it into a compass to track where the rings are hidden.
Hordes of monsters lie in wait throughout the dungeons, some of them so huge they cannot fit on the screen. Create powerful adventures and level up to progress deeper into the dungeons and face stronger foes.
Choose from a total of 16 classes of adventurers, including the more unusual "servant" in addition to the traditional fighters, mages and samurai classes. Nine races, gender, age, and nature, parameters allow players to customize their own powerful characters. Learn 72 different spells under the mage, cleric, and alchemy lines and cast unique spells from your very own characters.
Your very own epic adventure awaits you!
What's the difference between this and the PSP version, you ask?
KiTA said:According to Japanese Wikipedia, the 3DS version of Elminage Original has some superficial changes (they added custom portraits) and some significant balance changes. Maybe Brawlers won't be one man creator deity destroying machines.
3DS version of EO came out in December so this was a fairly quick localization. There was a PC version in January last year.
There's been some activity towards fan localizations of Elminage 2 and 3, as well as the Elminage Gothic's 3DS expansion.
Edit: Here's the JP Wiki's changelog for the 3DS version:
http://spoiler.sakura.ne.jp/srv/el1psp/DSE78988E3818BE38289E381AEE5A489E69BB4E782B9.html
I'll do a quick translation shortly.
Edit2:
System:
* Custom Portrait system added. (IIRC this was in the PSP version but was dummied out for the US release?)
* Balance changes: (Apparently the same as Elminage 2 for the PSP)
* * Summoned Monsters who are Lords who could use 法院保護区 (Forget what this is called, it's the Lord class special skill) no longer can. No more replacing Lords with just a high powered summon.
* * Dispel Evil (Cleric Ability) is now "globalized?," and you get XP for doing it now (previously, they gave no XP). Possibly Clerics now hit all rows with it instead of just the front row?
* * Ninjas now get "Alert" which is a passive that both prevents ambushes AND causes the Ninja to start battle hidden. Enemy Ninjas get this too.
* * Some change to Tarot Drawing for Bards -- 1% chance of them working in event / boss fights? (Nerf?)
* * The Maid's Tea skill will now fully restore Tarot uses, whereas before it would only restore a single use.
* Alchemy is not changed, although now you get +2% to status effects and defense per increase (previously 1%)
* Tiomente (? One of the Tier 7 mage spells) no longer prevents random battles.
* The game now keeps track of your characters renames?
* Some races had their names changed (not sure if this will affect the English version)
* * Hobbits were renamed Hortotto (Renamed due to copyright, same name they used in recent Wizardry games)
* * Mind Flayers were renamed Mind Trappers (Copyright again, heads changed from octopus to squid)
* The hidden bosses got some subtle buffs. (Holy crap, he was damn near impossible before)
* Something about taking a dead NPC to a doppelganger to get them added in the illustration book? Not sure.
* * "Doppel" is registered if you fight with a summoned monster.
* You can get married in the Forgotten Ground after beating the Dukes. (Bonus bosses, but not THE bonus boss)
Story:
* No change. No additional events.
Items:
* No new items
* Monster Stolen Items (Tentacles, "Strike," etc) now have graphics
Edit3:
Without any changes, the advice from the PSP version remains.
Thieves are great for stealing things, especially monster equips.
Brawlers are OP as hell, with huge damage + the ability to debuff enemy resistances.
Devilkin can equip cursed gear, including the monster equips... which are all brawler gear.
(Use a Devilkin Brawler, is what I'm saying.)
Summons are also pretty awesome, although I don't remember if turning Summons into party members is a thing in Elminage 1.
My party is probably going to look something like
Brawler, Samurai, Lord
Thief, Summoner, Bishop (although Summoner + Bishop will also know all magics due to class changes)
Although there's a lot of tossup there -- Valkyries are great, Maids are fun, Hunters are good, and Shamans are neato, and Ninja is also really good.
In the PSP version, the only way I beat the final bonus boss was my Brawler (or Ninja?) getting a lucky behead.
Again, props to KiTA for the following:
Class abilities: http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/620844-elminage-original/64706392
Japanese Wiki: http://spoiler.sakura.ne.jp/srv/el1psp/
Japanese Wiki (Races): http://spoiler.sakura.ne.jp/srv/el1psp/E38387E383BCE382BF2FE7A8AEE6978F.html (Has a surprise spoiler in there.)
Selected bits:
Human: Normal XP Gain
Elf: Normal XP Gain
Gnome(Dwarf): Normal XP Gain
Hotlet(Gnome): Normal XP Gain
Fairy(Hotlet): Normal XP Gain
Dwarf(Fairy): +5 AC Bonus, XP Penalty
Werebeast: 20% chance to poison on normal attacks. Silver items count as cursed. XP Penalty
Dragonewt: Fire Breath skill. XP Penalty
Devilish: Cannot be cursed. Cannot equip holy items. XP Penalty
* Brawlers are extremely powerful in the early game.
Brawlers are unarmed specialists in this game, not Ninjas (who instead get a percentage chance to instant kill anything). Brawlers' default fists hit harder than most weapons until you get to the Flamberge level of gear (15,000 gold in the store) or Alchemist crafting. They apparently don't scale as well as traditional weapon users, but....
* Class change is in.
Wouldn't be a Wizardry descendant without it. You only keep your HP and spells, however. Skills are lost. Some of the classes (Servant and Shaman, for example) are MUCH better if you class change into them from a spellcasting class.
* "Marriage" is actually "Merge"
And is apparently how you make the Summoners absolutely broken as hell -- you merge monsters, SMT style.
Jobs Wiki:
Basic: http://spoiler.sakura.ne.jp/srv/el1psp/E38387E383BCE382BF2FE881B7E6A5AD2FE59FBAE69CACE881B7.html
Intermediate: http://spoiler.sakura.ne.jp/srv/el1psp/E38387E383BCE382BF2FE881B7E6A5AD2FE4B8ADE7B49AE881B7.html (I was right about Kannagi and Maid, and Oh my god, I just realized the person translating the menus used Google Translate.)
Advanced: http://spoiler.sakura.ne.jp/srv/el1psp/E38387E383BCE382BF2FE881B7E6A5AD2FE4B88AE7B49AE881B7.html
Fighter/Mage/Cleric/Thief/Alchemist/Servant are the "Beginner" classes, which you should stick with initially without a good reason.
Bishop/Hunter/Brawler/Entertainer/Shaman/Summoner/Valkyrie are "Intermediate" classes, which get a small (but noticeable) XP Penalty and tend to mature later.
Samurai/Lord/Ninja are "Advanced" classes, which take a while to get going but are absurd when they get there.
Bad combinations:
Dwarf(Fairy) + Fighter (Fairies cannot equip most armor)
Devilish + Priest (Devilish cannot equip holy items)
Good combinations:
Werebeast + Hunter (Innate Poison + Extra attack to poisoned dudes)
Devilish + Brawler (apparently Brawlers can end up cursed a lot?)
Dragonnewt + Fighter (Dragonnewt's breath attack is HP based.)
(3DS)
(PSP)
Reviews?
Not likely.