Archive EntryPreservation Record

Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia

Shelf markLIB-0136

Editorial StandingCatalogued · Permanent Record

2007Game

Catalog Information

Original Title: アルトネリコ世界の終わりで詩い続ける少女
Release: 2006 (Japan) · 2007 (North America)
Developer: Gust
Publisher: NIS America
Platform: PlayStation 2
Region: NTSC-U/C · North America · SLUS-21445 (Premium Box SLUS-21445P)
Medium: Pressed optical disc · PlayStation 2 Premium Box edition
Subjects: JRPG · Gust · Ar tonelico · Song Magic · Lineage · Preservation

Archival Status

Custody: Permanent archive holding
Reference Copy: Premium Box: printed slipcover housing the keep case (pressed disc, manual, and original cover insert) and the 52-page hardcover official art book
Condition Report: Near mint. Received from a trusted collector with the premium box and its contents intact; only the faintest handling wear. Preserved as a playable reference copy.
Acquisition: Private acquisition · from a collector friend
Filed: October 5, 2026

Curator Notes

Ar tonelico is where the Gust holdings on this shelf begin. It was bought on a whim, and it turned out to be the game that made the rest of this era worth seeking out: a tower-bound world, Reyvateils whose songs are both weapon and confession, and a Dive system that asks the player to walk through another character’s mind. Gust developed it and Banpresto published it in Japan in January 2006. NIS America brought it to North America on February 6, 2007, and chose to ship the whole first run in a Premium Box with a 52-page hardcover art book — an unusual commitment for a niche PlayStation 2 RPG, and part of why the object matters as much as the disc. This filing is the first point in the Ar tonelico lineage on the shelf. Ar tonelico II sits beside it; the PlayStation 3 conclusion is recorded elsewhere in the archive’s log rather than claimed here.

Collection Documentation

Acquired from a collector friend while assembling the Gust PlayStation 2 shelf. The copy arrived near mint and complete in its Premium Box. The retained object is the North American NIS America Premium Box (SLUS-21445P): the printed slipcover, the standard keep case with pressed disc, manual, and cover insert, and the 52-page hardcover art book. The bonus soundtrack NIS America offered for online preorders was a separate item and is not part of this box. The reference photograph records the seven Gust PlayStation 2 holdings together, as filed in the Collection Hall under synthesis.

Preservation Notes

Access Hardware: Sony PlayStation 2; compatible North American PlayStation hardware
Original Hardware: Sony PlayStation 2 · NTSC-U/C
Playback Compatibility: Pressed for North American PlayStation 2 consoles. The retained game disc remains the primary access copy.
Preservation Concerns: Optical-disc aging and surface damage remain the principal risks, alongside wear to the premium box itself. The game case is stored upright under stable, dry conditions; the box, printed extras, and any soundtrack disc remain housed together with the copy.
Edition History: First issued in Japan by Banpresto on January 26, 2006 as アルトネリコ世界の終わりで詩い続ける少女. The North American NIS America localization followed on February 6, 2007 (SLUS-21445), sold in the Premium Box with the hardcover art book. The European 505 Games release of May 2007 is a separate edition and is not this filing.
Access Status: The original physical edition is out of print and circulates through the secondary market; complete Premium Boxes are the scarcer form. No current digital edition replaces this North American reference copy.

Connections

Archival Lineage: LIB-0136Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia (2007)this filing
LIB-0137Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica (2009)
Series: Ar tonelico
Collection Record: Collection Hall filing
Acquisition Reference: Original acquisition post
Editorial Record: Reserved for future critical writing in Bloodsoaked Media.

Artifact Documentation

Reference photography of the preserved copy held by Bloodsoaked Media. Each view records the edition, materials, and condition of the work in custody.

The seven Gust PlayStation 2 holdings together on the archive shelf — the Ar tonelico and Mana Khemia Premium Boxes beside the Atelier Iris trilogy — as filed in the Collection Hall under synthesis. Reference photograph, October 2026.
Captured
October 2026
Resolution
1024 × 622 pixels
Edition
North American retail copies · Gust PlayStation 2 holdings
Region
NTSC-U/C

Stewardship History

A permanent chronology of this archival record — filed, revised, and tended over time. Entries accumulate; none are erased.

Oct 5, 2026
Collection photography added
Oct 5, 2026
Collection Documentation entered
Oct 5, 2026
Connections established
Ar tonelico recorded. Collection Hall filing synthesis (ig-18101864138381265) linked.
Oct 5, 2026
Official artwork entered
Official North American front cover filed under the Library accession path.
Oct 5, 2026
Curator Notes entered
Oct 5, 2026
Filed into the Library
Accessioned as LIB-0136.
Oct 5, 2026
Preservation Notes entered
Oct 5, 2026
Published to the public shelf