Illusion of Gaia (Super Nintendo) Red Jewel Guide

~by TankMage (October 2023)

Illusion of Gaia Home Page

SNES Game Catalog

1. Tips

Some Red Jewels can be missed…permanently!

Will cannot return to many of the locations he visits on his adventure for plot reasons. This makes life hard, since it is possible to completely miss a Jewel and not be able to backtrack to get it. Save your game regularly. Be ready to reset if you overlooked a Red Jewel and accidentally advanced the story to a point of no return.

You can send Jewels to Gem.

Equipping a Red Jewel in the inventory, then pressing the B Button to use it during game play will send it to the Jeweler, Gem. This can free up a lot of space for other items.

Talk to Gem whenever possible.

Gem will give you gifts listed in the next part of this guide once you deliver a set amount of Jewels. Most of the prizes he gives Will are rather pointless, but every little bit can help and some of them are really powerful.

2. Gem’s Rewards and Hideouts

Quantity	Reward	Notes
3	Herb	Can be acquired before leaving South Cape
5	Defense Force	—
8	Life Force	—
12	Strength Force	—
20	Psycho Power	Makes Psycho Dash Stronger
30	Dark Power	Upgrades Dark Friar
50	“My secrets”	Unlocks special dungeon

B. Gem’s Hideouts

Gem the Jeweler can be found in almost every town in the world. He will look different depending on the town Will is currently visiting. Here are the various spots where Gem can be found.

South Cape – Rooftop south of the school.

Freejia – Go to the top floor of the house west of the inn to get to the roof, then cross a plank where you will find Gem waiting.

Angel Village – You will find him in the lower section of the village standing in front of a stream.

Watermia – Gem can be found watching the drinking game in the Gambling Hall.

Euro – Look for a guy looking out of the window of a house just southeast of the big mansion. Enter the building and talk to the man on the table to discover that he is Gem.

Dao – Gem can be found hanging out in an alley in the north end of this town.

3. South Cape Red Jewels (3)

Red Jewel 1: The first Red Jewel can be found in the bell on the roof of Will’s school.

Red Jewel 2: Visit Lance’s house and go down to the basement. Lance’s mother will walk up to two pots near the top of the screen. Check the one on the right to find the Jewel.

Red Jewel 3: This one is difficult to find. A fisherman on the dock in the southern part of town sometimes pulls up a pot that has a Jewel inside. This event is random and is triggered when the player transitions screens. The easiest way to get this Red Jewel to appear is to go to the cave that serves as a hideout for the boys, then run in and out of the cave until you see the fisherman with the pot. It can take a long time to get the pot to appear, so keep at it. Be careful not to accidentally step back into the cave, because doing so will despawn the pot and you will have to start the process from scratch.

4. Edward Castle and Prison Red Jewels (4)

Red Jewel 4: Talk to a guard hiding behind the pillar on the right side of Edward Castle’s first floor.

Red Jewel 5: You’ll find a rusty switch shortly after escaping the cell in Edward’s Prison and passing through an area with falling spears. Climb up the steps by the switch, then jump down onto it to force it to open a nearby door. Go inside and open the chest to get the 5th Red Jewel.

Red Jewel 6: This Jewel is hidden in a chest that is in plain sight in the prison shortly after getting Freedan.

Red Jewel 7: You will enter a hallway at the end of the prison where Will assumes his normal form automatically. Check the barrel on the lower right after talking to Lily.

5. Itory Village Red Jewels (1)

Red Jewel 8: Check the wood stack in front of the house just west of the entrance to the village.

6. Incan Ruins and Gold Ship Red Jewels (2)

Red Jewel 9: Look for a treasure chest that contains a Jewel in the Incan Ruins. You’ll find it near the bottom of the cliff in a room that also contains a Dark Space and a skeleton that gives you a clue. The chest is near the southern part of the room.

Red Jewel 10: This Red Jewel is found on the Gold Ship after Will wakes up from his dream and is very easy to miss. Talk to Seth right after Will awakens and he will give you the Jewel. Do not talk to Kara or look at the Queen’s skeleton before talking to Seth, because doing so triggers an event that makes the Jewel unobtainable.

7. Diamond Coast and Freejia Red Jewels (4)

Red Jewel 11: Will can only get this Red Jewel after he collapses on the raft and wakes up in a house on the Diamond Coast. Do not talk to Kara after stepping out of the house. Instead, check the jar in front of the house to get a Red Jewel.

Red Jewel 12: Look for a gap in the flowers on the southeastern end of the town of Freejia. Will can jump onto the grass via this gap and follow the path to a robed man who will give him the gem.

Red Jewel 13: Examine the pot in the second room on the right on the second floor of the Freejia inn.

Red Jewel 14: While in Freejia, look for a laborer hiding in a house near the center of town. The door to the house is locked, so you will have to go to the back of the town and enter the building where some laborers are kept, then climb the steps to the roof. From there jump off the east side of the roof to get past the guy blocking the alley. Look for a ladder, climb it, then jump down to find the steps leading into the house where the laborer is hiding. Talk to the laborer, then leave the house. Look for two guys in purple robes and tell them where the laborer is to get a Red Jewel.

8. Diamond Mine and Sky Garden Red Jewels (5)

Red Jewels 15,16, and 17: Look for a wall west of the first the Dark Space in the Diamond Mines that makes a sound when struck and blows Will’s/Freedan’s hair. Use Psycho Dash as Will to break this wall. The laborer trapped behind it will thank Will by giving him three Red Jewels.

Red Jewel 18: Look for a chest in the southwest section of the Sky Garden. It will be on the underside of the Sky Garden in an open area.

Red Jewel 19: A second Red Jewel is located in the northeastern section of the Sky Garden. You will find it in a box on the topside of the garden in a courtyard filled with enemies.

9. Seaside Palace and Mu Red Jewels (4)

Red Jewel 20: Head east from the entrance to the Seaside Palace to reach a room with Kara and a chest.

Red Jewel 21: In the Seaside Palace, go down the steps west of Red Jewel 20, then head west to another set of steps going up up and run right to another Red Jewel box.

Red Jewel 22: In the lower floors of the Seaside Palace, look for a room with coffins. Go down the steps left of the steps that lead to the coffin room, then head over to the last door on the left, which leads to a small room with the 22nd Jewel.

Red Jewel 23: Mu, in a chest south of the second Room of Hope. The box becomes accessible after you place the statue in the second Room of Hope.

10. Angel Village and Watermia (6)

Red Jewel 24: Check the fountain in the dance hall in Angel Village to get a Red Jewel.

Red Jewel 25: In the cave that leads to Ishtar’s Studio you will see a door with a hole left of it. Slide into the hole to find a chest that houses a Red Jewel.

Red Jewel 26: There’s a pot in the room next to Ishtar’s Studio in the Angel Village cave. Check it to get your reward.

Red Jewel 27: Open the chest in the third puzzle chamber in Ishtar’s Studio.

Red Jewel 28: Once you arrive in Watermia, look for a woman standing by a bunch of pots in the southwestern end of town. Search the pot on her left to get the 28th Red Jewel.

Red Jewel 29: Visit the Gambling Hall in Watermia and look inside a pot on the right side of the room.

11. Great Wall, Euro, and Watermia [Revisited] Red Jewels (5)

Red Jewel 30: Look for a chest in the second section of the Great Wall after falling down a long shaft.

Red Jewel 31: Talk to the girl in Neil’s parents’ house in Euro and choose the second option when she asks Will a question. After that, go outside and look for a woman selling apples in the market to the south. She’ll give Will apples for free. Collect about three apples and take them to the girl in Neil’s house. Will can only have one apple at a time, so this will take a while. She should give Will a Red Jewel after receiving all three apples.

Red Jewel 32: On the east side of Euro, look for a man standing by a ramp. Take a few steps south and press against the buildings on the left until you find a hidden path. Climb the ladder at the end of the path to get to what an NPC standing at the top of the ladder calls a shrine. Examine the statue in the shrine to reveal a secret room. Search a barrel in the chamber to get a Red Jewel.

Red Jewel 33: Go west from Rofsky’s house to find a hidden alley. Follow the alley and check the wall when you get to a dead end to find the Jewel.

Red Jewel 34: Return to Watermia and talk to Lance and Lily to get a Red Jewel.

12. Mountain Temple (Mt. Kress), Native’s Village, and Angkor Wat Red Jewels (7)

Red Jewel 35: A Red Jewel is located on the third screen from the start point of the Mountain Temple. To reach the chest that contains this Jewel, you will have to go east just after you see it. Take the southwestern path once you reach a Dark Space and you will be able to open the box.

Red Jewel 36: The hut north of the entrance to the Native’s Village has three girls that have been turned to stone in it. Check the pot on the left side of the hut to get a Red Jewel.

Red Jewel 37: You will find a Red Jewel in the first room of Angkor Wat. It’s in a chest on a raised platform that can be accessed via a ramp.

Red Jewel 38: Go through the Garden in Angkor Wat to the room labeled “Passage – Inside” and get Earthquaker for Freedan on the east side of the temple. Use Earthquaker to stun a rock monster and head up the long hallway to find another box with a Red Jewel inside.

Red Jewel 39: The third Red Jewel in Angkor Wat is located on the first floor of the Main Hall. You will have to go up to the second floor and jump into one of the holes leading down to the first floor to get to the chest that contains the Jewel.

Red Jewel 40: The final Jewel in Angkor Wat can be found on the third floor of the Main Hall in a chest at the end of a narrow passage.

Red Jewel 41: Talk to the girls that have been turned to stone in the Native’s Village after getting the cure from Angkor Wat.

13. Dao, Pyramid, and The Tower of Babel Red Jewels (9)

Red Jewel 42: Search the plant north of a pair of Kruks on the east side of Dao.

Red Jewels 43 and 44: Play and win the snake game in Dao to get two Red Jewels. I find the best way to win the snake game is to stand between two of the pots and alternate between them as the snakes pop up on the left and right. Will should be able to rack up points really quickly.

Red Jewel 45: This Red Jewel is found in the Pyramid. You will need Shadow to get it. Head as far east as possible in the Main Chamber, then sink into the ground to find a hidden room. Search the pillar on the left to get a Jewel.

Note: Jewels 46 through 49 are in chests in the Great Pyramid. The Pyramid has a row of doors beneath its entrance that lead to side areas where the player must collect Hieroglyphs. The chests listed below can be found in these side areas.

Red Jewel 46: Go through the second door from the right in the lower half of the Main Chamber of the Pyramid. Head east to a staircase and use Aura as Shadow to sink into the ground. You should find a chest with a Jewel in the room.

Red Jewel 47: Enter the third door from the right as you search for the Hieroglyphs and continue through the Pyramid until you get to the second part of this area, You will need to use Will to jump the ramps here and you will find a door that leads down to the chest after clearing the ramps.

Red Jewel 48: Head through third door from the left as Will in the Pyramid, then hop the ramp on the east side. This should bring to you a box that has a Red Jewel inside of it.

Red Jewel 49: The final Red Jewel in the Pyramid is found in the second door from the left in the dungeon hub. Clear the first portion of this area and look for a place where Shadow can sink into the floor in the second section. It should lead to a long hallway. A chest can be found on the far east side of the hallway.

Red Jewel 50: Look at the alter between two Freedan statues near the entrance to the tow Tower of Babel.

14. Gem’s Secret (Spoiler)

Gem’s Secret is a brief bonus dungeon where Will has to battle some tough monsters as well as a special boss. For the most part, the dungeon is rather simple and there’s not much to find aside from an Herb. Sorry, no Red Jewels to gather here hehe!

There is one part of the dungeon where Will runs into a staircase that blocks his way. Slide under the staircase to progress. After that, Will has to battle Solid Arm, a boss from Soul Blazer (another excellent Quintet game), all by himself without help from Shadow or Freedan. Solid Arm fires projectiles that track Will and can smack the lad with his claw arm if he gets too close. Block the projectiles with the flute (hold L or R) and run up the conveyor belts to get a hit or two in before having to block again. Psycho Slider or Spin Dash can also be good in this fight if you can time them between Solid Arm’s shots, though you need to be good at dodging to pull Spin Dash off.

15. References

Much of this guide was written from memory, since I’ve played Illusion of Gaia many times over the years, but I did use a few resources to fill in the blanks. These are also good to refer to if my guide is unclear on certain Jewel locations.

The Illusion of Gaia Manual – The manual for IoG came with a full walkthrough in the back. While not super detailed, it is very good for finding the Red Jewels as well as solving some of the game’s puzzles.

TerraEarth – This website is a great resource for everything related to Illusion of Gaia as well as other Quintet titles. It also has a fairly good guide for the Jewels.

https://www.terraearth.com/illusion-of-gaia/red-jewels/

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