I really, really wanted to use this gif, but I just don’t have the skills. Just replace “rabbit season” and “duck season” with “PS4” and “Vita”… yeah.
Anyway, the world of Code: Realize makes it return to Western shores, so let’s take a look!
Warning: image-heavy post ahoy!
Item Info:
Code: Realize ~Future Blessings~ Limited Edition
Code: Realize ~祝福の未来~ (Code: Realize ~Shukufuku no Mirai~)
Code: Realize ~Bouquet of Rainbows~ Limited Edition
Code: Realize ~彩虹の花束~ (Code: Realize ~Saikou no Hanabata~)
Idea Factory / Aksys Games
PS Vita / PlayStation 4
Release Date: March 30, 2018
MSRP: $59.99 (Vita) / $69.99 (PS4)
About:
~Future Blessings~ is the sequel fandisk to the Vita game Code: Realize. Both games are packaged together in the PS4 release ~Bouquet of Rainbows~.
Both were released in standard and limited editions. The limited editions come with eight character cards, fabric poster, and nine pins. These are the same in both the Vita and PS4 versions. The Vita package comes with an additional display holder for this and the original game.
Photos:
Thoughts:
Sales of these Code: Realize fandisk limited editions seem to be very good. Aksys Games have commented on how the Vita version in particular was nearly sold out, and preorders at the major retailers were closed for a while. (As of this writing, places like Amazon have more stock.)
Also, two thumbs up for not making this an exclusive to their webstore or any other retailer. A special shout-out to Best Buy’s GCI who doesn’t have Amazon Prime’s no-LE discount rule.
First, I don’t know which box I like better. Obviously, the wedding-themed ~Future Blessings~ fits for a fandisk, but the characters look better on the PS4 LE cover. The sticker on the Vita version doesn’t interfere with the image, but poor Impey is completely blocked by the sticker on the PS4 cover. Not a big deal, but it’s just interesting how the Vita version’s was strategically placed but the PS4’s was not.
I’ve also been spoiled by some other limited editions, as I hate always getting a small crease in these outer cardboard box as I open it up. Better than the flimsy Hakuoki PS3 box though.
The Vita box is a simple thin cardboard holder, but it is beautiful. Great images It takes a lot of work getting the games back out though, so don’t use it until you are ready to shelf the games.
The cards (well, bromides) are much larger than I expected. They’re a little taller than a Vita case. The descriptions on the back have spoilers, so if you haven’t played Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~ yet, don’t read them! Also, since they were just shrinkwrapped, if you want to store them, you just drop them in the box. They don’t have a holder or anything.
There was only one thing that disappointed me about the cards, and it was because of the pins. There are nine pins, but only eight cards! Poor Delly… maybe if there wasn’t enough information about him, he could have shared a card with the dog. I’ve said before I don’t display my limited edition game items, but if I were, I think it would have been nice to have the cards stand up and have the matching pin in front.
As for the pins themselves, I also wish they would have been on a cardboard back instead of lined up in a plastic baggie in an oversized box. It’s an odd decision to have a box when a flat mount would have been nicer. I guess they wanted something to fill in the space at the bottom, but the fabric poster could have been there. Then the mount with the pins could have just slid in the box like the cards.
Finally, the cloth poster. The bag wasn’t sealed when I pulled it out, which was a surprise. However, the real shock came when I actually pulled it out. The material was rough! I’ve gotten various cloth bonuses before, and I didn’t remember it feeling so cheap. I then realized the edges in particular were almost paper cut-level painful. So I grabbed the first fabric bonus I could find and compared them. The last picture is the bandana from Hakuoki: Warriors of the Shinsengumi (also released by Aksys Games). Definitely different material, but most importantly is the sown edge. I also looked at a couple others (Memories of the Shinsengumi and Kyoto Winds), and they also have sown edges on their various cloth-based extras and don’t seem as rough. The feel of the cloth poster obviously isn’t as important as a furoshiki or a towel, but the edges are sharp. Even if mine is just cut badly, I wish they would have chosen a different material (or perhaps a different item). At least some type of rod at the top and bottom would have reduced the number of sharp edges.
Final Comments:
So, is the set worth the $20 premium? Pins are always a solid choice for a bonus, and the cards were better than I expected. The mini wallscroll, as you can tell, I did not care for. Aksys Games themselves have produced better cloth items. But the limited edition is a better set than, say, Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi, but I wish it had an artbook.
I also loved the Vita game collection box, and it’s a very nice thank you to the fans who supported ~Guardian of Rebirth~ back in 2015. I don’t think the PS4 has any exclusive content, so if you have the first game already, go with the Vita set. Otherwise, don’t make the fabric poster the deciding factor in getting the limited edition over the standard. But I guess we’ll see if these sets are as limited as they seemed to be during the preorder period.
Of course, there’s a bigger problem: when ~Shirogane no Kiseki~ (the second fandisk) is inevitably brought over to the West… how do I decide between completing the set on PS4 or Vita?!
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How in the world did you already get yours?? Mine won’t arrive until Wed haha. Really fantastic unboxing and it really makes me glad I only got the Vita LE. What with CR’s success, perhaps this may not remain strictly a LE anymore, as you said.
I knew it came out in March, and I assumed it was coming out on Tuesday since most games are released on Tuesdays. So when I got a shipping notification, I was wondering why I was getting it late. It wasn’t until I was writing this post that I realized I got it a day early!
Haha omg that’s so awesome, Krytallina! xD I hope you like this game!!
How did you manage to get this post out so quickly! You wrote for us before diving into the game…I’m amazed at your restraint!
I got it a day early.
It’s not so much restraint as a busy weekend!
Hurrah! More pins! It’s nice to hear that the Vita version sold well, even now that the system is coming to an end and many publishers are starting to neglect it.
Vita could have been so much better if Sony had learned from the PSP…