Game of the Month: Code: Realize

[magnuschase]

 
PS Vita, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch. Published by Aksys.

The game of the month is....

Code Realize!

 

 

Code Realize is not actually a singular game. Rather, it's currently a series of games that has been released on the systems listed above, and it's most recent one is set to be released in February. Set in a Steampunk universe, Code Realize has a large cast of characters all based off of historical or fictional characters. You even get to date Herlock Sholmes! 

Cardia lives day to day isolated from the world in a restricted, abandoned mansion in order to fulfill her promise to her father. Her body carries a deadly poison that rots or melts anything that her skin touches - causing the locals to call her "monster" so her father told her to stay away from people and falling in love, but she suddenly disappears. One day, her quiet solitude is interrupted when the Royal Guards break in to capture her. That's when she meets the chivalrous thief Arsène Lupin who helps her break free from the Royal Guards. Cardia then finds herself on a journey with Lupin to locate her father. - Wikipedia

Have you ever played any of the Code: Realize series? How did you feel about it? Anything you'd like to discuss?

Comments

[alias_sqbr]

I'm playing that right now! Specifically "Bouquet of Rainbows". I'm mostly really enjoying it, I love how the heroine is the sort of Sad Monster Girl who never gets to be a protagonist. It gets pretty dark in places, and I have complicated feelings about it's handling of topics like colonialism, also it's AMAZINGLY inaccurate to the original books it's riffing on (I think it's the most innaccurate Dracula adaptation I've ever seen) and not all the LIs have really worked for me. Still, it's very well made and interesting and Victor Frankenstein is the most lovable angsty shy scientist ever.

I've been writing up reaction posts, I have one LI to go to be finished with the main game.

[not_krys]

I played the original game on PSVita about three years ago (even in the same month as now, oh my). I had originally watched one of my favorite youtubers playing it first before deciding to purchase it (and my Vita) after just one route, I was that instantly hooked. And a few months ago, I bought Bouquet of Rainbows (the PS4 version), and slowly working my way through that, hopefully gonna complete it before the next installment comes out.

It can be a long story, and it can go to some pretty dark places, talking about social and literal isolation, mental and emotional manipulation and abuse, war, violence, drugs, and genocide; not to mention the severe detour they take on of the famous literary characters they are portraying. But, I think, if you think of it as it's own separate thing, it's enjoyable in it's own way. I loved the steampunk aesthetic; the characters are enjoyable as separate entities from their literary counterparts; the voice acting is spectacular with lots of familiar vocals if you spend lots time around otome and anime communities (Tomoaki Maeno, Junichi Suwabe, Tetsuya Kakihara, Showtaro Morikubo, Daisuke Hirakawa, Yuki Kaji, etc).

Though his route wasn't my favorite when I first played it, Van Helsing has grown to be my favorite character of the series (his White Rose story in Future Blessings is my absolute favorite of the bunch, and I look forward to his stories when Wintertide Miracles comes out). Best route, for me, has to go to Lupin. Highest on the romance, highest on the story, highest on the adventure, everything tied together nicely in the end.

If there's one thing I can't recommend about this series, I wasn't too impressed with its anime adaptation. Too much trying to be crammed into too short of a time frame (especially the part where Cardia finds out about her origins, which is a spoiler, so I won't say much here, but it made me super mad when I watched it originally).

I plan on replaying the original some time in the future in order to make proper reviews on it (plus, PS4 trophies). For now, I do have my Moments on my twitter (at the bottom, unfortunately, not in complete order (they're numbered, but first of part of Lupin's ended up at the very bottom, for some reason)) when I was originally livetweeting it three years ago. Be warned that those tweets are three years old now and some thoughts and feelings may have changed since then ^^;