Months after launching in North America, Fire Emblem Fates has finally arrived in Australia and New Zealand. On the spur of the moment a few months back, I decided to place a pre-order on the Limited Edition version of the game, which I finally received yesterday. Every time I decide to put money down for such an edition, the first question on my mind is whether or not the bonus goodies were worth the extra cost, or if I would be just as satisfied with more money in my pocket and just the game alone.
While I am not someone to sit behind a video camera and spend ten minutes unboxing everything, keep on reading to hear my opinion on if the Fire Emblem Fates Limited Edition was worth the extra money.
Three Games in One
As many of you will likely know, Fire Emblem Fates is not one game, but rather three. The first two, known as Birthright and Conquest, go down the “Pokemon” route, and are available as separate standalone purchases. Each features its own characters, slight gameplay differences and plot progression. The third game is the Revelation chapter, which will soon be available as DLC via the Nintendo eShop, and essentially follows what happens if the protagonist chooses to align themselves with neither of the two in-game factions. The Limited Edition is the only set which comes with all three episodes on one game cartridge, meaning you get the full “main story” experience without the need for any additional purchases.
Even without factoring in any of the bonus content, quite a lot of the value in this edition comes from just the inclusion of all three chapters alone. Time to do the maths….
The Limited Edition set cost me $129.95 AUD from EB Games Australia. In comparison, individual chapters are priced at $59.95 AUD each. For standard edition copies, it is possible to buy the other two chapters for $26.00 AUD each, meaning that the LE game cartridge itself contains $111.95 AUD of value. Once you factor in the sheer convenience of not having to buy a Nintendo eShop card or wait for the Revelations chapter to be available to the general public, it is pretty good value in my books.
The Packaging
Many of Nintendo Australia’s recent Limited Edition collections (Including Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water, pictured above) come in the above style of packaging, which can be hung on store shelves if necessary.
While the packaging is sturdy enough, I wouldn’t say it left me excited about its contents. This is especially when compared against the really nice box Nintendo provided for the Bravely Default Collector’s Edition, which I have kept on my shelf even today.
Overall, not bad, but nothing impressive.
The Steelbook
Steelbooks tend to be a staple item in pre-order editions and mid-tier special editions. It is understandable why, as they are often eye-catching and distinct when compared with normal case designs. Therefore, it wasn’t much of a surprise to hear that Nintendo would be including one in their Limited Edition for Fire Emblem Fates.
However, this is something I am torn on. On one hand, the case is nicely designed and has been complemented by really good print and build quality. On the other hand, it would have been nicer if the image used consistently flowed across the two halves of the SteelBook. As it is, Azura (The woman with the long blue hair) is duplicated across both halves, rather than having the one image spread evenly across both sides.
Not a deal breaker by any means, but was something I noticed immediately.
The Artbook
The next item offered in this Limited Edition set was a small, hardcover artbook. This book contains a mixed assortment of artwork, including snippets from pre-rendered cutscenes, environment designs and both final/concept artwork for some of the game’s characters.
It was a nicely printed book which showcases some solid artwork, but at the same time is not really an alternative for a full artbook or design compendium. Some localisation work on the book would have been nice as well, especially for the full-page conceptual art which had annotations left in Japanese rather than translated into English.
The Poster
The final item in the Collector’s Edition is a double-sided poster. One side of this poster features an non-annotated world map, and the other features key artwork for the game.
This might just be me, but I absolutely loathe fold lines in posters. If there are any fold lines prominently visible on a poster then I will very rarely display or frame it. Therefore, I usually prefer transport via a tube or printed onto thick cardboard which won’t easily bend or damage.
Unfortunately this large poster wasn’t suited for such small packaging in my opinion, and despite the decent print quality, has very prominent creases. Had it been provided in a tube or folded even into halves rather than eight sections, this might have been a different story.
Final Appraisal on Fire Emblem Fates Limited Edition
Gaining access to all three chapters of Fire Emblem Fates without having to worry about wait times (In the case of the Revelations Chapter) or making separate digital purchases made acquiring the Limited Edition collection a worthwhile purchase in my opinion. Although not without their issues, the artbook and SteelBook were nice additions which brought the value of this edition up to its price point. However, I was not sold on the included double-sided poster, which in my opinion was too big for its small packaging. Would have rather them thrown in a sampler CD instead, or something along those lines.
My review of Fire Emblem Fates, covering all three chapters, should go live later this week
