Ys Origin Collector’s Edition

Ys Origin Collector’s Edition
Platform: PS Vita
Year: 2017
Region: NTSC (region free)

First released in 2006 on Windows, Ys Origin is a prequel in the long running Ys series by Nihon Falcom. In 2012, the game received English localization and was released on Steam, and later on PS4 and Vita as a digital only game, in 2017. In August of that year, Limited Run Games published exclusive physical versions of the game for PS Vita, PS4 and PC. Aside form a regular edition, a collector’s edition was available limited to 3000 copies per platform (6000 total).

The collector’s edition comes in a large paper box adorned with a beautiful artwork of the Darm Tower. The title is embossed on the front and a coating technique called spot UV gives it an attractive sheen.

On the back is a short text providing some background story.

The annoying thing about this type of packaging is how hard it is to open without the lid getting folded, since the paper is pretty thin and fragile. It’s a common issue with boxes made from this kind of material.

Inside is an inlay with the game, in this case the PlayStation Vita version. The game’s protagonists, Yunica and Hugo are featured on the cover.

The game has a reversible cover as well, which is always nice. The alternative art shows the two protagonists looking at the tower in the distance.

Then there’s an 72 page art book. Unfortunately it’s not a hardcover book, but it does contain a nice amount of colorful artwork and it’s fairly large compared to most art books that come with collector’s editions.

There are three chapters: Character Illustrations, Opening Movie, and Illustration Gallery. The character illustrations makes up the main bulk.

Lastly, a poster is also included, showing Yunica and Hugo looking up at the tower. It’s a nice poster, but as always with posters included with games, it has been folded to fit into the box. Not much they could’ve done about that, but it’s still a bit of a shame.

In conclusion, a nice looking collector’s edition. While it doesn’t come with a ton of extras, what’s included is pretty solid and the limited print run makes it a desired item for collectors and enthusiasts of physical games alike.