There’s only one thing better than playing games and that’s collecting every piece of merchandise tied to them. There was nothing like flipping through your favorite gaming magazine and seeing a profile of a limited edition collectible or discovering a piece of memorabilia from a beloved game in an overlooked corner of a shop and it’s a feeling we strive to replicate every month as we look through our own collector’s cabinet and dig out items new and old to show the world.
While many games focus on fantastical realms and super-powered characters, Sympathy Kiss ignores this trend and situates players in a relatively-realistic scenario. Protagonist Akari Amasawa works for a massive company called Estario which publishes mobile apps. She’s unceremoniously moved to the team of one of their under-performing apps in hopes of getting it back on track. The fun comes in when the group of six male co-workers all happen to be incredibly handsome and available to date. As far as otome visual novels are concerned, it feels more down to earth than some others. For the Sympathy Kiss Limited Edition, Idea Factory International honed in on the game’s plot to further immerse players with corporate paraphernalia.
Some of the items included with the Sympathy Kiss Limited Edition are unlike any that have been produced for an English-language game release before. When’s the last time you got a tumbler with the special edition of any game? How about a stationary set? Then there are more expected goodies like a soundtrack CD and art book, but even those are given a cute flourish to fit them into the visual novel’s world. All in all, this collection makes a great first impression for those about to dive into Sympathy Kiss on Nintendo Switch.
A Limited Edition Too Big for Its Box
First off, not everything comes housed within the cardboard collector’s box. There’s just too much stuff to fit! So what items will need to be stored elsewhere? The Switch game itself is readily accessible, along with its reversible cover art sleeve. Those ordering off the IFI’s Online Store also receive two collectible cards. One is specific to the Sympathy Kiss purchase and features chibi versions of the male leads. Another card that may be included is from IFI and not specifically related to the game purchase. Since the game launched in February, a “Happy Galentine’s Day” card featuring Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters art is also packed in.
Collector’s Cabinet: GrimGrimoire OnceMore Limited Edition
Once past these few items, the Sympathy Kiss Limited Edition kicks into high gear. Most notable is the “Company Travel Tumbler” which is a 20 oz. stainless steel tumbler. It’s listed as being leak-free and constructed with food grade materials and BPA free, meaning it should actually be safe for regular use. The tumbler itself features a pastel pink coloration and the Estario logo on the front. It’s subtle design-wise, and the Limited Edition suggests this item is given to all new Estario employees. Only otome fans are likely to recognize this cup as being video game merchandise. The question is whether fans of Sympathy Kiss want to use the cup – scuffing it up over time – or keeping it pristine in the box.
Estario’s Newest Employee: You!
As players continue digging into the contents housed within the collector’s box, the theme of “new Estario employee” emerges. Right on the top of the box is a stationery set. Idea Factory International states the items will be great for taking notes on the job. There are four stationary items included in all, two of which feature the Sympathy Kiss logo. Aside from that, they’re all adorable and entirely useful pieces. Included is a 96-page notebook, a 35-page yellow memo pad, a 50-sheet sticky note pad and finally, sticky note tabs. There are four designs for the tabs, each with 45 pieces available. As with the tumbler, fans will need to choose if they wish to actually use the limited items or not, but it’d be a shame to simply squander them!
For some limited editions, this would be all you get. Idea Factory saw fit to spoil players, so there’s still more included. Next up is a two-disc CD, with the first disc being the 19-track official soundtrack and the second being an audio drama. Fair warning: the audio drama reveals in-game spoilers. The drama CD is entirely in Japanese, but Idea Factory International prepared a complete text translation which is available on their website. The CD lists the page URL on the back, in addition to the link to this page being emailed to customers as well. The translation document is well done, placing an image of each character next to their line of dialogue as well as color-coding them.
Finally, at the very bottom of the Sympathy Kiss Limited Edition box is a hardcover art book. To keep with the theme, the cover lists it as the “Estario Employee Handbook.” It’s 43 color pages and a joy to flip through. Note that, as with most art books, it includes spoilers, so don’t jump into the book before playing the visual novel. Each of the male leads gets a feature, with images, stats and even a brief interview. Also included are some two-page spreads of key game illustrations. All in all, it’s a worthwhile addition to the collection.
The Sympathy Kiss Limited Edition is just such fun. It brings with it things otome fans have come to expect from special editions, such as soundtracks, but also unique goodies such as stationary. It does so at a manageable price point as well. The Limited Edition is currently still available onIFI’s Online Store for $94.99. Those who appreciate the idea but don’t need all these extras can pick up the game either physically or digitally onSwitch for $49.99.
Want to look through the rest of our Collector’s Cabinet? Head righthere.
