Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ Review for PlayStation 4

Those familiar with the Aksys Games’s Code: Realize universe will be right at home with the developer’s new game, Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~. Out now on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ picks up where the plot of ~Future Blessings~  left off and provides players with numerous short stories about series mainstay Cardia. While not very inviting to newcomers to the series, Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ provides fans of the otome genre and the Code: Realize universe with new modes and endearing content featuring their favorite characters.

For those who don’t know, otome games are story-based games in which, in addition to advancing a main plot, a woman protagonist develops a romantic relationship with one of several male characters. Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ is as otome as they come, as it is a visual novel primarily following the adventures of Cardia, a woman with poison coursing through her veins and without a heart who somehow has an overabundance of love in her heart.

Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ offers players three main sections: double dates between Cardia and two characters of the players’ choosing, longer stories focusing on Cardia’s relationships with an individual male character, and additional tales about a new character to the Code: Realize universe. The game’s CG’s are done very well, with backgrounds that do nothing but enhance the narratives.

The Triangulate experience, the first of the three aforementioned modes, allows players to get wrapped up in the day-to-day of their favorite Code: Realize characters. Players can pick any two of Lupin, Van Helsing, Impey, Victor Frankenstein, and Saint Germain and watch how Cardia interacts with them.

These stories are rather short and can be read in about 15 minutes each and provide little more than fluff in terms of content, but they do constitute nice snippets that further elaborate on Cardia’s relationships with the individual members of Lupin’s gang. Players can also unlock ‘secret’ Triangulate experiences (secret solely in name, considering Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~  shows players on the screen which buttons they need to press to unlock them) featuring characters like Sisi.

The meat of the game is Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ ‘s second mode which, befitting the game’s title, occurs during Christmas. Players can choose any member of Lupin’s gang in this mode and then read a story showcasing how Cardia warms up to that character while the weather outside grows colder and colder. These stories are significant longer in duration than those in the game’s Triangulate mode and will take a while to read through.

Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ ‘s final mode is composed of side story about a mysterious new girl named Cantarella and epilogues for Finis and Herlock Sholmes which continue their arcs from ~Future Blessings~ . Cantarella’s story constitutes the beginning of a new arc for a Code: Realize character, but it is a bit disappointing in terms of plot.

Overall, Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~  provides a few hours’ worth of stories revolving almost exclusively around romance. Given its length and lack of an overarching plot, the price that Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ is going at seems a bit steep. Overall, though, Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~  bequeaths unto fans of the series more content to tide them over until the next release in the series.

Rating: 6.7/10

Check Out the Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ Launch Trailer:

 For more information, visit www.aksysgames.com/wintertide/.

Jori Grossman

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I'm a recent graduate of Columbia University. Gaming has been a passion of mine my entire life; I enjoy everything from RPGs and FPSs to stealth and narrative-driven games. I love the deeply immersive quality that good video games inherently possess, and am looking forward to highlighting games worthy of acclaim. When I'm not studying or reading, you can catch me playing games like Uncharted, Dishonored, The Witcher 3, and Far Cry.

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