Ys VIII Limited Edition is a gorgeous set that fans of the Ys series will want to have in their collection. This limited set released for multiple consoles such as the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Over four years later, the set released for the PlayStation 5 (PS5). Every item has carried over for the PS5 version except one item, the letter opener. To makeup for it, the PS5 version comes with acrylic bookends. Aside from that, it’s still a nice set to have for many fans to own.
Neatly Packed
The limited edition is packed full in a cardboard box. To open, collectors will slide the top portion off the collector’s box to reveal the goodies inside. Removing the top portion of the cardboard reveals a couple beautiful illustrations located on the front and back of the box: Adol (red hair) and Dana (blue hair). Those who’ve yet played the game, both these characters play significant roles as the game’s two protagonist.
Neatly stuffed, purchasers can slide out items: physical game and its console case, sample soundtrack, SteelBook, a couple books (soft and hard cover), packaged acrylic bookends and a folded cloth poster.
One of the Best SteelBooks
The SteelBook has quite the shine to it as it’s mostly covered in a metallic silver. On the edges of each side of the case has a soft blue-colored gradient. Additionally, a soft, transparent textured graphic printed to add detail to the SteelBook. On the front design is one of the best illustrations of Dana plastered on the cover, along with the game’s name on top. For the back, the Ys VIII logo printed to give a glare when light shines on it. Nothing too fancy but the game’s logo printed not in color is a nice touch. The spine, one of the most overlooked designs, gives the official game’s title and aligned center on the spine.
The inside is only the generic metallic silver with a disc holder on the right side of the case. No illustrations or anything special. Outside of that, it’s still an awesome SteelBook to display.
Dual Books
Ys VIII‘s special set comes with a couple books for fans to enjoy: an art book and Adol Christin’s journey diary. The art book is a softcover material that’s about the same size as the PS5’s game case. Inside are colorful illustrations from main characters to landscapes in the game. Colors are vibrant, detailed and enjoyable to look through.
Roughly the same size as the art book, Adol’s diary’s is much thicker than the art book due to it being a hard cover book. The book uses a russet colored with texture to give it a leather-bound look and feel. The front and back use an engraved design that’s represented from the game, both sides using the same layout. The spine has an engraved scripture to give it a more realistic look. It’s a bit difficult to see the engraving but it’s noticeable once reflected. Inside, the pages have a rough, distorted design to make it look used. Illustrations are printed in black ink. The images give it a bit of a sketchy look but with clean edges. Words are written in cursive and in English, so readers can actually read the journal.
A Piece of Cloth and Sirens
Inside the box comes with a 24″ x 17″ cloth poster of the game’s official artwork of Adol and Dana. It’s folded neatly and you’ll have to air it out if you want the wrinkles to go away. It’s very vibrant and surprisingly the cloth material can hold that much color. It’s understandable fans don’t want to pin the poster up on this piece of artwork.
The “Seiren Songs” disc set doesn’t hold a ton of tracks but it’s design isn’t something to overlook. Containing only fifteen tracks from the game, the illustration on the disc utilizes the circular space available along with a torn atlas on top. The disc case’s design, like the overall illustration artwork, is beautiful. The inside designs are even better with rich colors. For a disc that doesn’t hold much music, it’s one of the best looking ones.
Hold My Book
While this version of Ys VIII‘s limited edition doesn’t come with the letter open, the acrylic bookends make up for it. These bookends are packaged neatly inside a plastic bag in pieces. Each end has two pieces and fans will have to open and piece the bookends together. The left end is the official illustration of Adol as the right end is Dana. While putting them together, Ys fans may have some difficulty putting one of the ends together. Try not to be too aggressive with them or you’ll end up with a crack and break them. Once together, they represent the official Ys VIII‘s official artwork rather well. The flat end of the book end where Adol and Dana are held up have a printed logo of the game. If you’re in need of a bookstand for a small set of books, these will do the job.
Overall, the Ys VIII limited edition is a must-have whether you are a fan of the Ys series, role-playing game, or just a collector. NIS America continues to do great work on its limited edition sets and fans should keep an eye out on upcoming releases on their online store.
Product provided by NIS America for this article, photography and video.