Code: Realize Guardian of Rebirth review

Not long from now, the last PS Vita will roll off of the production line, signifying the inevitable end for Sony’s handheld. Undoubtedly, the device will leave a contentious legacy. Many will lament Ken Levine’s unfulfilled pledge for a BioShock title, the premature death of the PlayStation Mobile and Intellivision Gen2 storefronts, as well as the folly of overpriced, proprietary memory cards. But others are certain to recall the Vita’s virtues, with the prodigious portable popularizing the visual novel medium.

From Amnesia: Memories, Steins;Gate, Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward, and two sets of Danganronpa and XBlaze titles, the system hasn’t just played host to a number of high profile VNs- the Vita has helped stimulate interest in the genre. With the recent release of Code: Realize Guardian of Rebirth, the handheld receives yet another commendable entry in its laudable library.

Like publisher Aksys Games’ Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom, Realize Guardian of Rebirth is an otome– a subgenre of visual novel that reflects the perspective of a female protagonist. But where the otome can employ romance as an ends, rather than a means, the title deftly situates affection as a secondary theme, allocating a sense of melancholic intrigue and a literary-inspired steampunk setting serve as key thematic elements.

An expeditious introduction tells the story of a young woman named Cardia confined to an isolated manor on the outskirts of an alternative London. After readers eavesdrop on a high-jacking scheme being set-up by two apparent criminals, our focus is diverted to an imminent military raid on the mansion. Breaching the estate’s premises and searching for a “monster”, the constabularies quickly surround the seemingly vulnerable Cardia. But when an attack dogs breaks lose, bites the girl, and dies in a painful fit, the intruders ascertain that Cardia bloodstream is teaming with lethal poison. But after being secured, and forced to leave the mansion, a mysterious interloper comes to her aid and rescues her from the police unit.

Cardia’s liberator is Arsène Lupin (lead character of Maurice Leblanc’s novel and grandfather of no other than Lupin the Third). Like the beloved manga and anime star, the elder Lupin is the archetypical chivalrous thief; a debonair mix of self-confidence and charm and a contender to help Cardia unravel the impetus behind her tragic condition. But that’s not the only literary luminary in Realize Guardian of Rebirth, with Victor Frankenstein, Abraham Van Helsing and a certain bloodsucking antagonist in the cast. Undeniably, developers Idea Factory and subdivision Otomate studied their source material, with a suspiciously character named Herlock Sholmes offering a playful nod to the tension when Leblanc united Lupin with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s celebrated consulting detective. Surpassingly, the novel even through a few real-life personalities into its plotline, with the eccentric Saint-Germain (of Nobunagun and Castlevania: Curse of Darkness fame) making an appearance.

Much like Doyle’s inference-drawing investigator, Realize Guardian of Rebirth can shift perspectives. While much of the game offering an omnipotent, third-person standpoint, occasionally we get into the mind of Cardia. While the change in outlook might be a bit disorienting the first two or three times, the game can hardly be faulted for the decision. Unlike the majority of amnesiac heroines, Cardia is more than just a storytelling device, with the character having opinions and cultivating sentiment as she gradually rides a gratifying character arc.

That’s not to say that Rebirth’s secondaries aren’t enjoyable. Largely, it’s enjoyable to see the game’s unconventional assemblage of Victorian-era characters and figures rendered as popular culture tropes. Largely, the conversion works, with the novel crafting poignant situations between protagonist and character and playful circumstances between the secondary cast members. The title’s rare misstep is the tendency to dispel tension too quickly with comic relief. Likewise, Rebirth’s change in musical pieces foretell any change in tone.

Although the score might be a bit too divulgent, that’s not to say it’s not resplendent. From plaintive piano melodies that accompany Cardia’s laments to spirited songs during the sporadic playful caper, the title deserves a supplementary soundtrack. Just as indulging as the game’s aural elements are the game’s visual contributions, flaunting a well-drawn cast that showing a reasonable emotion of facial expression. Background and CG’s are equally as adept, with fidelity that exploits the Vita’s screen resolution. Notable are the tools that Realize Guardian of Rebirth extends, with readers able to review previous bit of exposition and dialog, an in-game glossary, and the ability to quick-save into up to ninety different slots. Not that readers will need all of those save spaces, as decisions arrive infrequently.

If you’ve ever bypassed an otome because of the emphasis on romance, Code: Realize Guardian of Rebirth would make an ideal entrance into the genre. While there’s a bit of restrained romancing, there are also gripping passages that rival the tension of any top-tier bestsellers as well as a smoldering sense of intrigue as readers follow Cardia and company through a remarkably realized steampunk setting. Even if history considers the Vita as a botched device, knowledgeable gamers will remember the device as a catalyst for great experiences like Realize Guardian of Rebirth.

Code: Realize Guardian of Rebirth was played on the Vita with code provided by the publisher.