Last year, one title we looked at during February was Code: Realize – Guardians of Rebirth, which quickly became one of my favorite otome games, and one I’d recommend whether you’re generally interested in otome or not.
So it’s fitting that this year’s celebration includes Code: Realize – Future Blessings, the first fandisc released for Code: Realize.
(A fandisc is similar to a sequel, but more like an extended epilogue. I’d describe a fandisc like this: you earned your happy ending in the main game, and now you get to enjoy it.)
Future Blessings is made up of several parts, so let’s take a look at each of them. First up are the after stories, stories for each of the love interests that focus on their life with Cardia after the events of their route in the main game. It’s nice to see each route get its own follow-up, and I found these stories to be cute, funny, and very sweet.
I can’t think of anything better for this Valentine’s Day celebration. Since these stories focus specifically on the relationship between the protagonist and love interest after they’ve become a couple, romance is their primary focus.
(But someone, please tell me why the writers treat Abraham Van Helsing and Victor Frankenstein as though “Van” and “Franken” are middle names? I can get on board with affectionately calling Van Helsing “Van,” but Victor being referred to as “Professor Stein” bothers me every time it happens!)
Aside from the after stories, Future Blessings also includes two whole new character routes, a romance route for Herlock Sholmes and a platonic route for Finis. Both of these routes are great and have similar intensity to the routes in the original game. I enjoyed both of them quite a bit.
One more story, “Lupin’s Gang” is a new adventure set during the original, in which Cardia and the others become entangled in a plot involving the Mafia. This story is not romantic due to effectively being part of the original’s common route, but it’s a fun adventure with entertaining new characters, even if the pacifist Mafia family did make me raise my eyebrows a bit (Kiryu would love them).
Finally, as you complete each story in Future Blessings, you unlock a series of short chapters featuring Delly. These are all incredibly cute and often funny.
Overall, Code: Realize – Future Blessings was a delight to play. The after stories are wonderfully fluffy and romantic, and reminded me of how much I love this cast of characters, the new routes are exciting and satisfying, and everything has a great blend of excitement, humor, and romance. If you enjoyed Code: Realize and want more of its romance, I definitely recommend picking up Future Blessings.
I am sure Herlock Sholmes was a memorable route after seeing him in Great Ace Attorney 😉
Absolutely, haha. Far too many things brought to mind The Great Ace Attorney thanks to both games having a similar setting, even if Code: Realize is much more steampunk. Sholmes was definitely a major one.