Collector's delight: A true collector piece

Let's face it: although they are usually highly coveted, most special editions of games are far from being true collector's pieces. They often consist in little more than a couple of randoms items slapped together in a crappy cardboard box adorned with garish colours; not exactly the kind of valuable one would like to expose on a shelf, at least not outside of a dedicated gaming room. The Deluxe Edition of Bravely Second, however, breaks that mold and positions itself as a genuine work of art, a classy and stylish package that a game collector may want to proudly display to everyone's eyes. Mind you, this game collector may not really have another choice.

It doesn't quite show on that picture, but that beast is absolutely HUGE. 30 x 38 x 8 cm, to be exact, and a hefty 1,9 kg on the scale. This is by far the most enormous special edition of a game I've ever seen, so enormous that it's nearly ridiculous. Obviously, this monster doesn't fit in any of my shelves, let alone in a pantry; so I've had no other choice but to put it on top of a bookcase. There it sits proudly, displaying its black soberness to everyone's eyes.

Upon opening comes a first layer containing the game, a soundtrack CD and the mini-figurine of Agnès, along that gorgeous picture adorning the inside of the lid. That first layer can be removed to reveal the art book:

It's worth noting that despite its respectable size, this art book contains no text apart from the captions accompanying each picture. I guess you cannot really blame an art book for being exactly that, i.e. a book full of art; but still, given the size of this particular book, I expected to come across at least a couple of interviews or explanatory texts regarding the game's conception. Oh, well. This art book remains a masterpiece, full of gorgeous pictures covering every aspect of the game.

Last but not least comes the mini-figurine of Agnès:

I don't care one bit about figurines, but I have to admit that this one is truly lovely. It is rather well-finished and faithful to the character's design—unlike the one included in the Collector Edition of Bravely Default, which was infamous for its ugliness and lack of polish. I certainly won't display that adorable piece of plastic anywhere, but it feels like a valuable addition to that special edition.

All in all, I'm quite satisfied of that purchase. It feels good to own a "special" that looks and feels like a genuine work of art, with love and care involved in its conception, and not like a half-baked attempt at cashing in by exploiting game collectors' purchasing impulses. Now I still have to like the game, but I'm none too worried about this, given that... Well, more on that later! Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!