Six of the best video game collector’s editions

Folks of a certain age like your Editor will remember when it was standard practice for games — those on home computer, anyway — to come in big boxes, which were often packed with supplementary material to help immerse you in the game world. These days, this approach is reserved for limited collector’s editions, meaning they tend to be a bit pricier — but some companies really do a great job of making these fancy boxes worthwhile.

So that’s what we’re going to take a look at today: six of the best video game collector’s editions from recent years — particularly those which offer great added value atop the original game.

Mary Skelter Finale

Mary Skelter Finale probably isn’t where I’d suggest anyone jump into the Mary Skelter series — as everyone knows, you start with the second one, then play the first, then Finale, obviously — but even if you’re not at that point yet, the Finale box set is worth grabbing if you can score a copy.

Why? Primarily because it comes with a second box that includes hardback versions of the anthologies of short stories that supplement the in-game narratives for all three Mary Skelter titles. These add a ton of additional context and flesh out the characters even more; this is particularly helpful in Mary Skelter 2, which pretty much drops you into the action in medias res and can easily leave you baffled.

Sure, all this reading material is available online on Idea Factory’s website, but it’s really nice to have it all in one place in physical form. And, for old farts like me, it’s a nice reminder of when games used to come with “novellas” — although at least in Mary Skelter’s case there’s no “please enter the 5th word from paragraph 3, line 4 on page 27”!

The Switch version of the Mary Skelter Finale Limited Edition is sold out, but the PS4 version is still available at the time of writing.

The Grisaia Complete Box

If you’re a fan of the Grisaia series of visual novels, then this is the ultimate collector’s piece. It includes disc-based copies of the main trilogy (in adults-only form) plus all the spin-off titles, and soundtrack CDs. And then on top of that it has a bunch of additional material, too, including a huge glossy artbook, badges, digital download codes for the games if you don’t want to use the discs, and even a physical light novel.

It really is the ultimate celebration of the original Grisaia trilogy, though it doesn’t include any of the newer Phantom Trigger material — at least partly because that hadn’t yet been produced when most of the material in this box was put together!

You’ll be lucky to find one of these today, but if you’re a Grisaia fan and you have the opportunity to add it to your shelf for a reasonable price, take that opportunity.

Sengoku Rance

This one perhaps isn’t quite as extravagant as some of the others on this list, but it is noteworthy for one big reason: it includes a full manual. And I’m not talking about a little booklet tucked inside the DVD case that contains nothing but artwork — I’m talking about a proper, full manual for what is quite a complex game at heart. It features not only full instructions on how to play, but also background information on the characters plus a host of beautiful illustrations.

Sporting 80 pages and featuring full-colour artwork throughout, this is the sort of thing that used to come as standard with home computer games, but which is now considered to be a luxury. Fans of old-school “big box” PC games will definitely appreciate this one.

Plus you’re in luck! This one is still available for purchase direct from MangaGamer.

WitchSpring3 Re:Fine

This one is a representative example of the high-quality collector’s editions that Strictly Limited Games puts out. While Strictly Limited has become somewhat notorious for the very long time it takes for the company’s releases to get from the pre-order stage to actually being in people’s hands, the results are always worth the wait, and the collector’s edition for WitchSpring3 Re:Fine is just one of many great examples.

Coming in a beautiful heavy magnetically sealed box with an attractive sleeve, this collector’s edition sports the usual things you’d expect: an art book, soundtrack CD, poster and the game itself. There’s also a sheet of stickers, a pin badge and a set of character cards and an acrylic stand featuring the game’s main character. The noteworthy thing with this — and Strictly Limited’s other productions — is the immensely high quality of everything in the box.

This one is still available for purchase, but is low stock at the time of writing. Snag one while you can!

Gal*Gun Returns

You didn’t think we’d let an article like this pass without at least a little Gal*Gun now, did you? Yes, the Gal*Gun series has had some lovely collector’s editions over the years, with the most recent Ultimate Horny Trinity Edition being a great way to get caught up on the series if you’re yet to dive in. My personal favourite is the Gal*Gun Returns “Birthday Suit” edition, however, as it features a host of great collectibles.

Designed as a celebration of the series’ 10th anniversary, the box set comes with a copy of the game, six art cards, a 3-disc soundtrack, a set of pin badges, a collectible coin and an art book featuring both art from Gal*Gun Returns specifically and the broader history of the series. There’s also those all-important “safety goggles” that pair well with the “screen cleaner” from the original Gal*Gun Double Peace Collector’s Edition, and the “DIY Tentacle Kit” from the Horny Trinity Edition. Wear them all and… well, we’ll leave that to your imagination.

The Birthday Suit Edition of Gal*Gun Returns is still available, but getting low on stock at the time of writing, so nab one quick if you want one!

La Mulana 1 & 2

Finally, this one makes the list for sheer novelty value: it is officially the only video game collector’s edition I own which includes a full-on jigsaw puzzle as one of its bonus items. But it’s perhaps a fitting inclusion for the La Mulana games, which are notoriously challenging puzzle platformers filled with tricky riddles to solve.

Besides the jigsaw, the collector’s edition is pretty much as you would expect: a nice artbook and a 2-CD soundtrack set. It’s a nice bundle that, unfortunately, you’ll probably only find on the second-hand market these days for a vastly inflated price. Unless you’re willing to settle for an Xbox One version, of course! Hey, that platform needs all the physical releases it can get, throw it a bone now and then.

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