Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ Reviews
Overall, my feelings on Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ are a bit mixed. For those like me who find themselves already invested in the series, I feel that this title is a welcome edition. Its biggest downside is the fact that the Cantrella route is only 4 hours. Having said that, her route is perhaps the most memorable to date outside of the main story. It manages to expand on the lore of the base game without retconning any of those events and fits quite seamlessly with all of the other pieces. It’s also separate enough that it can stand on its own. All together, I spent a little under 23 hours with Wintertide. I would’ve preferred some of the more involved stories to last a bit longer, but at a modest price point of $49.99 for the standard PS4 edition, I can overlook that. I would highly recommend this title to anyone who has already played the first two. If you haven’t yet played those though, I’d suggest doing so before making the decision to pick this up.
To conclude, I have to ask myself. Did I enjoy the game? The answer is: Yes! I did enjoy it. Even if I had no clue at first what was going on. But the way these short stories were written were still oowey, goowey and warm. It definitely got my heart pumping. And to anyone who had the joy of enjoying the base game, you’ll simply fall in love with these extra stories. Overall, I’m giving this game 8 out of 10. It would have made it to a 9 if I had a better understand of the main game. Hopefully, you won’t jump into this blind like I did. *Giggle*
So! What have we learned today, dear reader? Well, first of all, Wintertide Miracles is not the first game that you should play in the series. It’s a terrible entry point. But, outside of that, it’s pretty good! So long as you don’t mind your visual novels being less traditional VN and more supplemental in nature, Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ is a short, sweet, and adorably charming otome title that is sure to keep your heart warm on a cold winter’s day.
Even more than the previous game, Code: Realize ~ Wintertide Miracles ~ is a work entirely dependent on its predecessors. For those who haven't played them yet, the title has little to offer. However, for those who already love the characters and would like to extend their time with Cardia and her boyfriends / friends, it's guaranteed fun.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Code: Realize is a classic in the visual novel genre, particularly among titles that have been localized to English. If you haven’t played it yet, you probably will at some point. Unlike the original title, where some of the paths were quite aggravating to me (*cough* Saint Germain *cough*) I found this one to be filled with mostly light-hearted fluff that was a delight to play, mixed with some longer more action-oriented tales. There are a few scenarios I wasn’t crazy about, but overall this title is filled with feel-good romantic silliness that I thoroughly enjoyed.
A sweet, festive dose of Cardia and the gang for established Code: Realize fans.
Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ is a game heavily geared towards fans of the series and does more than enough to please them. While some routes are not so good, the story as a whole is more than worthy for those who have played both prior games.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
My final typo count was only in the single digits. There's two things I can credit for this: Wintertide Miracles did get localized previously, and with the release schedule slowing down from the "six launches in ten months" pace of 2020, it does allow more time for squashing editing bugs. Last week's announcements that the next otome from Aksys that's coming out won't be until "fall 2021" is raising my hopes for the editors when that wave comes crashing in.
While the original Code: Realize and its first fandisc were great, Wintertide Miracles just feels long in the tooth.
This is strictly for the absolute hardcore fans who have been dying to know what happens next with Cardia and her beloved. There's a strong emphasis upon the word “fans,” mind you. Filthy casuals need not apply.