Newsletter
  • Guides
  • Previews
    • Indie Games
    • PS4
    • PC
    • Xbox One
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo 3DS
    • PS Vita
    • PS3
    • Xbox 360
    • Wii U
  • Site Info
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Staff Directory
    • Join Our Team
    • Privacy Policy
      • Cookies Policy
    • RSS Feeds
    • Social Media
      • Youtube
      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Twitch
      • Instagram
      • Tumblr
      • Linkedin
      • Pinterest
      • Discord
  • Discord
  • Store
  • Logitech G
  • green man gaming
  • Affiliates
    • GAMIVO.com
    • Logitech
    • Astro Gaming
    • Nord VPN
    • Best Buy
    • Namecheap Hosting
    • Blue Mic
    • Ultimate Ears
    • Jaybird
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
BG
  • News
    • All
    • Esports
    • Interviews

    Bungie Premieres Gameplay For Marathon

    Bitcoin Browser Mini Games To Play Online

    Screenshot

    Rival Stars Horse Racing: Is The VR Edition Worth It?

    Evolution of iGaming: What’s Changing for Players in 2025?

    Top Played Sport Games in Canada

    The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II Releases 2025

    esports new frontier

    The New Frontier: Exploring the Thrills of Esports Betting and its Impact on Traditional Sports Betting

    XDEFIANT REVEALS INFO FOR SEASON 1

    KENA: BRIDGE OF SPIRITS IS COMING TO XBOX

    Trending Tags

    • Top Stories
    • PlayStation
    • Xbox
    • Nintendo
    • Retro Games
    • Mobile Games
    • Indie Games
    • Square Enix
    • Sony
    • Microsoft
    • PAX
    • EGX
    • Gamescom
    • Rockstar Games
    • Electronic Arts
    • Activision Blizzard
    • E3 Expo
  • Reviews
    • All
    • Flash Game Reviews
    • Google Stadia
    • Indie Game Reviews
    • Mobile Game Reviews
    • Nintendo 3DS Reviews
    • Nintendo Switch Reviews
    • PC Reviews
    • PS Vita Reviews
    • PS3 Reviews
    • PS4 Reviews
    • PS5 Reviews
    • Retro Game Reviews
    • Reviews RoundUP
    • Xbox 360 Reviews
    • Xbox One Reviews

    Rise of Rebellion PC Review

    Blades of Fire PC Review

    Scar-Lead Salvation PS5 Review

    Death End re;Quest Code Z PS5 Review

    Wild Assault Early Access Review

    Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land PC Steam Deck Review

    ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist PC Review

    Ninja Gaiden 2 Black PS5 Review

    Atomic Heart

    Atomic Heart Enchantment Under the Sea DLC Review

    Trending Tags

    • Resident Evil
    • Call of Duty
    • Final Fantasy
    • Destiny
    • Borderlands
    • Halo
    • The Elder Scrolls
    • Fortnite
    • PUBG
    • Bioshock
    • The Witcher
  • Opinion
    • All
    • Second Opinion
    From Gamers to Punters: How UX Turns a Bet into an Experience

    From Gamers to Punters: How UX Turns a Bet into an Experience

    Why Gamers Are Flocking To Online Casino Apps

    casino games you can play on your mobile phone

    Most Casino Games You Can Play on Your Mobile Phone

    Sport Betting and sports bets or online sporting events gambling as football betting and draft picks or basketball game bet and Hockey betting with 3D illustration elements.

    Overlooked Strategies That Can Improve Your Betting

    Bitcoin Browser Mini Games To Play Online

    Screenshot

    Rival Stars Horse Racing: Is The VR Edition Worth It?

    Evolution of iGaming: What’s Changing for Players in 2025?

    Online Games That We Always Keep on Playing

    Online Games When You Have Only 15 Minutes

    Trending Tags

    • Is It A Classic?
    • Remember When
    • Do We Even Care Anymore?
    • Humpday Haikus
    • Top Series
    • Thirsty Thursday
    • Aging Gamer
    • On The Way To E3
  • Podcasts
    • All
    • The BagoCast
    • TSR BagoCast

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Social Media & Esports

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Politics in Video Games Games

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist 2

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Titan Fall and Apex: Legends Hacked

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist

    BagoCast EP: 12 – Code Vein and the DLC

    Debate/Discussion: Bad Video Games That We Love

    Discussion/Debate: Is Bioware Gone?

    Trending Tags

    • Film Fallout
    • 8Bit Proof
    • Gaming Historia
    • Bago Anime Cast
    • Gamers In Beta
    • Gamers Unscripted
  • Videos

    Controller Guide For Wild Assault

    Trevor Bogan Interview

    Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden’s Gets Gameplay Trailer

    Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Gets New Story Trailer

    Stephen Oyoung Interview

    Jacqueline Pinol Interview

    So, You Wanna Play Junker Queen?

    Matchpoint Tennis Championships Live Review

    Void Slayer – Review

  • Geek Culture
    • All
    • Anime and Manga
    • Anime/Manga Review
    • Collectibles
    • Comic Books
    • Cosplay
    • Movies
    • Tech
    • TV Shows

    Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025 Winners Announced

    Tickets Are Now on Sale for OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom

    Crunchyroll Announces Blu-ray Titles Coming in January 2025

    MY BOYFRIEND IS A DOG Manga gets English release

    Jae Woo Kim Interview

    Crunchyroll Anime Award 2024 Winners Announced

    GAYMING AWARDS 2024 NOMINEES & HOSTS ANNOUNCED

    The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

    Anime Review: The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

    Crunchyroll Acquires Anime Film The Concierge in North America, Reveals Trailer

    Trending Tags

    • Movie Reviews
    • Movie News
    • TV News
    • TV Episode Review
    • Episode Guide
    • Competitive Gaming
    • Tech News
    • Tech Review
    • Anime and Manga News
    • Anime and Manga Review
    • Comic Book News
    • Comic Book Review
  • Forum
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • All
    • Esports
    • Interviews

    Bungie Premieres Gameplay For Marathon

    Bitcoin Browser Mini Games To Play Online

    Screenshot

    Rival Stars Horse Racing: Is The VR Edition Worth It?

    Evolution of iGaming: What’s Changing for Players in 2025?

    Top Played Sport Games in Canada

    The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II Releases 2025

    esports new frontier

    The New Frontier: Exploring the Thrills of Esports Betting and its Impact on Traditional Sports Betting

    XDEFIANT REVEALS INFO FOR SEASON 1

    KENA: BRIDGE OF SPIRITS IS COMING TO XBOX

    Trending Tags

    • Top Stories
    • PlayStation
    • Xbox
    • Nintendo
    • Retro Games
    • Mobile Games
    • Indie Games
    • Square Enix
    • Sony
    • Microsoft
    • PAX
    • EGX
    • Gamescom
    • Rockstar Games
    • Electronic Arts
    • Activision Blizzard
    • E3 Expo
  • Reviews
    • All
    • Flash Game Reviews
    • Google Stadia
    • Indie Game Reviews
    • Mobile Game Reviews
    • Nintendo 3DS Reviews
    • Nintendo Switch Reviews
    • PC Reviews
    • PS Vita Reviews
    • PS3 Reviews
    • PS4 Reviews
    • PS5 Reviews
    • Retro Game Reviews
    • Reviews RoundUP
    • Xbox 360 Reviews
    • Xbox One Reviews

    Rise of Rebellion PC Review

    Blades of Fire PC Review

    Scar-Lead Salvation PS5 Review

    Death End re;Quest Code Z PS5 Review

    Wild Assault Early Access Review

    Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land PC Steam Deck Review

    ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist PC Review

    Ninja Gaiden 2 Black PS5 Review

    Atomic Heart

    Atomic Heart Enchantment Under the Sea DLC Review

    Trending Tags

    • Resident Evil
    • Call of Duty
    • Final Fantasy
    • Destiny
    • Borderlands
    • Halo
    • The Elder Scrolls
    • Fortnite
    • PUBG
    • Bioshock
    • The Witcher
  • Opinion
    • All
    • Second Opinion
    From Gamers to Punters: How UX Turns a Bet into an Experience

    From Gamers to Punters: How UX Turns a Bet into an Experience

    Why Gamers Are Flocking To Online Casino Apps

    casino games you can play on your mobile phone

    Most Casino Games You Can Play on Your Mobile Phone

    Sport Betting and sports bets or online sporting events gambling as football betting and draft picks or basketball game bet and Hockey betting with 3D illustration elements.

    Overlooked Strategies That Can Improve Your Betting

    Bitcoin Browser Mini Games To Play Online

    Screenshot

    Rival Stars Horse Racing: Is The VR Edition Worth It?

    Evolution of iGaming: What’s Changing for Players in 2025?

    Online Games That We Always Keep on Playing

    Online Games When You Have Only 15 Minutes

    Trending Tags

    • Is It A Classic?
    • Remember When
    • Do We Even Care Anymore?
    • Humpday Haikus
    • Top Series
    • Thirsty Thursday
    • Aging Gamer
    • On The Way To E3
  • Podcasts
    • All
    • The BagoCast
    • TSR BagoCast

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Social Media & Esports

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Politics in Video Games Games

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist 2

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Titan Fall and Apex: Legends Hacked

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist

    BagoCast EP: 12 – Code Vein and the DLC

    Debate/Discussion: Bad Video Games That We Love

    Discussion/Debate: Is Bioware Gone?

    Trending Tags

    • Film Fallout
    • 8Bit Proof
    • Gaming Historia
    • Bago Anime Cast
    • Gamers In Beta
    • Gamers Unscripted
  • Videos

    Controller Guide For Wild Assault

    Trevor Bogan Interview

    Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden’s Gets Gameplay Trailer

    Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Gets New Story Trailer

    Stephen Oyoung Interview

    Jacqueline Pinol Interview

    So, You Wanna Play Junker Queen?

    Matchpoint Tennis Championships Live Review

    Void Slayer – Review

  • Geek Culture
    • All
    • Anime and Manga
    • Anime/Manga Review
    • Collectibles
    • Comic Books
    • Cosplay
    • Movies
    • Tech
    • TV Shows

    Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025 Winners Announced

    Tickets Are Now on Sale for OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom

    Crunchyroll Announces Blu-ray Titles Coming in January 2025

    MY BOYFRIEND IS A DOG Manga gets English release

    Jae Woo Kim Interview

    Crunchyroll Anime Award 2024 Winners Announced

    GAYMING AWARDS 2024 NOMINEES & HOSTS ANNOUNCED

    The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

    Anime Review: The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

    Crunchyroll Acquires Anime Film The Concierge in North America, Reveals Trailer

    Trending Tags

    • Movie Reviews
    • Movie News
    • TV News
    • TV Episode Review
    • Episode Guide
    • Competitive Gaming
    • Tech News
    • Tech Review
    • Anime and Manga News
    • Anime and Manga Review
    • Comic Book News
    • Comic Book Review
  • Forum
No Result
View All Result
BagoGames
No Result
View All Result

BagoGames > Articles > Game Reviews > PS4 Reviews > Code: Realize ~Bouquet of Rainbows~ Review

Code: Realize ~Bouquet of Rainbows~ Review

David Restrepo by David Restrepo
7 years ago
in Game Reviews, PS4 Reviews
Reading Time: 5 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Bluesky

Code: Realize ~Bouquet of Rainbows~ compiles the original Code: Realize ~Guardians of Rebirth~ along with its pseudo-sequel, Code: Realize ~Future Blessings~ for the PlayStation 4. While both games can be bought separately on the PlayStation Vita, this Bouquet of Rainbows package is console exclusive. How does the otome collection fare?

Code: Realize ~Guardians of Rebirth~

Guardians of Rebirth is Cardia Beckford’s story. Locked in a mansion for most of her life, the denizens of this 19th-century steampunk inspired England fear Cardia. The poison running through her veins can destroy anything or anyone that makes contact with her skin. This innate defect as a result of the Horologium, a gem embedded in her chest, leads to her public excommunication.

The Beginning

Guardians of Rebirth begins with Arsène Lupin and Impey Barbicane thwarting the British Imperial Army, who were entrusted with kidnapping Cardia by the orders of Queen Victoria. Due to Cardia’s potency, the country aims to use her poison as a chemical weapon against other countries, supplanting England’s dominance.

RelatedStories

Rise of Rebellion PC Review

Blades of Fire PC Review

The eclectic duo responsible for saving Cardia take her in as part of their team. They hope to help her find Isaac Beckford, her father, who also happens to be one of England’s most influential scientific minds. As the narrative develops, Cardia, Impey, and Lupin befriend and make enemies of several characters. Within hours, the cast grows to a sizable chunk, each with their own motivations for either finding Isaac or kidnapping Cardia.

Code: Realize ~Guardians of Rebirth~, Aksys Games

What The Game Does Right

Code: Realize ~Guardians of Rebirth~ nails the craft of making a familiar setting feel distinct through unique deviations from real-world history. It also exhibits beautiful character artwork on occasion, though beyond these triumphs, Guardians of Rebirth falters as a compelling narrative with interesting characters. Each of the characters embodies some sort of trope.

Character Tropes

Lupin is the smooth-talking criminal that rarely breaks his composure. Impey is the clumsy genius. Van Helsing is the aloof bad-ass. Saint-Germain is the androgynous and seemingly emotionless voice of reason. Victor Frankenstein is the baby-faced glasses-wearing sweetheart. To its credit, some of the characters have interesting backstories, but the game tends to handle exposition in a ham-fisted manner. An interesting character’s history means little if the story thrusts it all out at once in a wall of text with little to no relevant background art to set a scene before returning to the present. Such heavy-handed exposition fails to characterize what could have been otherwise interesting individuals.

Outside of meaningless exposition dumps, each of the main characters fits within their stereotype to a “T”. Rarely ever showing bouts of true humanity, this cast of pretty boy cardboard cutouts exists just to swoon over Cardia. As a dumb romantic visual novel, it doesn’t need to have the deepest characters. People playing this just want to romance some pretty boys, after all, but that doesn’t excuse its lack of confidence.

Guardians of Rebirth shows signs of light-hearted humor among the melodrama. If it really wanted to succeed, it could have owned the character archetypes. Rather than attempting to provide players with dark, brooding melodrama from boring characters, it could have provided relentless humor through ridiculously over the top portrayals of each archetype. When you have a not so subtle character named Herlock Sholmes, how much more beneficial would it have been for his character to be pushed to the utmost extremities?

Code: Realize ~Guardians of Rebirth~ is a painfully dull visual novel. It offers an interesting world, but more time seems to have been spent fleshing out the world than the characters you’ll spend roughly twenty hours communicating with. The pacing is all over the place. Overly extended character monologues are paired with brisk scenes that accomplish nothing. Guardians of Rebirth is not much of a compelling ride unless you really get hot and heavy for the cast.

Code: Realize ~Guardians of Rebirth~, Aksys Games

Code: Realize ~Future Blessings~

Future Blessings makes some strides, but it’s largely only slightly less painful than Guardians of Rebirth because of its length. Code: Realize ~Future Blessings~ isn’t a sequel in the traditional sense. Rather than one large 20+ hour narrative, Future Blessings is split into four different sections.

Some hit harder than others. The mini-stories involving “events only hinted at in Guardians of Rebirth” and Herlock Sholmes are the weakest of the bunch. They exhibit some of the weakest writing and most mindlessly droning scenes of the franchise. Much like the first game, Future Blessings has a habit of spending too much time on a single scene. Exposition dumps are the worst offender, though. While Guardians of Rebirth had its share of obtrusive exposition dumps here and there, Future Blessings loves its character monologues.

We as readers don’t learn much about characters through little nuggets of info here and there. We learn about them all at once in a single dedicated chunk. I have never seen such laziness. There is a time and a place for an exposition dump, but Code: Realize hinges on them religiously.

The Side Story

The side-story following events through Finis’ perspective was the most interesting the franchise ever got. It was the first time the writing managed to make me care about anything beyond the world’s backdrop or general plot synopsis. Finis remained one of Guardians of Rebirth‘s most mysterious antagonists. His side-story effectively humanizes his modus operandi. It also sheds more light on a plot twist revealed near the end of the last game. Unfortunately, it too loves to derail into overly long scenes with characters that open their mouths so much more than they need to. Luckily, due to Future Blessings‘ structure, side stories are much shorter, making each individual narrative less grating than its predecessor.

Code:Realize ~Future Blessings~, Aksys Games

Aside from those three side-stories from different characters’ perspectives, Future Blessings also features after stories following the continuity of events after whatever character’s true ending players may have received in the last game. While you are open to following anyone’s after story, it will assume you have reached that character’s true ending. Unless you’ve played through Guardians of Rebirth multiple times, you’ll likely stick to the one person’s after story.

I ended up with Victor Frankenstein in my playthrough, which according to trophy stats was the most common Guardians of Rebirth ending. Victor Frankenstein’s route begins innocently enough with cutesy affectionate scenes between Cardia and Victor. That said, they are soon approached by Idea, an organization briefly mentioned in the first game. Victor Frankenstein’s after story isn’t as nail-biting as learning about Finis, but the franchise has seen worse. If nothing else, it further fleshes out the Code: Realize universe at the expense of the narrative.

Conclusion

That seems to be the ultimate issue. The Code: Realize games are best at world-building, but anything beyond that is weak and uninspired. Characterization, writing, and pacing all plays second fiddle to the world. Unfortunately, there’s only so much an interesting world can do for such vapid storytelling.

Disclaimer: A review code was provided by the publisher. 

Code: Realize ~Bouquet of Rainbows~

Code: Realize ~Bouquet of Rainbows~
4.5

Score

4.5/10

Pros

  • Interesting world/universe

Cons

  • Mostly boring characters
  • Excessive exposition dumps
  • Flat humor
Tags: AKSYS GamesCode: Realizeidea factoryPlayStationTop StoriesVisual Novel
Share1ShareTweetShare


Previous Post

God of War Review

Next Post

Retro Review – Gun: Showdown

Subscribe
Connect with
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
guest
The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us to keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.

I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
guest
The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us to keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

BAGOGAMES WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Get this week's top news, reviews, guides, videos and opinion for your favorite games, movies, TV and tech in your email every Friday.

Don't worry, we don't spam.

NEW ON BAGOGAMES

Anime and Manga

Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025 Winners Announced

by Abdul Saad
3 weeks ago
Game Reviews

Rise of Rebellion PC Review

3 weeks ago
Game Reviews

Blades of Fire PC Review

3 weeks ago

LATEST PODCASTS & VIDEOS

Currently Playing

Void Slayer – Review

Void Slayer – Review

Game Reviews

The IDEAL Spider-Man VR Game

Opinion

BPM: Bullets Per Minute – Shooting to The Beat (Review)

Game Reviews

She Will Punish Them – Warning: Mature Content (Early Access Review)

Game Reviews

Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

Opinion

FOLLOW US

BagoGames

BagoGames.com © 2023 BagoGames LLC. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Staff Directory
  • Join Our Team
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • RSS Feeds
  • Discord Server
  • BG Store
  • OpenCritic
  • green man gaming
  • Logitech G
  • GAMIVO.com
  • ASTRO Gaming
  • Logitech
  • Namecheap Hosting
  • Nord VPN
  • Best Buy
  • Blue Mic
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Guides

Follow Us

  • Login
  • Sign Up
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Opinion
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Geek Culture
  • Previews
  • Guides
  • Short Videos
  • Forum
  • Site Info
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Join Our Team
    • Staff Directory
    • Privacy Policy
    • Newsletter
    • RSS Feeds

BagoGames.com © 2023 BagoGames LLC. All rights reserved.

wpDiscuz