The folks at NIS America were kind enough to send me a physical copy of Anima: Gate of Memories to review on PS4, but what I didn’t expect is that it would be the Beyond Fantasy Edition. So, again, to be clear, this was provided by NIS America for the purpose of a review.
Before diving into the world of Anima, though, I wanted to show you folks what all is included in the $49.99 Beyond Fantasy Edition available at the NIS America store.
For starters, you get the game itself and a full-color 52-page hardcover art book. The quality of the artwork is solid, but what’s most impressive (and a rare find these days) is the full-color instruction booklet found inside of the case.
I snapped a few photos for my Twitter followers, which I’ll drop into a gallery below.
Also included in the Beyond Fantasy Edition is a fairly big collector’s box (seen on the left) that keeps all of the additional content intact. It’s relatively sturdy and features artwork from Anima: Gate of Memories on the front, back, and spines.
At the bottom of the below image is a matted art print of The Bearer (the same image used as the header for this very article), who is Anima’s main protagonist. There’s also a 25-track soundtrack and a high-quality complete deck of major arcana tarot cards (22 in total, for you tarot nerds).
If you’re unfamiliar with Anima: Gate of Memories, it’s an action JRPG based on the table-top Anima franchise. It’s inspired by the likes of Final Fantasy and Suikoden, and is the 2nd video game adaptation behind Anima: Ark of Sinners on Wii, which released in 2011.
The story revolves around a girl bound to a monster who both discover they’re a part of something a bit more evil than meets the eye. Players can switch between The Bearer and her monster “companion” during combat to string together combos, as well as unlock additional spells and abilities in their respective skill trees.
Anima: Gate of Memories initially launched as a digital-only title on PS4, Xbox One, and PC in June 2016, but will see a physical release tomorrow, March 21st, exclusively on PS4.
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Full disclosure: As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, a copy of Anima: Gate of Memories was provided by NIS America for the purpose of a review. This post, however, is not part of that review. I just wanted to share the additional contents included in the Beyond Fantasy Edition with you, the reader, and give my brief opinion of them. I was never asked to review or disclose said contents by NIS America or their PR contact. A full game review will come in the following weeks.
Cheap Boss Attack 
That’s really neat dude. I’ll keep an eye out for your review :)
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Thanks! Yeah, I was super impressed by everything in the box. The game… not so much. Mix feelings 5 hours in.
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You get all that for $50?!! This resident tarot nerd would be willing to drop a Grant for that alone o.O This may need to be another add. How difficult is the action combat in it? That always makes me reluctant with action RPGs.
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The game isn’t hard because it’s fair, it’s overly difficult because the combat is generally bad, the camera never seems to be in a favorable position, and boss fights can be incredibly cheap. It’s not very good. I should have a full review up in a few days, maybe around Monday. Neat goodies inside, for sure, but there are better options out there to play for the price.
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Aw that blows. Camera angles can be tricky. If YOU’RE saying boss attacks are cheap, I know it’s true :p I bet I could find the goodies elsewhere like on eBay if I were so inclined.
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My GF collects tarot decks, so she was quite happy lol.
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So it wasn’t a total loss! I only have two decks right now. I wound up giving one away because it just didn’t do anything me. It’s been a loooong time since I’ve really done much with them (besides FF Tarot which counts!).
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She has a few. Sometimes she gets lucky and my collector’s editions come with tarot stuff, like Persona Q and now Anima.
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