For the release of Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, as per usual, there were a variety of editions. The most expensive top-tier edition was the King's Edition
This comes with some pretty slick and unique items including:
- Vinyl record containing two tracks;
- Pop-up art packaging for the vinyl record;
- Hardcover artbook;
- Music box with a rotating two-scene diorama;
- Steelbook;
- Three postcards;
- Making of blu-ray disc;
- A copy of the game; and
- Code for the season pass
Packaging:
This edition wasn't cheap (although it was overproduced in some countries so it got discounted pretty heavily), and the packaging and overall presentation reflects this. It comes in a huge box, with a really nice piece of artwork on the various sides.
The back shows off the contents of what's inside, and one thing you'll notice is that this has multilingual packaging.
The cover slips off to reveal the actual box inside, which has the same piece of artwork.
Vinyl Record:
Upon removing the cover of the box, the first thing you'll see is the vinyl record. The front cover has a sketch of Evan, the main character of the game.
The coolest thing with the vinyl record packaging is how it is also a pop-up book. Open it up and it'll pop up a three layered piece of artwork featuring Roland, Evan and Tani.
The vinyl record then slips out from the back and is further protected by a thin paper sleeve.
The vinyl also has artwork on the front and back which you'll have to peel off if you want to listen to the tracks.
There are two tracks available, the main theme and "The Curious Boy".
Artbook:
After the vinyl record, the next thing you'll see is the artbook, and this is a hefty artbook. It makes up most of the weight of the edition. It's a hardcover with color pages, and is of a high quality. It's all art though so if you were expecting some text for behind the scenes revelations, then you'll be disappointed. Nevertheless, below are some sample pages.
The Game:
After the artbook, there is a piece of foam that holds the music box and the copy of the game, with ribbons to help you lift those items up.
The steelbook is as you'd expect, with the second main artwork on it.
The steelbook itself holds the making of blu-ray disc. Unfortunately, it just contains the five short clips that was already posted on YouTube, so if you were expecting any sort of exclusive content, then you'll be disappointed.
Inside the steelbook are also three postcards, featuring the key pieces of artwork for the game. There is a spare spool if you want to store the PS4 game disc inside it as well.
Inside the PS4 game case is a code for the Season Pass (the same one as the Prince's Edition).
Music Box:
And now, finally, the centrepiece of the whole King's Edition, the music box. as with everything else, it comes in a nice box, but features the same piece of artwork as the outer packaging.
The music box out, it's is roughly cylindrical in shape. Note that it is also made of plastic, so it'll be lighter and feel cheaper than you might have initially expected.
Nevertheless, it is really cool and unique. You can twist the handle at the bottom to have the diorama rotate between the two sides, and play the main theme.
There are two scenes for the music box, one has Evan alone sitting on the throne, and the other features Roland and Tani beside him.
Overall:
Yes, this edition is extremely pricey, even as far as Collector's Editions go. However, the Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom - King's Edition is one of those rare ones that feels like some thought had gone into it. You get the standard items like an artbook, steelbook and the season pass, but there are some extremely unique items like the vinyl record and music box. So overall, this is a nice collector's edition to have, more so if you had managed to grab it when they were discounted soon after its release.
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For other collector's edition reviews, have a look at this page.