Review: Fate/Extra CCC Virgin White box with figma Saber Bride

Today I’ll be looking at the limited Fate/Extra CCC Virgin White box and the included Saber Bride figma!

Fate/Extra CCC is the sequel to the previously released Fate/Extra(duh) for PSP. As with all other forms of the Fate series, Fate/Extra chronicles the Holy Grail War. But unlike previous wars, this one takes place in the virtual Tsukimihara Academy and involves many more masters than the traditional seven. The game itself is a dungeon RPG with visual novel aspects. The battle system resembles rock paper scissors.

I purchased the first Fate/Extra, and even after having it in my possession for over a year, have yet to complete it. You could blame anything from the length of the game, my choice to use the hardest servant(Caster) on my first try, or a simple lack of enthusiasm for this, but I’d say my main reason for not completing the game yet is that it is very difficult. I’ll admit that my since gaming repertoire does not expand far beyond Pokémon, I may not be the best person to ask, but I’m sure many others who have played can identify with my frustration.
Fate/Extra recreates the life or death nature of the Holy Grail War by immersing the player in an environment where one wrong move can truly mean death(and by death, I mean hours of grinding wasted because of one wrong move). Simply put, opponents fight based on a varying set of patterns specific to the opponent and fights are split into six move bouts where you have the chance to choose your moves based on what you think your opponent will do. Once you’ve chosen you moves, all you can do is watch while your servant fights their way to victory, barely escapes with their life, or is destroyed before your very eyes thus ending the lives of both Master and Servant and presenting you with the dreaded GAME OVER screen. I don’t hate the game, but hastily scribbling down attack patterns without certainty that my work will even pay off does not exactly provide the relaxation I’m looking for when I play a game.
Fate/Extra CCC retains the battle aspects and main cast of it’s predecessor while introducing a retro vibe complete with sailor uniforms, an old fashioned school, new costumes for servant and master, and a few new characters. As is typical of Type Moon, it also seems to have moved farther into mature territory(in fact, it’s described as the Fate/Extra equivalent to the Heaven’s Feel route of Fate/Stay Night and is very Sakura centric).

The Virgin White box is of course a limited release, but it includes numerous one of a kind goodies. The first benefit to purchasing this limited release is the box itself.

The box features a beautifully drawn illustration showcasing all of the servants in their alternative costumes.
Both Saber in her new Bride costume and Gilgamesh(who is a new addition for CCC) grace the front of the box.

Caster’s gothic style outfit(complete with tiny hat) adorns the side.
*Please excuse my crooked photos by the way. For whatever reason, I seem to have trouble photographing boxes on tables…*

General information regarding the game and its contents is on the back.

And Archer’s smexy muscles are on the other side.

Packed alongside the stunning box is the Virgin Bride magazine which acts as a preorder bonus.

The cover is illustrated by Wada Arco who is the Fate/Extra series’ character designer.

Here are a few pages from the slim magazine.

Unfortunately, I am unable to read the magazine, but apparently it is a parody bridal catalogue featuring the game’s characters.

A very vibrant piece. Too bad it’s impossible to remove the art from the magazine without destroying it. I’d very much like to display this somewhere.

Just because the concept of Archer’s Kitchen made me laugh.
And this may seem like an odd comment, but couldn’t they have found a better picture to include on this page? That food does not look especially appetizing…

Opening the box reveals even more goodies!

First is a limited CD!

The CD contains character songs sung by Sakura Tange who is Saber’s voice actress(I should add that in spite of their uncanny resemblance, the Saber in Fate/Extra is not the same Saber as in Fate/Stay Night).

The full track listing is as follows:
1. Blossom.arranged( A version of Blossom that was composed to be without vocals)
2. Blossom.(on vocal)
3. 暴君Majesty (on vocal)
4. 此方ノ詩～Jupiter～ (on vocal) ( This is actually a vocal rendering of Holst’s Jupiter)
5. Blossom. (off vocal) ( Essentially the karaoke version of Blossom.)
6. 暴君Majesty (off vocal) ( Karaoke version of 暴君Majesty)
7. 此方ノ詩～Jupiter～ (off vocal) ( Karaoke version of 此方ノ詩～Jupiter～)

For me, this CD is an excellent bonus. Aside from the oh so satisfying(if not a little juvenile) feeling of having “limited songs”, I love getting new music, and obtaining something unanticipated adds some well appreciated variety to my library.
So far Blossom. is my favorite song. My only gripe is that the game’s theme Sakura Meikyuu(which is performed by Kanon Wakeshima) could not be included.
And as cute(?) as naked Sakura is, I wish they’d put Saber on the cover because the songs always make me think of Sakura instead.

Moving on, the CD case is of high quality! It bears an attractive design and has an art booklet on the inside.

I like my CDs chained.

There is a total of five illustrations in the booklet. Below are my three favorites:

Sadly no Caster, but I love Rin and Rani together! Once again, my heart weeps that I cannot display this art.

Bonus shot! I think this really conveys the quality of the bonus goods.

Next is the game itself which should be the crown jewel of the package, but with the way it’s shoved inside with such great bonuses, feels like an afterthought.

More sadness accompanies the fact that I cannot play this game due to my nonexistent Japanese abilities. Whether or not the game receives an English version, I’d rather not venture to play it since I’m an all or nothing kind of person, and having only a vague understanding of the scenario wouldn’t feel right to me. Besides, it’s not like I even finished the first game XD.
Since I have no intention of playing this, I’m currently looking for a buyer. Anyone interested can send an offer to YamiUsagi1@yahoo.com .

As if there wasn’t enough awesomeness, popping open the game’s case yields a sheet of adorable chibi stickers!

When it comes to special stickers like these, I’m never sure what to do. Frivolously use them to decorate something like my laptop, or save them forever due to their exclusivity but never fully enjoy them as a result? Decisions decisions…

With the amazing extras out of the way, it’s time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for! The real reason I bought this! Put your hands together for Saber…

Box?

Ok, maybe that was too soon. Being an exclusive bundle figma, Saber Bride is packed in a rather plain white box. But this is all for her protection.

Now we have Saber Bride!

The original Fate/Extra came bundled with a figma of this Saber in her original red dress(which I still haven’t gotten around to getting), so it’s only natural for CCC to have the newly designed Saber Bride!

Perhaps “newly” isn’t the right word. This bundle was announced back in 2011, but received multiple delays for everything from rewriting the scenario to enhancing the…assets of female characters. As with most of my wished figmas, I ordered the bundle ASAP, but after six months of waiting and some financial concerns(I was convinced it would be out in March 2012 which was very pricey due to delays), I cancelled the order. Then, after realizing that the bundle would not be out so soon and evaluating the insane aftermarket values of the previous Saber Extra, I decided to order the bundle again and still had time to wait. Needless to say, I’m quite happy to have secured a preorder(again) and finally have this Saber in my possession.

As I mentioned earlier, CCC introduces new outfits for the playable servants. I found the previous costumes to be rather attractive and relevant to the characters’ backstories, but these new designs seem more like random fanservice to me(Caster’s other optional outfit is a rather skimpy bikini). And although the new designs are neat, I don’t feel they are as timeless as the originals. Even now, I’m wondering what kind of wedding dress this is supposed to be.
Then again, looking at Archer, I can see the appeal…

So yes, this is indeed a wedding dress(or maybe a wedding suit?). Complete with a veil and…chains? this outfit really gives off a bridal vibe!

Saber’s signature bun is now covered and enhanced with a veil and lovely flowers.
I really love the flowers~

From the back, we can also see a white ribbon and flowing opaque veil. Until the new Deadmaster is released, this is the only figma with a veil, and I’d say they did a good job.

The trim of the veil is excellently detailed with gold decals and an accompanying gradient.

As with all figmas, her head is articulated which makes the veil look a little awkward, but I don’t see why you’d want to put her head in that position anyway.

On Saber’s chest is a gold lock with a chain collar and buckles for…you know, stuff.

Saber’s white costume is accented by a yellow belt and zippers which cover her torso and legs.

Nicely sculpted and painted with a metallic sheen, the zipper looks great

but as is unavoidable with figmas of this design, moving the chest joint creates bizarre discontinuation.

The belt is a nice shade of yellow(reminds me of cheddar cheese) and is covered in more buckles.

Also attached to the belt are the joints for her skirt.

Unfortunately, the belt can only move upwards which makes the articulated skirt practically useless and creates an awkward picture since the belt moves but the buckle cannot.

I’m very impressed by the precision with which the chains and lock on her glove are painted.

I wish I could be entirely pleased with Saber’s hands, but there is one little issue

Her right hand was not glued on, and falls off all the time. It’s practically impossible to move her without the hand falling off, and I almost lost it during a photoshoot. Glue would fix this, but since I don’t have any right now, I’ll just have to keep an eye on it at all times.

The back of Saber’s costume is well defined. It gives the appearance of some very nice curves.

Yet hidden among the mass of chains, lace, and zippers is something that cannot be ignored. Yes, the butt window. I’d venture to call it tacky, but this is a defining feature of Saber Extra(the first one had it too), so I’ll just leave it alone.

Saber’s skirt has a very nice gradient which reminds me of an old sea map. Another interpretation is that the skirt is singed which could very well be a reference to Nero’s burning Rome(although I’ve heard the Fate/Extra backstory does not include that event). Or maybe I’m overthinking it. Either way, the skirt looks great!

Even more zippers on Saber’s legs. Poor Saber must have awful zipper marks on her skin when she takes that outfit off…

Last is Saber’s shoes. I cannot fathom why she was designed with blue soles, but they’re there. I’d recommend being careful when putting Saber on her knees, as the blue can rub off a little on her skirt.

Being a figma, Saber Bride comes with a reasonable amount of accessories.
First is two faces

Default and smiling

The default face feels rather pouty and lifeless to me, but I adore the smiling face. Not only is it looking to the side(I love me some sideways glances), the blush is adorable and full of life. This face is a great contrast to the stern Arthurian Saber and comes closest to accomplishing my desire for a tsundere Saber face. I also love how the mossy green eyes brighten up her expression.

Also included is five pairs of hands

spread out, fists, gripping,
open, and sword holding

Notice that each hand has the chains painted on it.

Although few, Saber also comes with character specific accessories, both of which no Ssber could be without!

First is an alternate hairpiece showing her hair not being blown by the wind

Almost every Saber has an alternate hairpiece…

Next is something far more important.

Her sword!

Saber’s outfit wasn’t the only thing to receive a redesign. Her sword, Aestus Estus, also got a new look.

Aestus Estus is now white and has a gold stripe running down it.
On a side note, look at Saber’s hand! “When in doubt, pinkie out!”

Weapons for Fate/Extra were designed by Huke. That’s rather obvious once you know it.

I would not want to meet this sword in battle…

That’s the last of Saber’s accessories. I’d say they’re sufficient, but it would have been nice to have an optional chest piece with an open collar. Especially since most Saber Bride art shows her with the collar open.

Now that we’ve seen Saber Bride and everything she comes with, let’s take her outside for a photoshoot!

I had a blast photographing Saber Bride. Not only was it a nice day, my yard is currently a flowery wonderland!

Final Words
This is one of my most satisfying purchases in a while! Not only did I get lots of goodies, I got a lovely figure with one of my favorite figma faces(I even had fun writing the review)! Saber Bride is compatible with other Sabers too, so she’s beneficial to have as part of a collection. I’d say it was well worth the limited price. Now if only they’d make the other Fate/Extra servants…