The internet transformed the shopping landscape. While you can buy a myriad of practical gadgets through platforms like Amazon, several retailers offer the chance to acquire distinctive and unique items that aren’t typically available on that site — or in the U.S., for that matter. Nevertheless, this ease comes with the downside of your product potentially being damaged during shipping, and the disappointment is even greater when the item is exceptionally rare. Especially when you can identify a specific party responsible.
On February 26, Philip Peng (commonly recognized by his Twitter/X username “Keripo”) shared some distressing news: A game he had ordered some time ago, “Tsukihime Trial Edition,” arrived in ruins. The protective bubble wrap had been taken off and the floppy disk was shredded, as if someone had torn it apart with their bare hands. He was understandably upset (as any person in his situation would be), but he also uncovered a possible clue: The package bore a tape that read “Opened and resealed by customs.”
The prevailing theory suggests that someone at U.S. Customs opened the package and intentionally damaged the floppy disk, as Peng noted that the seller took significant measures to safeguard the product and provided photos as evidence. Additionally, in another post, Peng mentioned that the package was at one point “stuck in Customs for additional inspection.” Peng indicated that he intends to file a report regarding the incident. If his allegations are accurate, this could potentially deter many individuals from ordering products from overseas (Peng sourced his copy from a collector in Portugal), particularly rare video games.
What renders Tsukihime Trial Edition so precious?
Although many gamers lean towards playing the latest releases, or modify older consoles for new uses, some are devoted to the discipline of preserving the oldest video games for future generations. Yet “Tsukihime Trial Edition” is not just any old game; it’s a rare title that offers a glimpse into the history of a developer prior to its rise to fame.
The game “Tsukihime” is an adult visual novel (essentially a choose your own adventure story in video game format) created by Type-Moon. “Tsukihime” represents the studio’s debut title, and nearly all of their future games are derivatives of “Tsukihime.” However, you might ask what makes the “Trial Version” edition so notable, especially since you can play a remake of the original game (or at least parts of it) on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. To begin with, “Tsukihime Trial Edition” is an early preview from before the finalization of the game. Game historians relish dissecting beta builds to see what modifications studios made during development. It provides insights into and aids in a deeper appreciation of the game development journey.
The obliteration of this specific floppy disk is particularly newsworthy because “Tsukihime Trial Edition” ranks among the rarest games extant. This demo version was sold at the 1999 Comiket convention for 100 yen per copy, and the developers produced only 50 copies. The rarer a video game is, even a demo disc, the higher the price that game preservationists are willing to pay — just observe how much the Nintendo PlayStation prototype fetched at an auction. Thanks to U.S. Customs (presumably), there are now at most 49 copies of “Tsukihime Trial Version” remaining, so it’s uncertain if another will emerge.