In an announcement that has come as a shock to everyone, publisher Nicalis has unvelied the upcoming release of a collectors edition of their game 1001 Spikes for the PS4 and PS Vita. Until now, we had believed that the final physical PS Vita release was Jet Set Knights from Eastasiasoft that was announced back in June 2023. This had been the first physical game released since 2021 after Limited Run Games delayed the release of Super Meat Boy, but there had been talk about 1001 Spikes for some time…
A Controversial Release
Rumours surrounding physical PS Vita games from Nicalis have been rife for years. A small quantity of three of their games – 1001 Spikes, VVVVVV and Binding Of Isaac – made it into the hands of collectors in the form of finished physical copies of all three games. Where these differed from regular releases of the games was that the back of them had holes punched in the inlays, indicating that they were “samples” produced for internal distribution at Sony Interactive Entertainment only.
Since these copies were discovered, the started to appear in extremely low quantities online and have sold for well in excess of four figure sums because of their scarcity. Speculation had been rife as to whether full releases were imminent and if Nicalis were simply holding them back to guarantee they would hold the honour of releasing the last ever Vita games. In response to these rumours, Nicalis themselves denied the existence of any copies of any of their games beyond the sample copies, pushing the values up further.
Enter The Collectors Edition
So it’s now come as a huge surprise to see the announcement of this Collectors Edition of the game. No release date or price has been confirmed yet, nor have details been announced as to how many the set will be limited to. On a positive note, Nicalis are limiting sales to one copy per format per customer and are prohibiting sales to non-residential addresses in an attempt to stop scalpers although we don’t know if this will also stop multiple accounts registered at the same address.
As for the contents, it will contain a copy of the game plus the following (quoted from their site):
- Authentic Key of Ukampa keychain in branded gift box with foam insert
- Keychain unscrews to reveal a secret compartment, just like in the game
- Exclusive Remix Soundtrack (2 audio CDs)
- Retro two-color reversible English/Japanese instruction manual
- Reversible cover sheet insert with retro box art
- Keepsake outer box with debossed faux leather cover and magnetic closure
There is no mention of a standard edition of the game being released so it seems that if you want that elusive rare copy of 1001 Spikes, then this is the only option.
Closing Thoughts
To be honest, I’m glad to see that this is finally getting a proper release but I’m disappointed in the way it has happened. It’s obvious that these have been sitting around in storage for several years and the addition of the extra items to turn it into a Collectors Edition seems to be more of a way to charge more for the game rather than to celebrate the release. As I said earlier, with the sample copy fetching in excess of £1,000, Nicalis would have had no problem at all selling a regular copy for £30-£40 and then opting for this Collectors Edition for £100. But my gut is telling me that we could be looking at a price of £100+
Of greater significance to the PS Vita community is the fact that this exists at all. The repeated statements from Nicalis denying the existence of any of their physical games now gives us hope for VVVVVV and Binding Of Isaac, although I would expect both to get the same Collectors Edition treatment. Purely because of the demand for Vita games, this will undoubtedly be a sellout – within hours of going on sale – and will set the others up for a future release.
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