![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Book Reviews?: Video game manuals!
So I played Tunic (back in March; this post is just much delayed), an action-adventure title which marries SNES-era Zelda to Dark Souls to FEZ. Zelda and Dark Souls have always shared DNA, but this is very much "Zelda-like, but hard"; but much of what makes it difficult is the player's relationship with game knowledge and the game world. Tunic's text is in a runic script with just a few key words in English. Its manual is scattered throughout the game world, and used to decipher everything from controls to plot—piecemeal, coded, and out of order. It's marvelous! Enrapturing! It's about the magic and potential of everything that a game feels like it could be when you're, say, just reading the manual you can't understand from a Japanese import you've never played.
So, of course, I fell in love with game manuals. replacementdocs has a vast archive of manuals available as PDFs; the resolution isn't great but it's often adequate. Archive.org also has a bunch (and they have strategy guides too!), often at better quality. There's also lots of archives for specific games that can be found by doing a web search for "[game title] manual."
I like to find manuals to check out by googling, sure, listicles like "best retro game manuals," but the real treasure troves are Reddit and forum threads like
https://www.resetera.com/threads/old-school-gaming-manuals-were-the-best.532898/
https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/2yzc25/what_do_you_think_were_the_best_game_manuals/
https://www.reddit.com/r/gamecollecting/comments/2dk5h7/what_is_your_favorite_video_game_manual_and_why/
Manuals often have that sense of wonder that Tunic evokes: maps, secrets, hithertofore unknown controls, lists of items—the game world is a puzzle box and the manual is a key. They introduce new gaming concepts, and seeing those concepts being explained to the player in their earliest iterations drives home how revolutionary they were, how they changed gaming, how complex gaming is and how much of it lexicon and culture we now take for granted. They have humor and narrative—some are running jokes, some are entirely in character. Some are just batshit crazypants, and I highly encourage reading the manual first and looking up gameplay second for the most anticipation/surprise. Some, absolutely, are boring.
Here are the manuals I read in 2022, organized by quality.
These ones are great
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (there's a manual, map, and hint book!)
This is the most direct inspiration to Tunic and indeed there's enough in the manual alone to inspire a whole dang other game. Fully illustrated! Pages of lore! A complete list of items! The magic of SNES Zelda is less "what's here" and more "by what madness do you navigate it" and the manuals perfectly lay out that enticing, lengthy conundrum.
We Love Katamari
Completely illustrated! And the conceit of illustrating game screenshots is so on-brand, so vibrant and whimsical. There's a fun running subplot in the foibles between the player stand-ins. The trademark series humor shines through the text. A delight.
Pokémon Blue
We take it for granted now, but the Pokemon premise is ridiculously complex and the bulk of that complexity is in Gen1: in the concept itself. The map's a tangle, the list of items and movement mechanics is lengthy, but it's the real complexity is the Pokemon themselves. This has the early entries for a pokedex, it introduces the vast rock-paper-scissors typing mechanic, it seems endless—so much to take in, such potential!
Cubivore
A forgotten Gamecube game which was a precursor to Spore, but weirder: bonkers premise, even stranger execution, with even more wild lore and illustrations(! really horrific illustrations!) in the manual. This is not indicative of the average manual reading experience; nonetheless if you just read one, make it this one.
Oddworld: Abe's Odysee
This sort of sarcastic, condescending, oddball humor is surprisingly common in manuals (see Earthworm Jim, below), but utterly at home in Oddworld; and I like Oddworld, so I find that the humor lands. This is what Thief (see below) wants to be: using humor to impress on players the necessity of setting new expectations for gameplay. Also it pokes fun at the waning use of manuals. Also it has a complete overview of the game, including all biomes. Funny and satisfying.
Cave Story+
A modern manual! And this is the perfect game for one. It's written with charming self-awareness, full of character blurbs and hand-drawn art and even a super-special secrets section, as full of retro love and style as the game itself.
These ones are pretty good
Pokémon Snap
Written from Oak directly to the player, which perfectly sells the "immersion, but in a themepark sort of way" premise of this game.
Contact
I've never heard of this little job-system RPG, but the game itself is secondary; the entire manual is written as a supporting character's online journal. Just like on DW, "mood" is pixel emojis of his space dog (that wants to be a space cat) Mochi. Entirely in character and stupidly charming.
Thief series (Thief: The Dark Project, Thief II: The Metal Age, Thief III: Deadly Shadows)
There's a lot of copy-pasting between manuals and a lot to skim. The opening lore is good, the moments of humor land, but what's most interesting here is how (particularly via that sarcastic, dark humor) the manuals are trying to drive home the idea of a whole new type of gameplay: move slow, play careful, we've invented this genre called "stealth." It's such an unassuming way to revolutionize gaming.
Earthworm Jim
Hints and tips: surrounding yourself with Earthworm Jim action figures will automatically make you the coolest person in your neighborhood. Excruciatingly self-aware but in a fun way in keeping with the series's style, while doing that distinctly satisfying manual thing of introducing every boss, biome, and item.
Harvest Moon
This has the Pokemon feel of introducing an entire new genre which feels so established and fundamental now but was borderline overwhelming at the time. Inspiring and adorable; even more than most retro manuals, this one makes me love pixel art.
Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby's sprite is deceptive, because his actual art design has changed so much and that's particularly clear in the manual. A great one, written primarily in Kirby's voice with a number of adorable, lively illustrations that have a startling disconnect from modern Kirb.
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Lots of cute art and a very information-dense, detailed overview down to different pick-ups and terrain items make up for an erstwhile lack of character. Not as memorable as Dream Land, but pleasing to look at.
Lemming's Manual
There's a strong overlap between games with a cute-but-weird style and good manuals, because the manuals tend to be art-heavy and the illustrated game space is quirky and fun. Further, this is written largely in Lemming PoV.
Equinox
Lots of little bits of art and an excess of guides to specific spells, weapons, and bosses; but the real pleasure here is playing "try to guess what the actual gameplay looks like from reading the manual alone, and fail."
Final Fantasy III
This is so information-dense that it's overwhelming: every item, equip, esper; detailed battle flow breakdowns; character bios with lists of their special abilities.... It lacks the ~vibes~ I hoped for from a Final Fantasy title, but it's one of those manuals that reminds how complex the games are/how unknown they were at the time/why we've since replaced this tool with 10-hour-long tutorials.
These ones are forgettable
Katamari Damacy
Some of that special humor, but nothing else going on, especially compared to other offerings from the series.
Kirby Super Star
Cute art! No personality.
Silent Hill
Unfortunately there just ain't anything going on here.
Yoshi's Cookie
I never played the versus modes, so I was surprised how much they have going on. Elsewise, there's more character in the between-levels scenes than in this manual.
Nightmare Creatures
My impression both from the bestiary and from gameplay is that this could have been an interesting game but is unfortunately forgettable.
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
A little bit of that Warrior Within edginess is present, which is fun; but it doesn't lean in hard enough, so it remains pretty bland.
Bioshock and Bioshock 2
Bioshock was so cutting-edge for its time, and the "how to make this game run on your computer" notes are a good reminder. The rest ... nothing about this is bad, the aesthetic is fine, Bioshock has fun gameplay and it's nice to see it detailed, but there's just no character here in a franchise brimming with it.
Borderlands
Borderlands has an excess of style, so you might expect the manuals to have ... any; unfortunately, there's none.
So, of course, I fell in love with game manuals. replacementdocs has a vast archive of manuals available as PDFs; the resolution isn't great but it's often adequate. Archive.org also has a bunch (and they have strategy guides too!), often at better quality. There's also lots of archives for specific games that can be found by doing a web search for "[game title] manual."
I like to find manuals to check out by googling, sure, listicles like "best retro game manuals," but the real treasure troves are Reddit and forum threads like
https://www.resetera.com/threads/old-school-gaming-manuals-were-the-best.532898/
https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/2yzc25/what_do_you_think_were_the_best_game_manuals/
https://www.reddit.com/r/gamecollecting/comments/2dk5h7/what_is_your_favorite_video_game_manual_and_why/
Manuals often have that sense of wonder that Tunic evokes: maps, secrets, hithertofore unknown controls, lists of items—the game world is a puzzle box and the manual is a key. They introduce new gaming concepts, and seeing those concepts being explained to the player in their earliest iterations drives home how revolutionary they were, how they changed gaming, how complex gaming is and how much of it lexicon and culture we now take for granted. They have humor and narrative—some are running jokes, some are entirely in character. Some are just batshit crazypants, and I highly encourage reading the manual first and looking up gameplay second for the most anticipation/surprise. Some, absolutely, are boring.
Here are the manuals I read in 2022, organized by quality.
These ones are great
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (there's a manual, map, and hint book!)
This is the most direct inspiration to Tunic and indeed there's enough in the manual alone to inspire a whole dang other game. Fully illustrated! Pages of lore! A complete list of items! The magic of SNES Zelda is less "what's here" and more "by what madness do you navigate it" and the manuals perfectly lay out that enticing, lengthy conundrum.
We Love Katamari
Completely illustrated! And the conceit of illustrating game screenshots is so on-brand, so vibrant and whimsical. There's a fun running subplot in the foibles between the player stand-ins. The trademark series humor shines through the text. A delight.
Pokémon Blue
We take it for granted now, but the Pokemon premise is ridiculously complex and the bulk of that complexity is in Gen1: in the concept itself. The map's a tangle, the list of items and movement mechanics is lengthy, but it's the real complexity is the Pokemon themselves. This has the early entries for a pokedex, it introduces the vast rock-paper-scissors typing mechanic, it seems endless—so much to take in, such potential!
Cubivore
A forgotten Gamecube game which was a precursor to Spore, but weirder: bonkers premise, even stranger execution, with even more wild lore and illustrations(! really horrific illustrations!) in the manual. This is not indicative of the average manual reading experience; nonetheless if you just read one, make it this one.
Oddworld: Abe's Odysee
This sort of sarcastic, condescending, oddball humor is surprisingly common in manuals (see Earthworm Jim, below), but utterly at home in Oddworld; and I like Oddworld, so I find that the humor lands. This is what Thief (see below) wants to be: using humor to impress on players the necessity of setting new expectations for gameplay. Also it pokes fun at the waning use of manuals. Also it has a complete overview of the game, including all biomes. Funny and satisfying.
Cave Story+
A modern manual! And this is the perfect game for one. It's written with charming self-awareness, full of character blurbs and hand-drawn art and even a super-special secrets section, as full of retro love and style as the game itself.
These ones are pretty good
Pokémon Snap
Written from Oak directly to the player, which perfectly sells the "immersion, but in a themepark sort of way" premise of this game.
Contact
I've never heard of this little job-system RPG, but the game itself is secondary; the entire manual is written as a supporting character's online journal. Just like on DW, "mood" is pixel emojis of his space dog (that wants to be a space cat) Mochi. Entirely in character and stupidly charming.
Thief series (Thief: The Dark Project, Thief II: The Metal Age, Thief III: Deadly Shadows)
There's a lot of copy-pasting between manuals and a lot to skim. The opening lore is good, the moments of humor land, but what's most interesting here is how (particularly via that sarcastic, dark humor) the manuals are trying to drive home the idea of a whole new type of gameplay: move slow, play careful, we've invented this genre called "stealth." It's such an unassuming way to revolutionize gaming.
Earthworm Jim
Hints and tips: surrounding yourself with Earthworm Jim action figures will automatically make you the coolest person in your neighborhood. Excruciatingly self-aware but in a fun way in keeping with the series's style, while doing that distinctly satisfying manual thing of introducing every boss, biome, and item.
Harvest Moon
This has the Pokemon feel of introducing an entire new genre which feels so established and fundamental now but was borderline overwhelming at the time. Inspiring and adorable; even more than most retro manuals, this one makes me love pixel art.
Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby's sprite is deceptive, because his actual art design has changed so much and that's particularly clear in the manual. A great one, written primarily in Kirby's voice with a number of adorable, lively illustrations that have a startling disconnect from modern Kirb.
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Lots of cute art and a very information-dense, detailed overview down to different pick-ups and terrain items make up for an erstwhile lack of character. Not as memorable as Dream Land, but pleasing to look at.
Lemming's Manual
There's a strong overlap between games with a cute-but-weird style and good manuals, because the manuals tend to be art-heavy and the illustrated game space is quirky and fun. Further, this is written largely in Lemming PoV.
Equinox
Lots of little bits of art and an excess of guides to specific spells, weapons, and bosses; but the real pleasure here is playing "try to guess what the actual gameplay looks like from reading the manual alone, and fail."
Final Fantasy III
This is so information-dense that it's overwhelming: every item, equip, esper; detailed battle flow breakdowns; character bios with lists of their special abilities.... It lacks the ~vibes~ I hoped for from a Final Fantasy title, but it's one of those manuals that reminds how complex the games are/how unknown they were at the time/why we've since replaced this tool with 10-hour-long tutorials.
These ones are forgettable
Katamari Damacy
Some of that special humor, but nothing else going on, especially compared to other offerings from the series.
Kirby Super Star
Cute art! No personality.
Silent Hill
Unfortunately there just ain't anything going on here.
Yoshi's Cookie
I never played the versus modes, so I was surprised how much they have going on. Elsewise, there's more character in the between-levels scenes than in this manual.
Nightmare Creatures
My impression both from the bestiary and from gameplay is that this could have been an interesting game but is unfortunately forgettable.
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
A little bit of that Warrior Within edginess is present, which is fun; but it doesn't lean in hard enough, so it remains pretty bland.
Bioshock and Bioshock 2
Bioshock was so cutting-edge for its time, and the "how to make this game run on your computer" notes are a good reminder. The rest ... nothing about this is bad, the aesthetic is fine, Bioshock has fun gameplay and it's nice to see it detailed, but there's just no character here in a franchise brimming with it.
Borderlands
Borderlands has an excess of style, so you might expect the manuals to have ... any; unfortunately, there's none.