Won an original Link’s Awakening Game Boy manual on a Goodwill charity auction. Had to share the nostalgia.
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This makes me sad. Because this post is basically, “hey, if you weren’t alive at the time, this is what this iconic game manual looks like.”
And granted, I guess thats EVERY post on this sub…
Maybe I’m just having a sad day. Because I love the content. I don’t mean to imply I’m anti-this post.
I’m just like “yeah…it’s the manual…just like every game ever gets…”
And then I hear Jon Lajoie singing at me “BUT YOU WERE WROOOOOOOOOONG!!!”
Games today don’t get manuals, and I feel like an old man yelling at clouds…
I can smell it. I can smell now the difference between Nintendo booklets and Sega booklets and PC booklets (Christ, trying to type in the Age of Empires 2 cd key).
I have 1000 games on Steam, and I know a lot of them come with some sort of PDF, and I’m not saying things aren’t better, but I can miss that one aspect of the first half hour of experiencing a new game being reading, touching, smelling its lore and artwork.
This is something me and my brother always did whenever we collectively bought a new game for our N64/GameCube. I’ll never forget snapping that shrink wrap off, popping open the case, and whiffing in the wood-pulpy smell of a freshly-printed, made-with-love Wind Waker manual. It was all ogre when we bought the walkthrough manual; not even my wife smells that good.
Or should I have mentioned Pokemon Stadium…?
Whew. I hear you so hard. FWIW, I did actually win the cartridge in this auction as well, but since it’s just a cartridge and no box, I didn’t think many people here would appreciate a pic of a cart as much as they would a pic of the manual.
I’m also an old man yelling at clouds so I’m right there with you. Isn’t it crazy that we’ve found ourselves here so quickly?
And also, mad props for referencing Jon Lajoie. A very talented individual who doesn’t get enough credit. I love his work! For anyone reading this thread who has never heard of him, I encourage you to check him out. He has an awesome sense of humor!
I commiserate with you. The days of manuals are gone. And for what it’s worth, the Zelda material is super sad for me as well because my late baby sister and I bonded tightly over the Zelda games. So these games are just super bitter sweet to me as well for so many reasons. When I play these games, I hear her laughter and feel her next to me. The games mean more to me than most, I suspect.
You’re not alone. In fact, it sounds like you’re my favorite kind of people! Thanks so much for commenting. I wish it weren’t true, but the day of the manual has come to a close and you and I are the minority. But you are not alone. Let’s appreciate what we have left. The next generation will never be so fortunate!! Do not be discouraged. Sounds to me like you’re pretty rad!
We all have sad days. You are not alone!
the Zelda material is super sad for me as well because my late baby sister and I bonded tightly over the Zelda games
First off, I hope you have been able to find your solace. Losing family sucks, but when it’s someone that close to you it frankly changes you. This internet stranger’s heart is with you, FWIW.
My brother and I bonded over the Zelda franchise (specifically the OoT/MM era, plus WW). We grew up rough, weren’t sure if we would even make it to our thirties, and those adventure games helped us escape from some pretty crappy experiences. To us, it’s more than a franchise: it’s a culture.
Link is (usually) never the same character in the games; they’re like reincarnations. Being a Link doesn’t mean being one singular person. To me, being a Link means being steadfast, flexible, compassionate and, above all, adventurous. Things anyone can do/be, and that’s why I think the Zelda franchise fosters some truly amazing gamers when they play those games. Although I do find myself regularly curbing the invasive thoughts to break people’s pots… small price to pay!
I digress, the explosive prevalence of the Internet has led to printed walkthrough manuals being a thing of the Early Aughts. Ahh, it’s great getting older!
If anyone loves old game manuals, I’d recommend the game Tunic. It’s such a charming little game and, without spoiling too much, the manual is a core part of it.
There’s even a deluxe edition of the game that comes with a physical version of the manual! Though having all the pages from the start is a little spoilery.
I can also recommend the game Vermis, which is just the manual, with no game attached
Vimm’s Lair has scans if as many old manuals as they could find, if anyone likes looking through old manuals.
Cost cutting, the advent of digital distribution, as well as technological and game design improvements that allowed for such information to be conveyed in game, all contributed to game manuals becoming less and less valuable. Due to these factors, they kept getting smaller and smaller until one day the just stopped being commonly made.
Though my nostalgia still misses them (and strategy guides).
Like those occasional illustrations in Alice in Wonderland or Narnia, game manuals provided a window into a world you couldn’t fully see (in the case of old consoles, due to low res or low poly graphics) and served as a jumping off point for so many children’s imaginations to fill in the rest of the details.
Is there a widely accepted reason why they stopped adding manuals to games?
I was allways reading them before playing the game, and it got very excited for game play.
This is an awesome post. Thank you for sharing it. I really appreciated reading your comments, and I hope you’re doing well
