Tear off the cellophane, open the box and flick through the manual. The process of taking your first steps into a new video game world would begin on paper, immersing yourself in the lore and squinting at the printed screenshots on offer.
Similar to cassettes or CD sleeves, these printed materials gave us artwork we may not have seen before. The tangible, supplementary material added value to the experience of purchasing a new video game.
In this article I’m going to look at a broad selection of video game manuals between 1991 and 2021. I’ll be commenting on the information they provide, their ambition and the various design choices made.
Localisation
Let us begin with the manual for Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). As per other Sega Mega Drive manuals, the landscape booklet contains multiple columns of multilingual copy graced with small monochrome screenshots. The grey on black grid pattern, also seen on other manuals and boxes, blankets the entire back cover.
The manual addresses a surprising breadth of game detail despite the limited word count per language. We are given story, gameplay tips, level descriptions and even labelled illustrations of the game’s foes (called “badniks”).
The copy has a youthful, upbeat tone, as if you are being read the manual by a Sonic fan who is enthused by your recent purchase.
“Spin through space, loop ’til you’re dizzy, save the animals and become the super hero. Be Sonic! Be atomic!”
~ Sonic the Hedgehog game manual
One year later and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) graced the Mega Drive. The manual here is rather different, though the content remains black only, the booklet itself is portrait, featuring a single language and more decorative design. Initially I presumed this was a result of the sequel attempting to build on the successes of the first game, however searching on the internet I discovered Sonic 2 manuals matching the style of the landscape Sonic manual I had. It turns out the booklet I had in my possession was actually for the Sega Genesis version of Sonic 2, the Genesis being the North American title for the popular 16-Bit console. A sticker placed on the manual was hiding a Genesis logo all this time. Larger images, bigger text sizing, five pages of enemy illustrations and the same youthful, energetic copy.
“Miles “Tails” Prower, the Fox, can’t sit still when Sonic’s around. Ever since Miles was a baby fox, he’s dreamed of being like Sonic. He loves to run after Sonic, waving his 2 tails behind him, trying to keep up with his hero!”
~ Sonic the Hedgehog 2 game manual
Artefact of the world
With each instalment of Grand Theft Auto comes an entire cities worth of sights, sounds and exploration. Fitting then that both Vice and Liberty City come with their own Tourist Guides for GTA:Vice City (2003, PC) and GTA:IV (2008, PC) respectively. Both of these colourful, brochure style manuals are written as if belonging to the turbulent worlds they describe. Comically distasteful advertisements, illegitimate businesses and an all round vibe that every character in these games is awful. Yes the manuals provide you with technical and game world information however, more importantly, the tone and comedic flavour is also transferred through the words and imagery.
“Does anyone really care about the history of Vice City? Probably not. Today it’s a city run by dealers and weasels.”
~ Grand Theft Auto: Vice City game manual
Naming the world
Weapons, pick-ups, levels, enemies, they all have names.
Games with a focus on shooting and weaponry, like Call of Duty (2003), Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003) and Crysis (2007), can provide us with images and descriptions of the munitions available in the game. The description can provide clues as to which weapon is best for which combat scenario.
These descriptions provide a tone. That tone may reflect the spirit of the game or may come across from the perspective of a narrator, observer or entity from outside the gaming world. Such a viewpoint can be utilised to provide personality or a comedic tone to the manual’s content in a game where comedy is absent.
“Hammer of Retribution: Now you can really start dealing some death! The hammer can be thrown straight out in a skull-splitting attack or you can get up-close and personal for that special bludgeoning that only you can provide.”
~ Hexen (1997, Sega Saturn) game manual
The Worms Collection (2021) for the Evercade details the tactical (and sometimes comedic) weaponry on offer in this full colour booklet.
Enemies, allies and characters. Typically if these supporting roles are important to the games’ story, their names will be dropped throughout the players journey. Some manuals take the opportunity however, to provide a moniker for less narrative dependant characters.
The Duke Nukem 3D (1996, Sega Saturn) manual introduces the player to Octabrains, Pig Cops and Enforcers. Each enemy is awarded a descriptive paragraph and picture.
The beautifully designed manual for Thief: Deadly Shadows (2004, PC) reveals the inhabitants of “The City”. Garrett the master thief will encounter Pagans, Priests and Peasants on his journey.
The manual for Soleil (1994, Sega Mega Drive) provides the names, thumbnails and descriptions of the magical creature companions you will encounter.
At 141 pages, the multilingual and rather beefy manual for Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1996, Sega Saturn) provides large illustrations, descriptions and special moves for the roster of fantasy fighters.
The main cast of FarCry (2004, PC) are introduced besides their polygon counterparts. The weapons, vehicles and pickups Jack Carver will interact with are also listed in their monochrome glory.
Working with limits
European Sega Saturn manuals were portrait booklets with black only content wrapped in a full colour cover (One exception I have found to this is the manual belonging to the acclaimed Panzer Dragoon Saga, which comes in a landscape orientation.). The manuals would tend to provide five to six languages, typically these would be English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch and Italian.
Though in most cases these booklets would concentrate on the details, providing little personality and fewer greyscale imagery, some manuals would endeavour to add a little character where possible.
The WipeOut (1995) manual includes a decorative header and footer on each page, framing the content in a thematic, future-tech aesthetic. The racing team logos and driver names also feature in the footer.
Making use of the left and right margin area, the Grid Run (1997) manual decorates the frame of each spread with a graphic depicting the games’ hero, Axxel.
The margin area is also utilised in the Skeleton Warriors (1996) booklet, a torn parchment effect frames each spread. Coupled with the use of Exocet Heavy for headers, a gothic medieval vibe is teased.
As a side note, another manual which makes use of Exocet Heavy for headers is that belonging to Doom 3 (2004, PC), which also features troublesome skeletons.
The Duke Nukem 3D (1996) manual provides illustrated, detailed information on the weapons and foes of the world. Sitting behind the content of each page is a background image depicting a cracked, dry river bed and a chain graphic sprawled horizontally across each spread.
Maps and posters
Games of the Open World variety may bless you with a physical map in which to plot your next journey. The opportunity these supplementary artefacts possess is their exception from having to display mandatory technical or legal information.
Players can find their way around the regions of Leboa-Sako and Bowa Seko with the FarCry 2 (2008, PC) world map. The double sided, full colour map depicts the roadways, settlements and contour lines of the games digital landscape.
Navigate between Ocean Beach and Downtown with the Vice City Sights map. The bottom third of the full colour, portrait map contains a decorative map key complete with symbol descriptions and game screenshots. Easting and Northing lines grid the entire illustration for an authentic map feel. The map reverse is a full colour, landscape poster.
Another two Rockster Games properties providing physical maps for players are Grand Theft Auto V (2013) and Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018). Both maps are full colour, double sided, well themed and beautifully detailed. The plan of Los Santos is chiefly comprised of flat, brightly coloured vectors, far removed from the muted, sepia tones of the weathered New Hanover map. Monochome watercolour paintings dot the empty space of this late 1800’s themed graphic.
The S.P.E.C.I.A.L Perk chart which accompanies Fallout 4 (2015, PS4) displays the various character enhancements available to the player once they level up. The single page, full colour print appears visually distressed, with dirty edges and corner creases, a product of the Wasteland. The usefulness of the chart’s content may be brought into questions however, as the perks themselves are neither labelled or have descriptions provided. Likely this was intended solely for wall art purposes.
Notes
Though the golden age of jotting down passwords and cheat codes may be behind us, manuals still utilise a “Notes” page to balance an odd number of content pages.
We may be presented with a blank but meaningfully designed page, like that appearing in Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga (2001, PC), a decoratively framed page featuring a faded Clone Trooper background image. The page may specify a “Notes” title or even go as far as to include horizontal lines for writing, like the back pages of the Max Payne 2 (2003, PC) manual.
Once again the Thief: Deadly Shadows manual delights with a themed notes spread, featuring lined rules, decorative symbols and worn paper aesthetic.
Perhaps the least genuine “Notes” page I encountered belonged to Duke Nukem Forever (2011, PS3). One would need a bright gel ink pen to make any mark on this dark page.
Smaller and smaller
During the PlayStation 3’s era (2006–2013), despite the consistent dimensions of 118mm x 146mm we see a a great deal of variety in what is considered a manual.
Games like The Orange Box (2007) and Little Big Planet (2008) would gift the player with a full colour booklet detailing various aspects of the game.
With its large in-game pictures spread across the central gutter and decorative margins, The Orange Box manual transmits magazine vibes.
Though colourful and artistic, the widespread use of centre aligned copy atop a busy background image makes the Little Big Planet manual a challenging read.
With Uncharted 2 (2009) and Uncharted 3 (2011) we have a full colour exterior with black only contents. Both attempt a visual aesthetic of a dog-eared journal featuring various stains, tears and tape, the Uncharted 2 manual however is slightly larger, providing a little more breathing room to cover the games combat and exploration mechanics.
We also begin to see manuals which actually fall short of covering the game itself. Take the booklets belonging to Mortal Kombat (2011) and Tomb Raider (2013). Remove the single “Controls” page from Tomb Raider’s manual and you’re left with a booklet containing little more than a Limited Warranty, Support Centre details and a blank “Notes” spread.
Though full colour, the 8 page booklet for Mortal Kombat provides even less, with no in-game specific information beyond a simple “Set Up” explainer, A far cry from what Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 gave us.
The manual for Battlefield 3 (2011) is not a manual and it is quite happy to tell us this. The message “Thank you for supporting our efforts to significantly reduce paper in our products” sits under the web address where players can visit to access the electronic manual, also available on the game disc.
We see this same behaviour in Nintendo 3DS titles. Games like Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (2013) and Kirby Triple Deluxe (2014) are accompanied with multi-lingual printed leaflets advertising the electronic manual.
As we move forward a generation to the PlayStation 4, we see a continuing trend for the thinning game manual. The full colour, illustrated, 43 page “Vault Dweller’s Survival Guide” for Fallout 3 (2008, PS3) is now replaced by the “Vault Dweller’s Survival Guide — Condensed Edition” for Fallout 4 (2015, PS4), a 4 page, black only, single fold leaflet.
Though we are spoilt by the rather wonderful and extremely authentic map of Los Santos, there is no printed Tourist Guide for explorers of GTAV (2013).
The Lego games can also tell a story over time. Let’s begin with the manual for Lego Batman (2008, PS3), a decorative, full colour, multi-language manual which contains in-game screenshots, graphic elements and text-styling. The colour scheme and imagery selected exudes haunted funfair vibes, no doubt paying homage to the much celebrated Joker character.
The manual for the sequel (2012, PS3), though thinner, with no colour and a single language, still manages to achieve a degree of parity with the game by including character images and screenshots. A similar story for the Lego: Marvel Super Heroes (2013, PS3) manual.
In 2015, the release of both Lego: Jurassic World (PS4) and Lego: Dimensions (PS4) gave us two very plain booklets, lacking any sort of character or in game imagery. The Jurassic World booklet in particular is a 6 page, greyscale article with an End User License Agreement taking up the centre spread. By the time we see Lego: Marvel Super Heroes 2 (PS4) in 2017, there are no printed materials to be seen.
Similar to Lego: Marvel Super Heroes 2, Game boxes belonging to such title as No Man’s Sky, Just Cause 4 and Mortal Kombat X contain no additional material beyond the game disc itself.
The weathered booklet trend
Popular among shooting and action games, the weathered booklet trend seeks to transform your instruction manual into a dog eared tome of knowledge. For some, like that of Uncharted 2, Resistance Fall of Man, Call of Duty and Fallout: New Vegas, this thematic choice doesn’t step far beyond the realm of aesthetics. However examples do exist, like that of Freelancer’s manual, which are written from the gaming world’s perspective, talking directly to your virtual persona and covertly providing plot information .
The Freelancer manual, titled “Basic Doctrine of the Liberty Security Force” is rather beautiful in a grimy, industrial sort of way. From a content perspective it bares similarity to another Microsoft Game Studies manual, that of Halo: Combat Evolved (2001). Both of these manuals are in full colour, provide additional story information and utilise the back cover to decoratively display the games keyboard controls.
One final example of the weathered booklet variety worth a mention is that of the FarCry 2 (2008, PC ) manual. Visually this full colour manual goes all the way, a binder strip runs down the centre of each spread and for consistency also appears on the cover. The inside is awash with faux page creases, stains, coffee rings and the odd squashed mosquito.
Renaissance
The Evercade Handheld and Evercade VS are retro gaming consoles from Blaze Entertainment, released in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
Games released for these consoles come in physical cartridges, each cartridge provides a curated collection of games from the same publisher or historic games console.
Accompanying the cartridges, buyers will also be greeted with a printed, palm sized, full colour manual, something Blaze Entertainment have been very keen to return to the game retail arena.
“Evercade brings physical games back to your home. Boxes with printed manuals, the way they used to be. Physical cartridges with games included ready to insert and play — the way you want them to be.”
~ Evercade website
Evercade manuals provide a little information about each game within the collection. For smaller collections there is enough page real estate to dive a little deeper into each game, typically however the games will have a brief introduction followed by the button controls, original box art and screenshots.
Certain cartridges come with additional printed goodies, like posters and stickers.
Conclusion
The growth in access to fast internet combined with an appetite for digital only games continues the trend of the thinning or absent printed manual.
Digital certainly has its advantages however: access to different languages, accessibility controls, text-to-speech, rich media, video and interactivity. The question remains if the aforementioned advantages are indeed being utilised.
Perhaps the field of user experience has accelerated the erosion of physical printed material. The ingredients of a good onboarding experience are well written, paired with the increasing sophistication of games, modern players should expect the game will explain its own mechanisms at a bite-size, learnable pace.
Unless the game is particularly complicated, maybe the requirement for a manual would imply the game has failed in a way, failed to provide an adequate experience for new players.
Yet the manual is a wonderful thing , it is immediate, I can experience it directly, free from the lens of a device screen, free from any user interface. A physical artefact which brings part of the digital world into my hands. It’s a prologue to a new game or a return ticket to gaming memories from yesteryear.
Perhaps, like vinyl, printed game manuals will return. A return to artistic, tangible, collectable, artefacts which one can own. A return of imperfection in an increasingly digital world comprised of sterile interfaces.
