Ah, remember the good old days when video games used to come with proper instruction booklets?
The perfect accompaniment to any physical release, and especially useful for the journey home from your local game store as you eagerly await playing it for the first time, manuals used to be a big part of the game purchasing process. Of course, in modern times, these booklets have sadly become a thing of the past – although at least it's better for the environment.
Still, a gaming fan going by the name Aurumonado has had enough of Switch games arriving with nothing inside. Dropping us a line, Aurumonado says, "A nice crisp manual with all the inserts is part of the joy of collecting physical video games... As I continue to collect more and more Nintendo Switch titles I get increasingly disappointed that nearly all of them include no inserts."
The answer to this problem? A "fine, I'll do it myself" moment.
In the video below, Aurumonado shows off their homemade instruction booklet for Super Mario Odyssey. We must say, it really does look the part and we find ourselves missing game manuals more than ever. The attention to detail impresses us most – this thing really looks like something Nintendo would have included in the case several years ago.
As it happens, this isn't the first time we've seen a fan create their own booklet. Over the past few months, we've seen homemade booklets for games like Splatoon and ARMS, as well as Super Mario 3D All-Stars. Clearly, the hunger for the old fashioned instruction booklet is still very much there.
Comments 92
If I ever had the time I would love to do this. I used to do it when I was about 12 years old and back then games actually had manuals. Well done Aurumonado.
I knew the golden times of gaming were over when publishers stopped printing manuals.
No joke here.
Once again creative people are doing which Nintendon't
I don't get it as the cases have the clips for the manuals
I now have two of Nosey Tengu’s booklets, and they’re great! I really want his splatoon 2 one.
@Coxula sadly today we already know the buttons of a game before it comes out
@Bunkerneath "I don't get it as the cases have the clips for the manuals"
The manuals I was talking about don't fit in such small cases!
I don't see the abandonment of manuals as just something to save the environment. By that logic, a digital manual in pdf format from a Nintendo website or making the manual available on the game itself would be a thing. Not just what the buttons do, but illustrated affairs like the olden times. This happened from laziness. It saves money.
Link to the Etsy Shop, since NLs Odyssey link just goes to their own review.
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/HalcyonInkAndImage
why did I not even realize they didn't have manuals lol
As much as manuals are cool, let's face it, barely anyone reads them. The Switch games that do come with them, I read once and that's it.
I've bought a bunch of these of etsy and they make my phsical games feel complete. The Zelda ones in particular are so useful.
Nice work by Aurumonado!
However not for me, as I get a dated feel over it. Might be the straight screenshot everywhere.
I know it might seem daft but if Nintendo did some official manuals and let you get them from My Nintendo I am sure people would love it.
I love manuals as much as the next guy, but this is like the 20th person that's done this. It isn't interesting anymore
@MasterJay any chance you could shoot me a link to where i can get them? i have all of mbpuk's ones from etsy.
Game UX design has changed now so that games teach you how to play them. It nice to have a reference to look back on, but we have the internet now.
It's always a plessure when a game does come with a manual or an art booklet. I recently got Hades, which came with a booklet of character portraits, and Story of Seasons Olive Town with a guide to the town. I love those things.
Remember manuals like from Elite or Diablo? Full of background stories? Sometimes I still read my Diablo 2 manual, just because it is great...
@Bunkerneath I don't think they're specifically made for manuals, more just inlays. I have DVDs and Bluerays with tabs too, but I doubt they're intended for a manual.
I may come out as dumb for saying this, but I don't know where the digital manual for first party Nintendo games on the Switch are? They had them on the 3DS, where are they on the Switch?
If, for some reason, someone doesn't know how to play their games, where do they look up for oficial information?
SD cards don't come with manuals, so why should Switch games be any different? 😄 Nintendo sure has a fetish for anything but CDs
I like manuals, but it's also true that games now just drop the manuals into the game. This is kind of annoying for replays, though, because you need to sit through the tutorials, whereas old games are often pretty replayable precisely because they dumped all their hand-holding into the manuals and, for replays, you can just get going immediately after starting up the campaign without going through the training stages, because there aren't any.
@Bobb https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/16881/~/downloadable-manuals
I went on there and yeah, no Switch game manuals. It's almost like after you buy the game, you're on your own
@Papichulo that is mildly distressing :/
Thank you for sharing
@Brummieendo90 He gives them out for free on Twitter. Just finished the last of his Three Houses giveaways, and he hasn’t announced the next one yet, so it may be a couple months. Here’s his profile though: https://twitter.com/nosey_tengu?s=21
I’ve been hoping to buy Rowan’s from Etsy at some point, but haven’t gotten around to it. He seems to get them out a lot faster than Nosey Tengu does, though Nosey Tengu’s are all hand drawn art
@Bunkerneath The clips are for guarantee and safety documentation but they seem to have abandoned that as well.
I miss paper manuals. I know it's better for the environment and all that (then where's the digital alternative?). But to me it was all part of the experience of buying a game. Except when you ended up with a cheap black and white 6-page booklet in three languages.
Why did Nintendo put the plastic tabs in the case but not a manual? The only time they're used is for flyers, like one I found in Sonic Mania or Team Sonic Racing's case.
Geek alert.
I'm too busy playing games to bother with this boring and pointless task.
Thanks for all the positivity! I had a blast making this one and if it ends up being financially feasible I fully intend on doing this for all the first party Switch titles. The Xenoblade games in particular make me both excited and terrified at the same time.
Nice job! Manuals were part of the gaming experience. Not only did they provide instructions, but also art, tips, maps, and the story. I don't think I've gotten a game with a true manual since Shovel Knight, bless them.
@RadioShadow I loved reading manuals. As a kid my parents wouldn't let me play more than a few hours a day and I would still dive in the game's universe by reading the manual, looking at the pictures, drawing them on sketchbooks (when the manuals were good, that is, but 1st party games never failed to provide cool manuals)
I miss the manuals. So much nostalgia reading them cover to cover on the drive home after buying a new game, usually after school :”)
Clearly, the hunger for the old fashioned instruction booklet is still very much there.
Really they didn't know this. Even Libraries are still around with Physical books. No it was a money making ploy to make more money without spending more to make Game Manuals of the evilest kind.
What's even worse is they have clips in the case that is more the enough for a small game controller manual to be placed there. So the real reasons is making money then providing a inclusive gamers manual to enjoy reading about the game and controls. Try to read the onscreen controls while playing a game that is just dumb.
@SwitchForce i actually did mention that above while talking about sonic mania and Team sonic racing's cases having flyers
@Pacmanrace Nothing wrong with another gamer whom voices their option about lack of a Real Game Manual that looses all the gaming experiences.
Yay. More Nintendo fans complaining about something that doesn't matter. People have managed for years now without them. They clearly aren't needed.
I can see where manuals would be very useful for specific games, particularly RPGs with complex systems that arent always easy to reference if you drop off and come back to the game later.
That looks really nicely done. I wish digital manuals were more readily available. I'd rather look at my tablet or phone then have to pause the game to check something in the manual.
I was so super surprised that Ninja Saviors came with a Manual!
Also Wonder Boy!
Thats also why i like the "limited" releases, they have also Manuals.
Really, those Games nowadays feel so empty.
Also love it when Games came with Maps, have the Map of Skyrim on my Wall, the World Map that came with Civ VI and the Map of Warcraft.
Maybe i'll add the Map of Oblivion and Morrowin ^^
On one Wall is the old Advertisment for the Gameboy that was included with the Super Nintendo.
@Aurumonado keep it up mate!!
The design is fantastic and I give them credit for that. However, I'm going to agree with some of the others here that these aren't super necessary and it's just not something I particularly miss or care about myself.
We don't even get digital manuals anymore. Not even for games that don't have ingame tutorials (like NES and SNES games on NSO).
@vanYth
I felt the same way about the Starcraft manuals.
Tax and postage a bit too steep for me. I’ve bought a couple of others off Etsy. Nice little things for the collection but the cost can get silly.
If was still in middle school or high school I would be so down to do this. Seems like a lot of fun if you have the time!
I remember when manuals stopped being a thing during the 360/PS3 generation and to be honest kinda good that they did. They kinda became a waste of paper and ink as people really did not use them and they stopped being a visually interesting piece of the packaging during the PS2 generation. I don't remember the last time I even read a manual... maybe during the N64 generation when I was kid and could not wait till I played the game? Kids now-a-days can watch YouTube videos or find out whatever they want to about the game while they wait so they even lost that appeal.
They are nice for games that are trying to emulate a retro esthetic (if a bit gimmicky and really only appreciated by collectors. Regular consumers just go "neat" and never look at them again), but with how tutorials have gotten so hand holdy, with them built into the menu systems and with how quickly you can YouTube or Google how to do something they really are a waste now-a-days...
Either way I'm sure someone will be upset by what I just said. They had their purpose back in the day and now have been phased out for more environmentally friendly options.
😳😳😳 I cannot believe how great that looks. I’d legit be convinced that mine did not come with a manual after seeing this, what looks like a legit manual.
Should I say it? ... I’m gonna say it... HATS OFF to this person, nice job...
Not going to lie: I do miss manuals myself. I mean, even the 3DS and Wii U managed to have "digital" manuals, so why can't that be the same case for Switch?
Man, this is amazing. I actually do miss manuals. Back then manuals were more than just how to play; it had all an artistic side to it as well.
I need a manual for Pac-Man 99! 😝 I’ll have to print out NL’s guide.
@vanYth @Tempestryke @echoplex @CottoneeSocks The only thing worse than no manuals is when games got reduced manuals with just a page or two with the basic controls explained. So unimaginative.
The design ain't fantastic but it's a hell lot better than not having any...
some people have war in their countries
@rushiosan yeah, but selling millions of copies does add up. just playing devil's advocate
@vanYth I love all the old Blizzard manuals. Even though Warcraft 1 wasnt the best game, I still love the manual. Even their strategy guids included lore.
SSI games came with a boatload of supplemental stuff in the box. Ah the good ole days
@JJ_Brum how the hell do they come up with that name?
@sleepinglion not providing a printed manual is definitely a cost-cutting measure. Save the environment? The amount of junk mail I get could (and likely, unfortunately does) choke a whale or elephant on a monthly basis.
@Aurumonado I'd love Breath of the Wild and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition manuals.
Manuals are just waste of paper and ink. Nobody reads them. Sure, if you make something nice like a guide book then yes. But for normal basic gameplay manuals? Nope.
@Lone_Beagle I agree. But also every single bit helps. And yes, it's a cost saving measure. Because you also don't have to create a manual in every single language you release the game in.
@rushiosan Creating a manual is more than just pressing the "print" button.
I remember a more civilized age of gaming. A game always came with a manual. When you opened the manual, it usually had a thank you for purchasing the game. Then, it told the story of the game proceeded by the game controls. Some even had some tips.
I miss gaming manuals so much
@sanderev I agree. It is cost cutting, but it is also helping the environment piece by piece. That and why go through the effort of printing a manual that needs to be printed in multiple language (by law in Canada it has to be in English and French), when you can just put all of that in a menu in the actual game? Xenoblade 2's manual with all the mechanics would had been at least 20 pgs long to fit everything in. That and with YouTube if you can't remember how to do something you can look it up on your phone in 20 seconds rather than grabbing the case, and pulling it out and flipping to the page where the mechanics are and hope it mentions it (a lot of manuals only gave the basics of how the play not the more advance mechanics). It is just less of a hassle to just use the internet compared to manuals which is why they went extinct in the first place.
They were nice! I miss the really nice thick meaty ones you got in the 80s and 90s... but they don't serve a purpose anymore. Back in the 80s you had to tell the story in the manual now you can just do it in the game! I'm also a collector so I know I'm biased with how much I enjoy them. But, in the PS2-era they became redundant and in the 360/P23-era they became a straight waste.
Instruction manuals always felt like a journey on its own, giving you small glimpses of what lies ahead in the game.
@rushiosan I work in a local print shop. Maybe for a Vistaprint printing an okay product, it cost a dollar. But to make something high quality that the customer isn't going to bitch about, it's definitely not a just a dollar
I really shouldn't have to learn how to play a video game solely from in-game tutorials and/or help menus. I want to be able to know how to play before I start the game and to have easy access to certain instructions that I may need to remind myself about later. Is that so hard to ask?!
Nintendo, even if physical manuals are a thing of the past, can't you at least continue to give us digital manuals like you did with the 3DS and Wii U? There are legitimate arguments for dropping physical manuals, but there are no excuses for also dropping digital manuals!
@jorel262 Unless you're playing something like a turn-based RPG, shouldn't you need to pause the game to check something, anyway?
@Wexter No, it's much more of a hassle to look something up online when you don't know where exactly to look (especially for people like me without smartphones) than it is to just flip a few pages or scroll through the digital document! If the manual doesn't say, then you can look online with almost no time lost (and most manuals do include just about everything important to know).
@BulbasaurusRex So we should include paper manuals for the few people who do not have smart devices? About 85% of all Americans adults have a smartphone and another 75% have a PC or another computing device. I would assume if you are in one of those demographics you have a game console because there are 80mill Switches (globally) sold and 300mill Americans (which roughly 255 million own a smartphone)? And don't forget that is global Switch sales not just in the US. So there is a very HIGH chance if you own a Switch you have a smart device or a PC... and that gets even higher if you are in the ages between 16-35 (95-96% of males and females own a smartphone) which is the target demographic for game consoles.
So yes for most people it is far more convenient to look something up in the game or online than to grab the manual from a game case. And don't forget kids lose and damage manuals you cannot easily lose the internet.
Paper manuals are a relic of the past and while they hold collector value that is really about it. I do not even remember the last time I went through a manual except when I was a kid in the 1990s. When was the last time you actually went out of your way to read a manual? And I mean actually read it and not just look at it when you first got the game to just flip through it for the "neat" factor. Manuals built into the game are a way more economic and environmentally friendly way of having a manual in a game.
SOURCE: pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
At least give me a digital one.
@Snatcher Indeed. Unless the game is as simple as move right press B to run there should be a digital manual or a menu in the game to review the controls. Which luckily there is for most games from Call of Duty to Xenoblade Chronicles as most devs assume you'd want to review or modify the controls (especially if you've not played in a while)
And he never looked at that manual again after making his video, yeah manuals feels kinda cool I guess but rarely did I find myself reading one before, and even when I do it's never because I'm trying to figure something, I just got bored and found nothing else to do.
@BulbasaurusRex Yes. Pausing the game is not my issue. I just want the experience of looking at a manual either physical or digital. I often read the manuals more than once before I start playing the game for the first time. Reading through in game menus is not the same experience.
instead we have to pay a lot of money to get the manual books(which are known as guide books) and they are sooo thick and big. I don't know anyone who will buy them.
@Lone_Beagle I completely agree with you. But I don't think Nintendo stopped printed manuals primarily for that purpose. Much like when New SMB Wii released and two of the four players were identical models (two Toads), it's a money-saving thing
@Tandy255 Yes. I remember the first single-sheeted manual I came across was New Super Mario Bros for Wii and I was far from knowing that it was the beginning of the end.
@Aurumonado How long did it take you to make and did you need to use InDesign/Quark or did you use something else?
Totally agree, games cost even more nowadays and they can't even give us a manual. Its about time developers brought them back.
@Axelay71 Has anyone who is pro-paper manuals actually given a good reason to have them come back? This sounds more like people want them back for nostalgia reasons rather than because they still serve a function. Their function in the 80s-90s was to:
A) explain the plot of the game as in-game stories for beat-em-ups, platformers, shooters etc, did not have the story really in-game so it was one of the only ways to explain the plot to the player (this was more common in the 1980s). Or for RPGs to work as a mini-codex to help explain certain ideas to the player so they are not confused (like what is crystals or the Red Barons etc.).
B) To explain how to play the game. Once again because in-game tutorials and menus to explain the mechanics were not really a thing (a carryover of the arcade). So to learn how to play you either had to figure it out or read a manual. It might list what certain items do or what certain hazards are, however, if the game is designed well the player will figure that out without reading it. However, based on all the manuals I looked over in my collection they for the most part list really basic stuff like how to start the game, how to save, how to move... really basic stuff that can be pushed into an in-game prompt. That and has become completely redundant due to how prevalent tutorials are if a game is more complicated than a basic platformer.
C) Maybe in some cases have a basic guide to help players through the first bit of the game. This was more common to be found in RPGs and stopped being a thing in the mid-90s when strategy guides became more accessible to players. They most definitely are not in manuals from the 2000s as that point GameFAQ was extraordinarily accessible and free.
So, can someone explain to me why having a paper booklet is a must to come with games rather than just in the game? I can guarantee most people are not going to read them anyways and are only appreciated by collectors anyways. And they really lost their purpose in the 2000s with the advent of GameFAQs and in-game tutorials.
And before someone says "what about Star Tropics? That played a part of the game and was incorporated into puzzles?" Yeah, that was the exception and not the rule and really sucked if it got damaged or thrown out by mistake as now you could not complete said game without a GameFAQ or a Strategy Guide
Hey thats your opinion, but when I'm spending 70 quid on a game. I would personally like more than a disc and case.
@Axelay71 So you'd like a paper book that explains how to play the game when a developer literally programmed that in the game so you did not need to read the paper book? I mean if you got a nice little art book, or stickers, or a patch or something that felt like it had more value than a basic pamphlet on how to play I get you... but manuals stopped being useful decades ago which is why they got phased out. It was a waste of money to print, a waste to make, and close no one read them anyways.
The argument you just made is you want it back because of perceived value not because of a practical purpose. The reason there are so many loose carts is that people tossed out manuals in the 80s and 90s as it was just part of the packaging. You don't see a lot of loose cart + manual at your local thrift store... that is where the perceived value of them came from because they were "rare" not because people overly cared about them.
I loved getting manuals with the games back in the day.
Often there would be extra tips and tricks in there, extra story/lore and nice artwork. It was part of the experience. Now they do everything in game and that can sometimes make the first hour or so feel like a drag. Wish they would go back to physical manuals, there’s something special about that.
@Wexter
Nah I think the majority of the lost manuals where because they were fragile and people where reading them until they fell apart.
I know I sure destroyed plenty of manuals as a kid, and It made me sad because I liked them. They where more than just “this is how to play”. At least up until the N64/PS1 era
I think the people who are against manuals did not have the pleasure of growing up in the 90s, because it seems like you don’t understand what made them great and why they were enjoyable.
If I look through an in game manual today. It’s really not the same thing because there is no personality, no charm, no goodies in it.
It’s just “press ‘A’ to jump”.
Have a look at the Pokémon guide manual for Pokémon red/blue fór instance. Or any of the Final Fantasy manuals up to Final Fantasy IX. Those where great!
And there was a time when almost all manuals were like that
@jsty3105 I worked on it for a few months on and off. A lot of work went into each individual page and I had to do a fresh playthrough for the screenshots. There was a lot of trial and error and revisions, etc. This one was all done in photoshop.
Speaking about delusional toxic fans ...
@CorvoRevo lol I see no delusional toxic fans on this thread. All I see are realistic reasons why paper manuals are gone. Nobody reads them. It’s all nostalgia.
@DaniPooo Oh I grew up during the N64 and PSOne generation and manuals were okay. Not really great as they were very streamlined as before writing a long post I went through my manuals from childhood to see if maybe I was being harsh... and despite a few exceptions anything after that gen was rather bland and to the point. Halo had a nice one though with a bit of lore, but with the books and internet that is all it is... a bit of extra lore.
My argument is not that paper manuals from the 80s and early-90s were not great little extras! Is that thanks to GameFAQ, Strategy Guides, YouTube and even sites like NintendoLIfe they kinda became obsolete and a waste to produce from the materials to money to pay a graphic artist to make as most people ignore them. This is why I'd prefer something like an art book or codex to be included as it would have the same vibe as old-school manuales without the redundancy. Kinda like how Atlus during the 3DS generation would have the game come in a nice premium box with an artbook and soundtrack to make the player feel like they are getting a premium product! I'd like more of that than just a for the most part redundant bland paper manual to tell me how to play the game when they are just going to do that anyways when I turn on said game.
He was so fed up with games lacking manuals that he made his own games lacking manuals? That doesn't sound like a good solution to me.
I went all-digital as soon as my copy of SMM2 stopped working. I honestly don't care.
Modern games teach you how to play them and their controls are outlined within the game. Manuals are a nice in a nostalgic sense, but they aren't necessary, even less so considering everyone has a phone in their pocket. Manuals are a waste and it's perfectly fine and acceptable that they are no longer manufactured.
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