Update: It looks like Nintendo's legal team has struck again, as the Hand-Drawn Game Guides Kickstarter has been taken offline by its creator. The campaign had raised over $322,000 before it was taken down.
Original Story [Fri 6th Aug, 2021 17:00 BST]: Remember guides? We certainly don't, because of that terrible brain accident. But we're pretty sure that they were excellent, fun little books filled with lovely art and weird semi-canonical facts about how Mario is secretly a tower of eggs in a trench coat.
Anyway, you can now (or… soon) relive those glorious manual-filled days with Hand-Drawn Game Guides' Kickstarter. You may recognise the name from our coverage of artist Philip Summers' work; now Summers is making them super-extra-(un)official, with lots and lots of loveable hand-drawn art (as you can probably guess from the title) and very professional hardcovers.
The games getting guides are Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, and a combined guide for both Contra and Ninja Gaiden. All of them will include a range of guide-type-stuff, like helpful walkthroughs, maps, tips, and art, as well as unique looks at the game experiences told through diary entries from the characters and storybook-style narratives that will help you see the games in a new light.
The Kickstarter is live right now, and you can pre-order one of the guides, or all three for a discounted price. Higher tiers include original art, and stretch goals will potentially add gilded edging (oooh) and gold foil on the covers (OOOH).
Go on then, which guide do you want in your grubby hands? Let us know in the comments and check out the lovely Zion waxing lyrical over his paperback copy of the Hand-Drawn Zelda manual below.