It didn't feel right to do that and then show off just two of its pages, so I scanned the whole she-bang yesterday with the intention of sharing the resulting images in another installment of my "Manual Stimulation" series as soon as possible.
Well, it seems "as soon as possible" is today, which is pretty amazing considering the amount of time that usually passes between when I decide to write such a post and when I actually publish it.
Anyway, enough about that. On to the Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (aka For the Frog the Bell Tolls) instruction manual!
Things definitely get off to a nice start with this one, don't you think? My only complaint is that I'd like to see the illustration included in the page above without a bunch of text covering it up.
Thankfully, most of the rest of the illustrations that appear in this game's manual are not as obstructed, with the pair above being good examples.
Ignoring the muscleman in the spread above, I've got to say that I really like how the designers at Nintendo handled the call-outs (the multi-colored boxes filled with explanatory text) that are included throughout this booklet.
Not that I can understand most of what's pointed out in them, mind you, but I still appreciate the kaleidoscopic effect (I mean that in a good way) they create.
These next few pages are among the best of the entire Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru manual, if you ask me. Colorful images galore!
Do you remember how I said in my "Another Year of the GameBoy" post about this game that its manual reminded me of the one produced for Kid Icarus? Well, the pages above and below are the perfect examples of this. Maybe the same artist worked on both booklets?
Regardless, I absolutely love how some of the items, weapons and armor are depicted in these stylish drawings.
These last few pages of the For the Frog the Bell Tolls pamphlet are pretty great, too. I don't know why, but I've always loved seeing illustrations of books and scrolls and the likes in old game manuals like this one.
By the way, if the frog showcased in the scan above isn't one of the greatest Nintendo characters to never become famous, my blog's name isn't The Gay Gamer.
So, what do all of you think about the focus of this edition of "Manual Stimulation"? Do you love it, hate it, or feel completely indifferent about it?
Regardless, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
See also: previous 'Manual Stimulation' posts
6 comments:
Looking at a manual like this brings me right back to being a kid and browsing manuals at a friend's house. Anything with illustrations this colorful and well executed would have had me drooling until I got my hands on the game.
Wow, this is a nice one (I had a feeling it would be!) Is it unusual for a Gameboy manual to be in full color? Seems like I was expecting B&W for some reason..
I agree with every word you said here, Justin. "Those were the days," indeed! :)
Hey there, Michael! I'd say it's "somewhat" unusual for a GB manual to be in full color as this one is. Most GB manuals are black and white, or green and white, orange and white, etc. Later GB games, though, came with more colorful manuals, in my experience.
http://www.mariowiki.com/Dr._Arewo_Stein
I knew it, I knew it! That professor with the butt-shaped head is the same guy from Wario Land 4! I thought I recognized him!
How cool! I honestly had no idea until now. Thanks for letting me and everyone else know, Jess :)
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