Well, now I'm declaring this Konami-made puzzler's instruction manual to be among my favorites as well.
This time, though, I'm going to go a step further and say that the booklet showcased in the scans below is one of my all-time favorite game manuals, period.
Some of you likely will feel the same way about it once you finish perusing this post. Hell, I'll bet at least a few of you will feel that way about it after taking in the front and back covers of Moai-kun's manual.
One of the best things about this how-to pamphlet, if you ask me, is that every single page of it features an illustration or some other piece of art.
The pops of color and the additional elements that keep each two-page spread from being anything even approaching boring only add to the appeal of this Moai-kun instruction booklet.
As is so often the case with old Konami manuals, the one the company produced for Moai-kun--which is a puzzler-platformer, if this is the first you're hearing of it--includes a couple of pages that introduce the game's enemies.
Sadly, the baddies that do their best to keep this 1990 title's hard-headed protagonist from rescuing his fellow "Pucchis," which the invading "Skull Empire" strangely has deposited throughout each of Moai-kun's 50-plus stages, aren't the most thrilling in terms of design.
The same could be said of the overall aesthetic of this Famicom's levels. There are some nice details here and there--the chartreuse vines that act as platforms in one group of stages, or the pink clouds that show up in another--but I doubt many people would call this a visual standout for Nintendo's first real games console.
Speaking of Moai-kun's stage designs, they're introduced in a rather unique fashion on the booklet's final pages.
Want to learn a little more about this curious Konami creation? Check out Hardcore Gaming 101's Moai-kun write-up.
See also: 'Manual Stimulation: Yume Penguin Monogatari (Famicom)'
No comments:
Post a Comment