The best PC Engine game manuals (I've seen)

NEC's PC Engine was and is beloved around the world for a lot of reasons, including the console's small footprint, its credit card-sized cartridges (called HuCards) and its eclectic library of games.

Another reason that should be added to that list, in my opinion: the drop-dead gorgeous instruction manuals that were packed inside many PC Engine game cases.

Speaking of which, I consider the manuals below to be among the system's best. Before you start scrolling through them, understand that this post shouldn't be considered exhaustive. I certainly haven't flipped through every PC Engine instruction manual in existence, after all. I have pored over a good number of them, though, so I'd say my thoughts on the matter are as valid as anyone's in this area.

With all that out of the way, here are my personal picks for "best PC Engine game manuals."



Don Doko Don--Something you need to know right off the bat when it comes to the instruction booklets produced for this system's games: the ones that accompanied Taito-made and Namco-made titles are the most impressive. I especially like Taito's PC Engine manuals. They're crude in a way that Namco's aren't, but I find that aspect to be surprisingly charming. Don Doko Don's is a perfect example of this. It's bursting with monochromatic depictions of this single-screen platformer's protagonists, enemies, bosses and items that are simple, yet captivating. To see the entirety of this HuCard's how-to pamphlet, by the way, check out my "Manual Stimulation" post devoted to it. You also may want to spend a few seconds or even minutes ogling The New Zealand Story's manual, which is similarly appealing.



Hany on the Road--It's a crying shame that this oddball platformer's instruction manual is so short. Not only is it full of vibrant color and adorable enemy illustrations, but it features a handful of wow-worthy clay models. A few more pages of the latter would've been warmly welcomed by yours truly. Still, the artists and designers at publisher FACE deserve kudos for offering up a booklet that's more beautiful than it has any right to be, regardless of its length. (FYI: the whole she-bang can be viewed here.)



Mizubaku Daibouken--In some ways, Mizubaku Daibouken's manual impresses me more than Don Doko Don's. As nice as the latter title's booklet is, the former's is a lot more adventurous. For starters, it kicks off with a multi-page comic that shares the game's backstory. It also uses eye-popping illustrations to introduce Mizubaku Daibouken's many worlds (see above) and explain its controls. That it wraps up with black-and-white doodles of some of this arcade port's enemy characters is the icing on the proverbial cake. Experience all of the above for yourself by perusing my "Manual Stimulation: Mizubaku Daibouken" write-up.



PC Genjin 2--Why did I choose PC Genjin 2's instruction booklet over those of the series' first or third entries? For me, the original PC Genjin's manual is a smidgen too safe. No one would use that word to describe the ambitious PC Genjin 3 manual, but I feel pretty comfortable calling it "a bit much." I love that it's bursting with color, and I appreciate its enemy illustrations, but taken as a whole it's nearly seizure-enducing. The PC Genjin 2 pamphlet provides some of the same thrills but without the headache that's sure to follow in their wake.



Pop'n Magic--I guess it shouldn't be a huge surprise that the manual made for a Bubble Bobble clone is as cute and colorful as can be. That said, the ones produced for genre mates Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars are flat-out duds, as far as I'm concerned, so I'm fine with expressing some shock at the verve showcased in this Riot release's how-to booklet. The spread above is my favorite of this pamphlet's many pages, but that's not to suggest the remainder are stinkers. Decide for yourself by taking a magnifying glass to my "Manual Stimulation: Pop'n Magic" post.



Valkyrie no Densetsu--As I've said before, Namco's PC Engine games haven't always been favorites of mine. Thankfully, I pulled my head out of my butt some time ago and realized the bulk of them are well worth owning and playing--even if they aren't perfect replicas of their arcade counterparts. In general that's due to their attractive graphics and gameplay, but it's also due to their beautiful manuals. Valkyrie no Densetsu's (see it in all its glory here) is the best of the bunch, if you ask me, but even turds like Barunba came with booklets capable of taking your breath away.

For more awesome PC Engine game manuals, check out these "Manual Stimulation" posts or head over to Video Game Den and peruse that site's HuCard and CD-ROM2 sections.

Manual Stimulation: Pop'n Magic (PC Engine)

Diabetics beware! The manual below--for the PC Engine CD game, Pop'n Magic--is about as sugary sweet as you're about to see in these "Manual Stimulation" posts.

Actually, both the manual's cover and one of its first two inside pages literally are sugary sweet, as both feature photos of colorful candy.





Strangely, that's it as far as photos of candy are concerned. I wonder if the designers of this manual were worried about putting readers into confectionary comas?

Regardless, they certainly didn't seem to be afraid that readers would suffer from an overdose of cuteness. The guy and gal seen in the spread below, by the way, are Pop'n Magic's rather adorable protagonists.





I really like how the folks at Riot/Telenet spruced things up throughout this manual with splashes of color and the occasional illustration--a number of which can be seen in the pages above and below.

Acquisition #139: Pop'n Magic (PC Engine)

Two months ago, I detailed in this post why I gave the Riot/Telenet-developed "Bubble Bobble clone" called Pop'n Magic a second chance.

I was loathe to admit it at the time, but I may as well do so now: I didn't actually own a copy of Pop'n Magic when I wrote the aforementioned post.



There are a couple of reasons for that, of course. One is, well, I didn't much like this rather precious (but not too precious) single-screen platformer when I first played it. Another is that even used copies of Pop'n Magic can be kind of pricey.

Thankfully, I found a reasonably priced copy on eBay a few weeks ago. The case and manual are a tad worn (you can't really tell in the photos below), but that's OK. The only thing I care about is that the game runs properly when I stick it into my trusty PC Engine Super CD-ROM2 system (which it does).



Anyway, Pop'n Magic's cover art is pretty nice, don't you think? I'm not entirely sure why the main illustration was placed on top of a photograph of an assortment of candy, although I have a feeling it's because this game, like most that follow Bubble Bobble's lead, features quite a bit of the sweet stuff. (It pops up every time you defeat an enemy, naturally.)

The inside of its manual is similarly colorful, so expect to see a Pop'n Magic-centric "Manual Stimulation" post appear soon.



All of the photos above, plus an additional one, have been added to my Flickr photostream, by the way. Check them out in all their cacophonous glory here.

See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts

Second Chances: Pop'n Magic

Just in case you didn't receive the memo: I'm a card-carrying member of the "Single-Screen Platformer Fan Club." (As I'm sure you can imagine, it's a fairly small club.)

The game that's chiefly responsible for me joining this club is Bubble Bobble, of course. (That game's second sequel, Parasol Stars, prompted me to sign up for a life-long membership.)

Anyway, I'm always on the lookout for good single-screen platformer in the Bubble Bobble mold as a result. Some of the ones I come across, like Don Doko Don and Rod Land, quickly become favorites, while others, like Snow Bros., are played a few times and then all but forgotten.

I used to include Pop'n Magic, made by Riot/Telenet and released for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM2 in 1992, in the latter category. I'm not entirely sure why, to tell you the truth, although I think it had something to do with the game's slightly generic (although wonderfully colorful) graphics, stilted animation and stiff controls.

After re-reading The Brothers Duomazov's write-up of the game last week, though, I decided to give it another chance. And you know what? I'm now really digging it.

Don't get me wrong: I still think the game's art style is a bit generic, but I find it kind of charming, too. (I especially like the blue blobs that appear throughout the first world and the surprisingly cute zombies that appear throughout the second.) Also, I still think the animation's a bit stilted and the controls are kind of stiff, but neither aspect is so off-putting that the game seems unplayable or unenjoyable.

Re-playing Pop'n Magic has helped me recognize and appreciate some of its other aspects, too--such as its backgrounds, all of which seem to feature some amount animation, and the strategic nature of its gameplay. (As in Bubble Bobble, the protagonist in this game encases enemies in bubbles. What sets Pop'n Magic apart, though, is that every enemy turns into a bubble of a different color, and to rid a stage of them you have to throw bubbles of different colors against each other.)

I also can't help but like how, when you throw one bubble against a number of others (as opposed to just one other bubble), candies and fruits and other power-ups pour from the broken bubbles like treats from a piñata.

Do I now hold Pop'n Magic in higher esteem than, say, Parasol Stars and Bubble Bobble? Not quite. I do consider it to be a top-shelf single-screen platformer, though, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the genre.

See also: Previous 'Second Chances' posts