We’ve been following the great story surrounding Ninty Media’s Gamebook Advance tome that celebrates everything about Nintendo’s final GameBoy handheld. The book is out now to buy directly from Ninty Media, and we’ve been lucky enough to be sent a copy to check out. Gamebook Advance is the third in a series celebrating the GameBoy from its origins of the DMG, through to GBC, and now the GBA. It includes over 400 pages of retrospectives, technical articles, memoirs from those who played it back in the day, and contributions from over 40 freelance artists and writers.
The book has been overseen by Paul Murphy, who is also known for his Switch Player magazine, which is also under the Ninty Media banner. Before we get into the specifics of what Gamebook Advance is, it’s worth mentioning that the mighty tome comes as a standard edition or as a deluxe edition that includes several extras such as posters and bookmarks. There are also some extras to add to your order in the form of GBA-inspired enamel pins and art prints featuring the fantastic artwork within the book.
Gamebook Advance starts with a great introduction from Paul Murphy, who explains he was impressed with the graphical capabilities of the GBA when it released. He also mentions that although the pixel graphics were somewhat shunned at the time when 3D gaming was all the rage, looking back, there were some beautiful games released on the handheld. This sets the tone of the book that celebrates the artwork and fantastic gameplay seen through the hundreds of titles that were released during the GBA’s time.
This is quickly followed up with a foreword by Tim Street, the former Editor of Nintendo Official Magazine, who explains that Nintendo fans were looking to bridge the gap between the waning N64 and the next adventure for the Japanese video game giant. We’re then greeted with several articles about the GBA’s history and technical specifications that any fan of retro history will lap up with great pleasure, especially those who enjoy seeing lots of color variations. This part of the box is finished with articles on the many accessories for the GBA.
It is at this point that the box gets into the meaty part filled with retrospectives, memories, and critiques of the wide range of titles the GBA has. We don’t wish to spoil any of the fantastic articles found within Gamebook Advance, this really is the perfect companion for those who want to look back at a marvelous handheld that many gamers hold dear to them. It’s not just the quality of writing that helps this chunky tome stand out, great care has been applied to bringing the articles to life with selected original artwork that just pops off the page.
From beautiful collages of choice moments from particular series, to striking one-off pieces that jump out at you at the start of a love letter to a certain game, Gamebook Advance has it all. Every page has something new to experience, and all the colorful artwork wraps around the text in a manner that amplifies this celebration of everything GBA. Once these personal love letters are over, and the dust is settling on just how much this little mighty handheld meant to so many, we’re greeted with a barrage of retrospective-style articles on some of the best games on the system.
Coming in at aver 400 pages also makes this feel like incredible value, costing just £35 for a standard copy, when married up with the overall quality of the content. We cannot recommend Gamebook Advance enough. It’s filled with so much history, technical information, and memories that anyone with even a passing interest in GBA will get something out of it. The collection of great writing, mixed with the brilliant original art, is astounding and helps the book feel like the perfect accompaniment to a video game book collection.
A huge congratulations to Paul Murphy and his team for creating something special that is filled with quality. Seeing as though Ninty Media has gone from the original GameBoy to GBC and now GBA, we can be confident that the next one will be the DS, and we look forward to it. If you’re a Nintendo fan and enjoy learning its history or reading about other gamers’ memories, then check out Gamebook Advance.
