The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #037
Last week's cliffhangers revealed - hide your wallets!! Plus a ton of great manga and magazines, and some cool indie projects hitting shelves.
Welcome back to The Video Game Library Newsletter!
I think we all gotta admit that January 2026 has been pretty stacked. If you haven’t read through the last 4 issues, I highly recommend checking out the incredible wave of Video Game books slated for the year ahead.
Today’s roundup answers some of last week’s cliffhanger questions, and those reveals don’t disappoint! We also have lots of magazines and manga from across the globe to cover, and some indie projects that’ve been on my radar for the past few months.
Also want to call out more great cataloguing work this week from the team. Once again over 50 records spun up on the site, from early 80’s publications to ones just announced this week.
As usual, over 20 stories to get through, so let’s turn the page!
📰 News & Highlights
Let’s kick things off with one of the most exciting announcements of the week (in my opinion). Tune & Fairweather has officially revealed Scholar’s Codex following last week’s teaser. In yet another one of their prestige publications, academics from around the world have come together to explore the themes, lore and ruined majesty of classics like Bloodborne, Dark Souls and Elden Ring. Living in Canada, it’s been so hard to get our hands on copies from their collection, but I would truly love to one day have them all on our shelves.
As for the other exciting teaser last week, Lost In Cult revealed Citizen Sleeper 2 Design Works and opened it up for pre-order. Like the first Citizen Sleeper book, this one is a behind-the-scenes companion, focusing on its visual development and creative process. Tons of fan excitement around this one! I haven’t played the Citizen Sleeper games, but from what I’ve heard, they absolutely ooze style.
“In my restless dreams, I see that town. SILENT HILL.” Shifting into release news, Return to Silent Hill: The Official Movie Novelization hit shelves this week, adapting the film into a full-length novel from Jon Passarella. This one also has a French edition from Mana Books on the horizon. Really been enjoying the Silent Hill resurgence lately.
Next up, The History of the Pokémon Games is officially on sale, published by White Owl and written by James Batchelor. The book chronicles the evolution of the Pokémon video game series, tracing its development, impact, and enduring popularity across decades of releases. In the meantime, feel free to check out my review of James’ previous book, The Best Non-Violent Video Games.
Continuing the momentum from Titan Books, Life Is Strange: Welcome to Caledon University is now available for pre-order. This is Life Is Strange: Double Exposure’s official in-universe guide to Caledon University, packed with hidden secrets and in-world commentary from the characters, including Max Caulfield, Safi, and Moses.
Also newly available in print and digital formats is Disney Twisted-Wonderland: Usurper from the Wilds: The Novel, published by VIZ Media. This novel adaptation expands on the Twisted-Wonderland storyline, retelling the “Usurper from the Wilds” arc for fans of the franchise.
On the art-book front, HOGGIN’ OUT! (Sonic): Art of Gigi Dutreix has been released through Gigi Dutreix’s own shop. The book showcases Dutreix’s energetic Sonic-themed artwork, highlighting their distinctive style across 10 pages.
Magazine readers also have something new, as the digital edition of Game Informer Magazine Issue 375 is now available for subscribers, published by Game Informer. This issue, arriving in print in February, features coverage tied to 007 First Light along with the magazine’s usual mix of previews and features.
Manga fans can jump back into ink and chaos with Splatoon, Vol. 13 and Vol. 14, which both released digitally this week from publisher VIZ Media. These volume continues the colorful competitive antics of the Splatoon manga series, delivering more fast-paced battles and humor.
Younger Pokémon fans are also well served this week with the latest in the Les incollables lineup: Pokémon – Toute mon année de GS: Leçons et exercices, published by playBac Éditions. This educational activity book uses Pokémon characters to guide Kindergarten-level readers through lessons and exercises across the school year.
Over in France, Jeux Vidéo Magazine #301 has hit newsstands. Actually this was last week, but I totally missed it in the last newsletter (he types, embarrassedly). This latest issue packs studio features and interviews (Simogo, Code Vein 2, Greedfall: The Dying World, Dune S3), plus a major 2026 horror releases dossier (Resident Evil Requiem, Reanimal, Hellraiser, Ontos, Control Resonant, The Sinking City 2). Also: exclusive Return to Silent Hill, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, hero shooter guide, Star Wars/Tomb Raider news, Clair Obscur, and previews of MiO and Pathologic 3.
Culture Jeu Vidéo continues their “magazivre” endeavors with their 2nd quarterly special crowdfunding campaign with Culture Jeu Vidéo #116. This issue is focused on animals in video games, with about fifty pages exploring how creatures influence gameplay, storytelling, and design. It covers iconic and lesser-known titles, offering essays, retrospectives, and insights into animal roles across genres, celebrating their impact on gaming culture and player experiences.
Translation news follows with Final Fantasy: Lost Stranger Vol. 12 receiving a German-language release from Carlsen Manga!. This volume continues the isekai-style Final Fantasy manga series, where Shogo and Cid hunt a kidnapped girl in a hidden Big Bridge coliseum, uncovering deeper Gold Saucer corruption.
Also newly translated, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Fazbear Frights Graphic Novel Collection Vol. 3 has launched in Czech from XYZ Publishing. The collection adapts multiple Fazbear Frights stories into graphic form, delivering more eerie tales from the Five Nights at Freddy’s universe.
Hopping over to Japan, the magazine cycle continues with the latest Weekly Famitsu - 週刊ファミ通 2026年2月12日号 No.1933. The cover feature celebrates the launch of CODE VEIN II through detailed breakdowns and hands-on impressions. A major special marks the 25th anniversary of Onimusha, revisiting the series’ legacy and highlighting the latest entry. The issue also includes new details on Utawarerumono: Path to White, plus a pre-release feature on Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway – The Sorcery of Circe, complete with story guides and a cast discussion.
For Minecraft fans, a special issue of TV Game Magazine’s Game Encyclopedia focuses on Minecraft creatures. てれびげーむマガジン ゲーム大図鑑 マインクラフト いきもの図鑑 is a 180-page, encyclopedia-style guide profiling 87 mobs—animals, monsters, villagers and more—with easy-to-scan entries. Learn where each one spawns, what it drops, favorite foods, behavior and hazards, and smart strategies for fighting or surviving encounters.
And more Minecraft goodness from this past week thanks to マインクラフト 神技コマンド（超）使いこなしBOOK from Golden Axe. This action-packed Minecraft guide focuses on mastering powerful command techniques that let you freely customize the game world. Designed for the Bedrock/Unified Edition (including Nintendo Switch, PS4/5, Xbox, mobile, and Windows), it introduces tons of short, easy-to-use commands you can build right away.
After Masahiro Sakurai’s life was turned into a manga biography last year, another game legend is next: Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii. An upcoming “educational manga biography” from Shogakukan, illustrated by Iori Makoto, will semi-dramatize Horii’s career with a big focus on Dragon Quest. It’ll be styled like an RPG where he builds a party and “levels up” new skills. It also includes an interview with Horii. No English edition yet; it launches in Japan Feb 24 for 1,210 yen.
Speaking of Dragon Quest, RPG fans can explore the HD-2D remakes anew with The Ultimate “Wander-Off-the-Path” Adventure Guide (ドラゴンクエストI&II／ドラゴンクエストIII そして伝説へ… 超みちくさ冒険ガイド), released this week by Square Enix. The guidebook supports Dragon Quest I, II, and III, offering detailed tips and side-path exploration for these titles. Not your regular walkthrough, this book packs in a wide variety of fun experiments, challenges, investigations, and “research” projects to extend your play.
Staying with guides, the Kadokawa/Famitsu guide to Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (ゼルダ無双 封印戦記 パーフェクトガイド（ファミ通責任編集）) launched this week. This perfect guide covers character tactics, enemy weaknesses/drops, map collectibles, unlock charts, and weapon/material data.
Finally, rounding things out with magazines and mooks, てれびげーむマガジン March 2026 has been released as part of the Kadokawa Game Mook line. The issue delivers its usual blend of previews, features, and kid-friendly game coverage, as well as a 5+ hour DVD with gaming content. It even includes an 84-page Kirby Air Rider book which I have yet to catalogue.
Tons of Japanese books this week, but not all of us speak Japanese. So here’s a special treat to finish up this week’s newsletter. Just released, Survival Japanese with SONIC THE HEDGEHOG by Anne Larson Crescini and illustrated by Yuki Imada sets out to teach your practical phrases and cultural insights. The perfect pickup as we look to the horizon of thousands more Japanese books!
Did I miss something cool? Want to see this laid out differently?
Drop it in the comments or swing by our Discord to share it with the community.
Let’s keep this celebration of game-inspired books going strong!
📚 Behind the Shelves
Every week, I take you behind the scenes of The Video Game Library. From surprising discoveries to cataloguing challenges, there’s always something new as we dig deeper into this ever-expanding archive of game-related literature.
In this week’s classic episode of the Electric Playground, Julie Stoffer interviewed Cory Conner about Eternal Darkness, and it got me thinking that I haven’t seen many books for the series. After a bit of digging, I realized that the only books that I was missing was a few Strategy Guides in English and Japanese, so I spent some time this week getting them all catalogued.
Also learned this week (thanks to Discord member, melancholygeek) about Puppet Combo and their VHS Terror Series. Turns out, a few of these games actually got novelizations, so I’ve catalogued all 3 on our site.
Resident Evil also got a lot of love this week, mainly thanks to a big doc-dump over on Archive.org. Been sifting through trying to find a few entries that we haven’t yet catalogued, and stumbled across a few.
And finally stumbled across some Dengeki Comics from the Tales Of series. A 5-volume run where characters from the franchise work at a TV station. Got all 5 catalogued:
This, as usual, is only a small sample of all the things that have been happening behind the scenes, so take a peek at the site to see everything that’s been added since last week! And while you’re at it, drop your thoughts in the comments below. Your feedback helps shape how we deliver these looks behind the curtain.
💡 Book Spotlights
Every week I like to zoom in on a few standout books from the collection. Sometimes it’s brand new releases, other times it’s older gems that deserve more love.
If you’re looking for deeper dives and not just quick headlines, check out some of these past spotlights:
BOOK SPOTLIGHT - REDO FROM START (USA & JAPAN)
Andrea Pachetti (2025); Microzeit Publishing; Non-Fiction, Game History
"I had originally intended to start with the CRACKER books, but Paul Norman’s eyes….they drew me in."
BOOK SPOTLIGHT - A Brief Legal History of the Video Game (Une Brève Histoire Juridique du Jeu Video)
Geoffray Brunaux (2025); Mare & Martin; Non-Fiction, Game History
"...sets out to recount the history of the video game industry, not through sales numbers or nostalgic releases, but through the courtroom battles that helped define one of the world’s most influential entertainment sectors."
BOOK SPOTLIGHT - The Best Life Adventure Games
Jupiter Hadley (2025); Pen & Sword Books - White Owl; Non-Fiction
"The Best Life Adventure Games isn't just a catalogue. It's a love letter to the art of slow, thoughtful play."
🙏 THANK YOU for Reading
That’s a wrap for this week’s Newsletter. I hope you discovered something new, surprising, or just plain fun.
As always, your feedback helps shape this project - so don’t be shy! Drop a comment below, join the conversation on Discord, or just reply to this newsletter and share your thoughts.
And if you’re enjoying these weekly roundups, please consider supporting The Video Game Library with a paid subscription or forwarding this to a fellow fan. Every little bit helps us keep preserving and celebrating these incredible works - and the passionate people behind them.
Until next week — happy reading,
Dean (Founder, The Video Game Library)
This was cool
Really appreciate how thorugh this cataloging work is. The Eternal Darkness guide collection is wild when you lay them all out like that, and I had no idea about the Puppet Combo novelizations at all. Feels like gamng literature is having its own little renaissance that most ppl aren't paying atention to yet.