The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #022
Another HUGE news week! Plus some choose-your-own-adventure fun, tons of backlog additions, a review of Return to Micro World, and a fantastic interview courtesy of The Artbook Collector.
Welcome back to The Video Game Library Newsletter!
For those following on the socials, you’ll know it’s been a wonderfully busy week with family, friends, birthdays, and some of the best weather of the summer! With upcoming travels on the horizon, the Weekly Newsletters will take a short pause throughout September.
I’ll still be active on Bluesky, sharing and boosting as much as I can in the world of video game literature. And don’t worry - this is just a brief intermission. We’ll be back in October with some exciting things you definitely won’t want to miss.
In the meantime, if you haven’t yet, subscribe below so you’re ready when we return!
This week’s 📰 News & Highlights is bursting with fresh releases and reveals across books, art, and comics. From Bitmap Books’ celebration of indie creativity to Dark Horse’s Star Wars: Outlaws artbook, and even Remedy’s Alan Wake: Design Works reveal, there’s plenty that deserves a spot on your shelf.
In 📚 Behind the Shelves, I share updates on building out overlooked corners of the archive - like Arabic titles, Italian finds from publisher Itomi, and a massive German backlog that finally got some love.
In 💡 Recommended Read of the Week, we look at Return to Microworld by Kevin Charles, a heartfelt memoir that connects the challenge of Dark Souls with the joy and struggle of gaming across decades.
In 💾 From the Archives, we spotlight Shogakukan’s late-90s Wonder Life Special Gamebook series - choose-your-own-adventure style novels that reimagined Pokémon, Zelda, Tekken, and Langrisser for a generation of Japanese readers.
That’s not all: don’t miss this week’s ✨ Community Interview, conducted by our good friend The Artbook Collector. He sat down with Pelle Cahndlerby, narrative designer of Ultros, to talk about shaping the game’s psychedelic universe and the upcoming Ultros: Design Works.
Grab a coffee, get comfy, and let’s dive in 👇
📰 News & Highlights
Heavy hitters are closing out August in style, and I couldn’t be more excited to share them. Some of my favorite authors and publishers dropped standout releases and reveals this week. Here’s a quick look at the highlights.
50 Indie Games That Changed the World has released from Bitmap Books, a 452-page celebration of influential indie titles such as Hades and Fez. It includes a foreword by Mike Bithell, developer interviews, and exclusive behind-the-scenes artwork.
David L. Craddock has announced Fog of War, his upcoming oral-history book chronicling the golden age of 1990s real-time strategy games. It promises developer stories, untold production insights, and a celebration of how the genre reshaped competitive PC gaming worldwide.
Dark Horse has released The Art of Star Wars: Outlaws, packed with stunning concept art, creator commentary, and design explorations. Covering Ubisoft’s first open-world Star Wars game, it offers fans a richly illustrated look into the galaxy’s newest adventure.
Lost In Cult, in collaboration with Remedy Entertainment, has revealed Alan Wake: Design Works. This latest entry in their celebrated series features concept art, interviews, and deluxe editions, giving fans a definitive behind-the-scenes journey into the game’s moody creative vision.
UDON Entertainment has announced Darkstalkers X Street Fighter: Dark Love #1, an explosive crossover comic fusing monsters and martial artists. Featuring fierce battles, variant covers, and new storylines, it explores both deadly rivalry and forbidden romance in a spectacularly illustrated event.
VIZ Media has unveiled the English cover for Disney Twisted-Wonderland: Usurper from the Wilds, scheduled for release in January 2026. Based on Yana Toboso’s dark reimagining of Disney villains, it will include a fold-out poster and exclusive new artwork.
Corey “Reyyy” Lewis’s CONSOLE WARS #1 comic series has officially launched, transforming the historic console wars into giant robot battles. A very cool looking book!
Rodrigo Copetti has released The Pioneer Race, the third entry in his Architecture of Consoles series. This volume examines Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Virtual Boy, and Nintendo 64, offering highly technical yet accessible breakdowns of their hardware innovations and design choices.
Nikoderiko: The Magical World Director’s Cut Collector’s Edition has launched, bundling the game with The Art of Nikoderiko hardcover. The set highlights character designs, environments, and developer commentary, creating a collector’s package celebrating the indie platformer’s magical retro-inspired world.
The third book in the trilogy from Phillip Ahn (Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat II) was released this week. Mortal Doctrine explores the implications of what it means to truly "Test Your Faith," "Finish Your Destiny," and experience "Faith-ality!"
Forgotten Worlds #6 has been released as a Sega-themed special, celebrating the company’s legacy with in-depth retrospectives, rare artwork, and deep-dive essays. The issue continues the series’ tradition of spotlighting gaming history with richly illustrated archival material for fans.
In France, Minecraft, le manga officiel – Voyage au bout du monde T04 has released, continuing the popular series of official adaptations. It follows Minecraft adventurers on a new quest across blocky landscapes, mixing familiar game mechanics with manga storytelling.
Third Editions has announced Les Légendes de Tomb Raider: Sur la piste d'une icône, a deep exploration of Lara Croft’s legacy. The book examines her evolution across games, films, and pop culture, tracing how Tomb Raider became an enduring icon.
In Japan, ちろぴのといっしょにはじめてのマイクラ released with an exclusive bonus: downloadable artwork based on original illustrations. This child-friendly Minecraft guidebook introduces the basics of crafting, survival, and building, designed for newcomers exploring the blocky world for the first time.
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 cataloging challenges, there’s always something new as we dig deeper into this ever-expanding archive of game-related literature.
Last week was pure Poké-mania (if you missed it, definitely check out Newsletter #21: The Pokémon Spectacular), so this time I shifted gears to other pockets of game-related literature. One of the most exciting finds is a new set of Arabic titles. Slowly but surely, we’re building out this section of the archive that often gets overlooked.
Italy also made a strong showing this week thanks to publisher Itomi, whose work had somehow slipped under the radar until now. Each one of these looks awesome!
On the Zelda front, I had a humbling reminder that I’ll never be able to keep up with the legendary Melora from History of Hyrule. She’s been tirelessly unearthing and documenting obscure Zelda publications for years, and honestly, so much of what you see in our Zelda section wouldn’t exist without her efforts. If you haven’t explored her work yet, do yourself a favor and check it out.
And then there was the German backlog. This week I finally rolled up my sleeves and tackled a mountain of titles from Microzeit, Elektrospieler, and a stack of classic Sybex strategy guides. Some of the cover images needed serious reworking, which meant hours of cleaning and formatting to bring them up to the standards the archive deserves. Still not there yet, but good for now.
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.
💡 Recommended Read of the Week
Retrun to Micro World
Kevin Charles
Return to Microworld by Kevin Charles is a heartfelt memoir that blends the author’s first playthrough of Dark Souls with a lifetime of gaming memories. Written in a diary-style format, the book captures not only the challenge and triumph of FromSoftware’s iconic title, but also the emotional weight of rediscovering the joy of video games after years away. From the first moments in Lordran to reflections on classics like Pong, DOOM, Street Fighter, and Final Fantasy VII, Charles connects his gaming experiences to broader themes of creativity, memory, and personal renewal.
A lot of Charles’ writing in which encounters echoed life’s challenges and triumphs really resonated with me. His descriptions of dying and trying again in Dark Souls mirror moments of persistence and resilience outside the game, while childhood anecdotes about early computers, friends, and basement gaming sessions capture the joy and camaraderie of discovering new worlds that I so deeply relate to. Rather than treating gaming as escapism, Charles shows how games and life are deeply, inseparably intertwined.
While I haven’t finished reading yet, I’m really enjoying it so far. The writing feels honest, reflective, and deeply relatable, especially for anyone who has ever stepped away from gaming only to find themselves drawn back in (me circa the PS3 era). It’s less about beating bosses and more about the human experience behind the controller.
Return to Microworld is both a love letter to Dark Souls and a wider meditation on how games shape us across decades, making it a thoughtful and rewarding read for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
You can find details about Return to Micro World here.
💾 From the Archives
Each week, I’ll dive deep into the shelves of The Video Game Library to spotlight a hidden gem or forgotten series — with the hope of surprising you with something new, unexpected, or long overlooked. This week, I wanted to share…
…a series of Japanese choose your own adventure books from Shogakukan.
The late 1990s in Japan saw the roll-out of Shogakukan’s Wonder Life Special Gamebook series. Released between 1997 and 1998, these interactive novels took some of the hottest game franchises of the era and transformed them into branching, choose-your-own-adventure style books. Sold as budget-friendly paperbacks, the titles were meant to be both collectible and replayable, letting readers relive their favorite games in a new format where every decision could lead to a different outcome. For Shogakukan, the project was perfectly timed - Pokémon, Zelda, Tekken, and Langrisser each represented a different corner of gaming culture that was thriving in the late 90s.
The first volume, Pocket Monsters, capitalized on the Pokémon anime boom. Released in December 1997, it allowed readers to step into Ash’s shoes and journey through the first 14 episodes alongside Pikachu. Choices determined whether the ending was “super happy” or “somewhat happy,” and fans could even collect Pokémon along the way. On the same day, the second volume arrived: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. This book dropped players into the Dark World arc of the SNES classic, letting them battle through dungeons, rescue Princess Zelda, and ultimately face Ganon, all while branching story paths ensured no two playthroughs felt the same.
The third release, Tekken 3, shifted gears to fighting-game action. Readers became Jin Kazama, entering the King of Iron Fist Tournament and squaring off against a roster of rivals in tournament-style scenarios. The book played up its replayability, boasting multiple branching outcomes to mirror the excitement of arcade matches. Finally, in 1998, Shogakukan closed the series with Langrisser I–III. This entry was the most ambitious, retelling three generations of strategy-RPG storytelling. Spanning the clash of the holy sword Langrisser and the dark blade Alhazard, it gave readers the power to decide whether the hero Elwin would become a savior or a conqueror, making it the most expansive of the four.
While only a short-lived experiment, the Wonder Life Special Gamebook series is a fascinating snapshot of how publishers explored transmedia storytelling at the height of late-90s gaming culture. By adapting franchises that already had strong fanbases (Pokémon’s TV dominance, Zelda’s enduring RPG appeal, Tekken’s arcade popularity, and Langrisser’s loyal strategy audience) Shogakukan created a set of books that were playful, interactive, and very much of their time.
📚 Want to check out some of these titles? We’ve catalogued them all right here at The Video Game Library.
✨ Community Interview
(Interview by: The Artbook Collector)
Pelle Cahndlerby is the narrative designer behind Ultros, the psychedelic Metroidvania that blends cosmic horror with vivid artistry and meditative themes. His poetic approach to storytelling helped shape the game’s strange, beautiful universe, and now his work extends into Ultros: Design Works, Lost in Cult’s latest deep-dive artbook.
This interview was conducted by our good friend, The Artbook Collector, and originally appeared on his website here: Ultros: Design Works – An Interview with Narrative Designer Pelle Cahndlerby. Please be sure to check out the incredible work he does. He’s the foremost voice in video game artbooks we know, with fantastic coverage across his website and channel.
In this conversation, Pelle reflects on the origins of the demon Sarcophagus, the balance between words, music, and surreal imagery, and the joys and challenges of building characters in such a kaleidoscopic world. He also talks about the new book, its unexpected inclusions, and the personal poetry he contributed to its deluxe edition.
Hope you enjoy this interview from The Artbook Collector:
Hi Pelle, thanks for taking the time for answering some questions. Congratulations on the game and now the upcoming Ultros: Design Works! How does it feel to have a new extension of the game being released for fans?
My pleasure, it's always fun to talk about our cosmic demon when there's a curious and friendly set of ears on the other end.
Thank you so much! It feels nice to give the audience a glimpse behind the curtain. The opportunity also gifted the world of Ultros some additional lore and further insights into some paths toward the end. It was great fun to write a bit about the Sarcophagus again.
The idea for Ultros came from art director Niklas Åkerblad, at what point did you begin your work in the role of the narrative designer on the game?
The many seeds that sprouted Ultros were buried into creative soil on as many separate occasions, some closer to each other in time, almost parallel to the demon's pulse.
Years before I officially picked up the muse's mantle, I listened to Niklas's ideas about this demonic entity. He had a vision crystallizing, and we had some very giving conversations on philosophy, creativity, and life in general.
Sometime later, as the different beats of the demon began to align, he reached out. He said it was time for the poet to enter the fray with bewildering words and narrative prowess. I heard the call, and I answered.
It sounds like you were able to hit the ground running. Was there any material already in place for you to look at and help make your start?
Oh, there were documents, alright! Some had a nice, sturdy structure. Others went all over the place in trails of thought and different approaches. Some overlapped the same subject but with outdated decisions on how to best move forward, and some had an interesting commentary on why this or that had been scrapped.
It was a creative melting pot that needed to be dived into to get stratified and analyzed for which ingredients should go with what. Then, for some gentle seasoning, massaging, and kneading before deciding what else to add from my supply.
In a previous interview you spoke about how one of the harder parts of writing for the game was choosing when to include writing and how much, to allow other aspects to take the centre stage. What was involved in that process to make sure you strike the right balance and how did you know when you had achieved that?
Looking at the outlandish art jumping at you from all corners of the canvas, while having the sweet melancholy of Ratvader's outstanding soundtrack in your ears, I'd be a fool for carelessly throwing as much text as I could at this neon beast.
Giving the players too many impressions at once would only add to the abstract confusion that already embraced us. Confusion is good, but if you want to reach beyond the rolling eyes of people thinking we're just being weird for the sake of being strange, you need to edit yourself. And hey, you will always be the advocate for your discipline, that comes with the territory, but you also need to remember that you're not alone in the process. Inspiration can be taken from all sides of the buffet.
Balance was obtained by, again and again playing the different scenes, entering the realms, and trying to feel the environments. Realizing that the symbolism of certain set pieces did the job splendidly getting across a feeling or hinting at lore without any additional dialog or text pop-up.
As a writer, editing out redundant text is as important as adding text, if not more important!
Then, for giving the poetry center stage, I had the hallucinogenic vistas, or visions at my disposal. This could be done without interfering with the flow of gameplay or disturbing the voice of the environment. Letting remote nooks reward the players with a poetic treat and at the same time hint at the abundance of over-arcing lore.
I also used the many descriptions of items and fruit for this. Bite-sized confusion is my favorite!
Ultros is a mix of multiple ideas, it’s a Metroidvania with time and seed planting mechanics, as well as having a different approach to the skill tree and gaining resources. Like the game, the cast too are an interesting mix of people. How did you approach the writing for the characters?
We have a quirky and lovable ensemble, so engaging with them should be as rewarding as possible from the outset with the least amount of dialogue strings possible.
Making them distinguished through particular words they use, how flowery of a languish they have, long-winded or blunt when getting their mind across to the protagonist – all has to be considered.
Gärdner has a mindful way of putting together sentences, Wallet dons a more casual approach, and Qualia can range from space opera to heart-to-heart.
In the case of Brunzon, it felt important for me to create alien words and sprinkle them over his dialogue. I wanted to make him feel more distant and add to his detached approach to what was going on with the world outside of his beloved gegga. His native expressions all have meaning, so it was not a case of simply making them sound strange, but to make them fit each situation. Overkill deluxe? Maybe, but oh, how rewarding on the creative side.
The diverse cast also look the part too as Ultros has a very bold visual design, its psychedelic style makes it stand out in the genre. Did this have an impact on your writing for the game?
Most certainly! It helped let go of any hindering poundage, releasing creativity to a higher level.
Once you let your foot off the brake, it was just a matter of seeing where you'd end up. Then, rewind to edit for the sake of the whole. It's always better to be loud from the get-go. It's easier to take away than to add when things are scarce.
The Design Works series from Lost in Cult are not simply artbooks, but a deep dive into every aspect of a game, including narrative. How long did it take and what was involved for the Ultros team to make the book happen?
To work with [book author] John Rogers and Lost In Cult has been a great ride! We provided sketches and rough, early takes from all disciplines to let John sort out what he thought would make for an interesting mix.
We got interviewed about our different processes, and if he had any additional thoughts or questions, we'd give it another round. Sometimes, things took off to places and stuff we hadn't even thought about putting in there. Because of that, it's hard to say if our involvement is done (as of April 2025) or if more input will come.
It's been a bunch of fun insertions here and there over almost a year, counting from the initial interviews.
That's a long time, but an interview isn't your only contribution to the contents, because the Deluxe Edition of Ultros: Design Works comes with a poetry booklet with your own poems. How does it feel to know that your own personal work is getting a physical release like this?
Emotional.
Delivering a demon proved to be no small task. It seeped through everything about me. Sometimes drowning me.
I had written and performed a three-part poetic reading at the A Maze festival in Berlin. It was my deliverance, or so I thought.
Getting the opportunity to help shape the book, it felt natural to offer to include it, with the addition of a newly written prologue sprung from where my soul was at this time after the release.
I am happy, proud, and sad.
I'm sure fans will appreciate the inclusion of the poems, it's certainly a unique extra! What else can people expect from the book and what stood out to you when reading through it?
Expect details about things you didn't know were a factor in the molding of Ultros. Different voices from different disciplines sometimes contradict each other, much like the Joker's origin story – as it should be. Creating this playable work of art was like falling through parallel layers of lived abstractions.
Something that stood out was the length of this journey. The size of bits and pieces spun together to string up the Sarcophagus with its realms and dwellers. We gave so much, our all, for the sake of this demon. Please, receive what love we poured into it.
It sounds like fans will have a lot to dive into which is great to hear. Moving on from Ultros, do you have future goals within video game development and if so, what are they?
Oh, I have places I want to visit, dreams I want to share, games I want to breathe life into, no doubt about it.
It's much too early to go into detail on, of course, but the future cradles a promise of hope and existential beauty.
If fate is cruel, and I can only choose to create one more game in my career, one game molded from my mind and hands, I have my starting point. My vision is there.
We will certainly keep an eye out for what the future holds for you! Your own work will now be included on the shelves of collectors, so I’m curious, what is your book collection like? Does it include video game books and artbooks?
Right now, my shelves hold a strange blend of vinyl soundtracks, drink & food books themed from games or TV series, and mysterious creatures from the cold North. The most recent art books I have must be from the Persona series.
I'm also looking forward to Lost in Cult's VA-11 HALL-A book. I love that game!
Thanks again for your time, to end the interview, shamelessly let people know why they should pick up Ultros: Design Works and promote anything else you have going on!
The book highlights the artistic curiosity and creative madness we suffered from in the best possible way. It might be contagious – hurry and find out!
I post some nice poetic bits on my Bluesky account, and updates on my next creative endeavor will also pop up there eventually.
The same goes for Instagram.
Thank you so much for wanting to talk about Ultros, and a big thank you to every sojourner out there who has put time and effort into exploring our demonically colorful creation!
Thank you, so much, to The Artbook Collector for allowing us to share this interview with our readership.
🙏 And THANK YOU for Reading
That’s a wrap for this week’s deep dive into all things video game literature. 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)
Branching choose-your-own-adventure books = core memory unlocked.
I used to really enjoy these books as a kid. Sadly, they were pretty rare in Brazil, and since I only became fluent in English as an adult and have just a little knowledge of Japanese, I missed out on a lot of great content. The ones from the Wonder Life Special Gamebook series look amazing!