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La guía de los RPG japoneses
Welcome to the world of Japanese Role-Playing Games!
Video role-playing games, adapted for computers from their pen-and-paper forebears, have been around since the earliest days of digital gaming. Despite initial similarities to Western games, Japan’s output began diverging in dramatic ways, inspired by its own culture and art, producing a style of game that’s often wildly different from its Western counterpart. From Dragon Quest to Final Fantasy, from Megami Tensei to Pokémon, A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games explores the expansive history of Japanese role-playing games, beginning on 8-bit microcomputers, and following them all the way up to the heavy hitters of the modern era.
Created in collaboration with author Kurt Kalata, A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games is an ambitious project that aims to cover the entire history of Japanese role-playing games from 1982 to 2020. As well as reviews of over 600 games, covering a wide range of sub-genres, including strategy RPGs like Fire Emblem, Rogue-likes such as Mystery Dungeon, and first-person dungeon crawlers like Etrian Odyssey, it includes articles on the genre, its music and art. Overall, the book weighs in at over 370,000 words and contains contributions from a wide selection of fans and journalists, combining to create the ultimate coffee table book on Japanese role-playing games.
A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games is 652 pages in length (our largest book to date) and comes in hardback as standard. The cover features a specially created piece of artwork by Stephanie Sybydlo, which is finished with special pantone inks and metallic silver foil details. Each divider within the book also features a specially created ‘overworld map’ by the guys at Army of Trolls. As with all our books, we use thread-sewn binding for extra durability and print lithographically on high-quality paper to showcase the gorgeous visuals as they deserve.
Let the adventure commence!
Video role-playing games, adapted for computers from their pen-and-paper forebears, have been around since the earliest days of digital gaming. Despite initial similarities to Western games, Japan’s output began diverging in dramatic ways, inspired by its own culture and art, producing a style of game that’s often wildly different from its Western counterpart. From Dragon Quest to Final Fantasy, from Megami Tensei to Pokémon, A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games explores the expansive history of Japanese role-playing games, beginning on 8-bit microcomputers, and following them all the way up to the heavy hitters of the modern era.
Created in collaboration with author Kurt Kalata, A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games is an ambitious project that aims to cover the entire history of Japanese role-playing games from 1982 to 2020. As well as reviews of over 600 games, covering a wide range of sub-genres, including strategy RPGs like Fire Emblem, Rogue-likes such as Mystery Dungeon, and first-person dungeon crawlers like Etrian Odyssey, it includes articles on the genre, its music and art. Overall, the book weighs in at over 370,000 words and contains contributions from a wide selection of fans and journalists, combining to create the ultimate coffee table book on Japanese role-playing games.
A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games is 652 pages in length (our largest book to date) and comes in hardback as standard. The cover features a specially created piece of artwork by Stephanie Sybydlo, which is finished with special pantone inks and metallic silver foil details. Each divider within the book also features a specially created ‘overworld map’ by the guys at Army of Trolls. As with all our books, we use thread-sewn binding for extra durability and print lithographically on high-quality paper to showcase the gorgeous visuals as they deserve.
Let the adventure commence!
652 pages, Hardcover
First published June 25, 2021
72 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
About the author
Kurt Kalata
45 books19 followersKurt Kalata has been writing about video games for twenty years. In addition to founding retro game website Hardcore Gaming 101 in 2003, he previously started fan sites The Castlevania Dungeon and The Contra HQ. He has also contributed to several other websites, including 1up, Gamasutra, and Siliconera. He has edited and published over fifteen books through the Hardcore Gaming 101 website, including The Guide to Classic Graphic Adventures and The 200 Best Video Games of All Time, and has contributed to several other retro themed books, including The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers, Unseen64’s Video Games You’ll Never Play, and The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Video Games. He lives in New Jersey, USA, with his wife, daughter, and two cats.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
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October 1, 2023moving shelves to clear up space. i genuinely thought this would a cool comprehensive guide into the development of selected jrpgs that would be well researched, but what i found on some game entries were just poorly handled mini-reviews and weird opinions that you can read for free online. i wish i saved the tweet that had the same criticism because i thought i was insane for being confused at everyone eating this up when some entries are 'i hate this part of my favorite franchise :('
i'm sure some entries are better to read than others thanks to the individual contributor and i can't remember the game entry i read that made stop reading, but none of the writing or 'insights' in this justifies a purchase.
i'm sure some entries are better to read than others thanks to the individual contributor and i can't remember the game entry i read that made stop reading, but none of the writing or 'insights' in this justifies a purchase.
January 31, 2023
Well what to say? If you're a fan of jrpg's and are interested in the history of the genre there is no way around this book. Comprehensive, well written (with soma spelling errors), nice visuals and a good representation so a full recommendation.
Cheers.
Cheers.
August 12, 2024
Un enorme libro sobre a historia de los juegos de rol japoneses para ordenador y consolas que además sale inminentemente en español.
El libro esta organizado a través de secciones abarcando tipos particulares de juegos y haciendo reseñas particulares sobre los juegos y franquicias más importantes, algunos de los cuales, nunca han salido de Japón y por tanto, resultan desconocidos y curiosos para gran parte del publico europeo o americano.
La obra incluye cientos y cientos de reseñas, no recuerdo ningún juego que haya jugado que no aparezca reseñado en el libro, aunque seguramente los habrá, ya que no pretende ser una guía exhaustiva, pero recoge, desde los inicios del género hasta alrededor del 2020.
Las reseñas son interesantes, contando levemente, la trama, los personajes y el sistema de juego, así como curiosidades y puntos fuertes y debilidades, varían entre media página y 4 páginas.
Lo más interesante para mi ha sido las reseñas de los juegos más antiguos, totalmente desconocidos y muy interesantes, ya que estaban prácticamente un nuevo género, donde podemos ver donde comenzaron los clichés más recurrentes y los caminos que no se llegaron a tomar.
Si te gusta, o has disfrutado con este curioso género te encantará este enorme libro con el que pasar muchas horas de lectura, recuerdos, y descubrimientos
El libro esta organizado a través de secciones abarcando tipos particulares de juegos y haciendo reseñas particulares sobre los juegos y franquicias más importantes, algunos de los cuales, nunca han salido de Japón y por tanto, resultan desconocidos y curiosos para gran parte del publico europeo o americano.
La obra incluye cientos y cientos de reseñas, no recuerdo ningún juego que haya jugado que no aparezca reseñado en el libro, aunque seguramente los habrá, ya que no pretende ser una guía exhaustiva, pero recoge, desde los inicios del género hasta alrededor del 2020.
Las reseñas son interesantes, contando levemente, la trama, los personajes y el sistema de juego, así como curiosidades y puntos fuertes y debilidades, varían entre media página y 4 páginas.
Lo más interesante para mi ha sido las reseñas de los juegos más antiguos, totalmente desconocidos y muy interesantes, ya que estaban prácticamente un nuevo género, donde podemos ver donde comenzaron los clichés más recurrentes y los caminos que no se llegaron a tomar.
Si te gusta, o has disfrutado con este curioso género te encantará este enorme libro con el que pasar muchas horas de lectura, recuerdos, y descubrimientos
September 12, 2021
Ein tolles Kompendium, schön genug, um für immer auf dem Couchtisch ausgestellt zu werden.
Eine ausführliche Rezension von mir folgt in Ausgabe 18 des GAIN-Magazins. Bald hier zu finden! https://www.gain-magazin.de/ausgaben/
Eine ausführliche Rezension von mir folgt in Ausgabe 18 des GAIN-Magazins. Bald hier zu finden! https://www.gain-magazin.de/ausgaben/
August 31, 2023
This book was incredibly eye opening for me. The sheer amount of games covered and the overall inviting design is a perfect starting point to learn about the topic. I do think this shares some of the flaws of Bitmap's prior "The CRPG book" in the sense that I generally prefer informational retrospectives to outright reviews (the books walk a fine line between the two), but it was handled better here and to me the positives far outweigh the shortcomings.
October 15, 2024
At first, this book is a marvel. It is a compendium of games and series in the JRPG genre from 1983 to 2021. Almost 700 pages, there's a lot here. With this much information, the writer has to be really good - and for the most part he is. Kalata is a much more professional writer than most authors of video game books. He avoids blatant biases and sticks to describing the plots, noting important improvements or changes in the systems, and discusses connections to other games and subsequent remakes or rereleases.
Unfortunately, Kalata's biases are more apparent the more you read. He will call a story "dumb" if he doesn't like it, or even "quaint" if he doesn't want to be as critical. He is more interested in battle systems than stories, and he barely has a concept of atmosphere, which is so important for early games. After a while, I wondered if the author even likes RPGs - then I got to the section on Dark Souls and saw his preference. Every game is measured up to this series, which really isn't fair. Dark Souls really is kinda niche, especially among JRPG fans.
The book is also organized poorly: most chapters look at series or creators, with "numbered" entries coming first, then other games just thrown in at the end. The longest chapter is "other", and there is no sense of order to how these are listed. As the history of gaming grows in interest, one would think there would be some organization by date of release, or maybe a chart listing games in order of release date. Finally, the articles at the beginning of the book are rather poor, giving very little substantial commentary. The article on killing deities is particularly bad, especially since the use of other culture's deities as end bosses is a huge problem in JRPGs. Kalata seems to assume that religions like Judaism and Christianity deserve to have their gods mocked and characterized as evil.
All this said, the book is still very good. Taken with a grain of salt, and remembering that the commentary is just one person's view, it's manageable. It's already long as it is, but a few changes and additions, even at the loss of some reviews, would have made the book a classic.
Unfortunately, Kalata's biases are more apparent the more you read. He will call a story "dumb" if he doesn't like it, or even "quaint" if he doesn't want to be as critical. He is more interested in battle systems than stories, and he barely has a concept of atmosphere, which is so important for early games. After a while, I wondered if the author even likes RPGs - then I got to the section on Dark Souls and saw his preference. Every game is measured up to this series, which really isn't fair. Dark Souls really is kinda niche, especially among JRPG fans.
The book is also organized poorly: most chapters look at series or creators, with "numbered" entries coming first, then other games just thrown in at the end. The longest chapter is "other", and there is no sense of order to how these are listed. As the history of gaming grows in interest, one would think there would be some organization by date of release, or maybe a chart listing games in order of release date. Finally, the articles at the beginning of the book are rather poor, giving very little substantial commentary. The article on killing deities is particularly bad, especially since the use of other culture's deities as end bosses is a huge problem in JRPGs. Kalata seems to assume that religions like Judaism and Christianity deserve to have their gods mocked and characterized as evil.
All this said, the book is still very good. Taken with a grain of salt, and remembering that the commentary is just one person's view, it's manageable. It's already long as it is, but a few changes and additions, even at the loss of some reviews, would have made the book a classic.
August 27, 2022
"A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games" is the companion of "The CRPG Book", focusing on console and computer Japanese RPGs. Authored by Kurt Kalata and a few dozen contributors, it's a comprehensive treatise that covers over 600 videogames in the genre released between 1982-2021.
The book is structured first by major game series (Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, etc.) and later by subgenre (action, strategy, dungeon crawlers, etc.) It also has a few articles summarizing the history of the genre and its peculiarities. It's more of a reference volume, many of the games have short descriptions and whole series have been compressed in one or two pages.
The reviews are not as interesting as those in the CRPG book, and the way they're structured is quite messy. A single game series might be split across different sections. A single section is sometimes structured by series, others by developer, and others by release year, or in a completely random fashion; there's no logic to it and it's confusing. The bare-bones index doesn't help much, either.
The font and the images are quite small, and the pictures sometimes lack a meaningful caption, making it hard to know to what game they're referring to when the review covers multiple games in a series.
In spite of its shortcomings, this book does a good job and contains an enormous amount of data encompassing the most popular games and some really obscure titles that never left Japan - the hard work required for collecting all this information is evident and admirable. Kudos to the authors, and let's hope for a second edition that's better organized.
The book is structured first by major game series (Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, etc.) and later by subgenre (action, strategy, dungeon crawlers, etc.) It also has a few articles summarizing the history of the genre and its peculiarities. It's more of a reference volume, many of the games have short descriptions and whole series have been compressed in one or two pages.
The reviews are not as interesting as those in the CRPG book, and the way they're structured is quite messy. A single game series might be split across different sections. A single section is sometimes structured by series, others by developer, and others by release year, or in a completely random fashion; there's no logic to it and it's confusing. The bare-bones index doesn't help much, either.
The font and the images are quite small, and the pictures sometimes lack a meaningful caption, making it hard to know to what game they're referring to when the review covers multiple games in a series.
In spite of its shortcomings, this book does a good job and contains an enormous amount of data encompassing the most popular games and some really obscure titles that never left Japan - the hard work required for collecting all this information is evident and admirable. Kudos to the authors, and let's hope for a second edition that's better organized.
November 20, 2022
Bitmap Books has produced a gorgeous, extensive volume with this guide to Japanese role-playing games, or JRPGs. The pages are glossy with nice quality images and lovely cover art by Stephanie Sybydlo.
The contributors certainly did their homework in choosing what to include, starting from the era of Japanese PCs in the 1980s all the way up to the Nintendo Switch. Additionally, there are several essays on JRPG history, localization, soundtracks, motifs, and more. The early chapters cover some of the biggest franchises, like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, before delving into the core of the book, which is a survey of many JRPG releases over approximately four decades.
I wish this main section of the book had been arranged a bit differently. Though the introduction states that it is roughly chronological, I didn't find that to be the case. In some places, there would be a chunk of Super Famicom (SNES) games from the mid-1990s followed abruptly by several games from 1988-89 (see pages 344-45, for example). I feel that a better organizational structure could have given the reader more insight into what was happening in each era, either by arranging the chapter strictly chronologically or by system / handheld.
My other complaint is that for such a professionally produced book, there were a shocking number of copy errors, either in the form of misspelled words or repeated or transposed phrases. I certainly understand that copy editing a 650-page book is no cakewalk, but Bitmap Books seems to have cut corners in this one area while everything else has such a high level of polish. Perhaps this can be corrected in future editions.
In all, A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games is a great volume that is slightly diminished by some layout choices and some unfortunate copy errors. It would make a great addition to any gamer's library.
The contributors certainly did their homework in choosing what to include, starting from the era of Japanese PCs in the 1980s all the way up to the Nintendo Switch. Additionally, there are several essays on JRPG history, localization, soundtracks, motifs, and more. The early chapters cover some of the biggest franchises, like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, before delving into the core of the book, which is a survey of many JRPG releases over approximately four decades.
I wish this main section of the book had been arranged a bit differently. Though the introduction states that it is roughly chronological, I didn't find that to be the case. In some places, there would be a chunk of Super Famicom (SNES) games from the mid-1990s followed abruptly by several games from 1988-89 (see pages 344-45, for example). I feel that a better organizational structure could have given the reader more insight into what was happening in each era, either by arranging the chapter strictly chronologically or by system / handheld.
My other complaint is that for such a professionally produced book, there were a shocking number of copy errors, either in the form of misspelled words or repeated or transposed phrases. I certainly understand that copy editing a 650-page book is no cakewalk, but Bitmap Books seems to have cut corners in this one area while everything else has such a high level of polish. Perhaps this can be corrected in future editions.
In all, A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games is a great volume that is slightly diminished by some layout choices and some unfortunate copy errors. It would make a great addition to any gamer's library.
December 27, 2021
This is a fantastic overview of JRPGs from the earliest PC games to some of the latest console exclusives. The most famous examples of the genre are obviously included (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Phantasy Star, Shin Megami Tensei/Persona, Atelier, Pokémon, etc.), but where the large tome really shines is in the inclusion of all the lesser known games, especially the many never localized for English-speaking markets. My various wishlists have grown exponentially after reading this thing, and I can only hope I will one day have the time to play them all.
Also, everyone responsible should make all of these games available in perpetuity so that we don’t lose all this wonderful video game history. It is a travesty that too many of these games simply can’t be played without either doing something legally dubious or hunting down original carts/CDs and the retro hardware to play them on, which can cost hundreds of US dollars.
Also, everyone responsible should make all of these games available in perpetuity so that we don’t lose all this wonderful video game history. It is a travesty that too many of these games simply can’t be played without either doing something legally dubious or hunting down original carts/CDs and the retro hardware to play them on, which can cost hundreds of US dollars.
April 28, 2025
While containing a wealth of information for any genre enthusiast, I found the organization and structure lacking when compared to the superior "The CRPG Book" also published by Bitmap. Nevertheless, for reference alone, this is a more than worthwhile addition to any game enthusiast's library.
December 14, 2023
There's no way I'm ever going to finish this huge book chock full of all sorts of JRPGs ranging from the famous Pokemon's, Final Fantasy's and Dragon Quest's all the way to obscure Japanese CRPGs from the '80s that were never released in the West. However, I do think I've read enough of it to offer (just like) my opinion.
The writing's superb and carefully crafted and goes in just the right amount of depth, covering the cultural impact of each game, parts of its development and what makes the gameplay and story unique. The edition is just beautifully bound and printed, and I can't get enough reading about strange yet somehow familiar-sounding games I'll never play.
Having said that, it does make me want to play many of the JRPGs I thought I had decided I don't have the time to try, like the Xeno- series, Tactics Ogre, Suikoden, Mystery Dungeon... the list truly goes on, and the fact that I'm currently learning Japanese and these games would be great practice (one day) makes reading it a bit like reading a cookbook on a diet while training to become a chef or something.
At the same time, the book has helped me get the gist of some of these titles and quench some of the thirst I might've had to play them by not idealising the games featured on it and with some pointier remarks.
In this sense, reading it feels like a trip to a fascinating museum, and I now realize I miss going to a truly quality museum.
The writing's superb and carefully crafted and goes in just the right amount of depth, covering the cultural impact of each game, parts of its development and what makes the gameplay and story unique. The edition is just beautifully bound and printed, and I can't get enough reading about strange yet somehow familiar-sounding games I'll never play.
Having said that, it does make me want to play many of the JRPGs I thought I had decided I don't have the time to try, like the Xeno- series, Tactics Ogre, Suikoden, Mystery Dungeon... the list truly goes on, and the fact that I'm currently learning Japanese and these games would be great practice (one day) makes reading it a bit like reading a cookbook on a diet while training to become a chef or something.
At the same time, the book has helped me get the gist of some of these titles and quench some of the thirst I might've had to play them by not idealising the games featured on it and with some pointier remarks.
In this sense, reading it feels like a trip to a fascinating museum, and I now realize I miss going to a truly quality museum.
April 4, 2025
It was fun to read about the history of the genre, and there are some excellent insights tucked away inside.
I felt like some of the entries were underdeveloped, in terms of whether the game was worth playing or not. In a book with this scope, I think a consistent way of comparing the games could have been helpful, with the caveat that not all games are of the same play style, and some benefitted from innovations that came later.
I've heard others complain about editing mistakes in some of the entries, which I also noticed, but it wasn't a major distraction.
I borrowed my copy from a friend, and while I don't feel the need to purchase my own, I added 50 games to my want-to-play list, which surprised me since I felt I was familiar with the genre.
I felt like some of the entries were underdeveloped, in terms of whether the game was worth playing or not. In a book with this scope, I think a consistent way of comparing the games could have been helpful, with the caveat that not all games are of the same play style, and some benefitted from innovations that came later.
I've heard others complain about editing mistakes in some of the entries, which I also noticed, but it wasn't a major distraction.
I borrowed my copy from a friend, and while I don't feel the need to purchase my own, I added 50 games to my want-to-play list, which surprised me since I felt I was familiar with the genre.
July 5, 2022
A massive tome featuring a near exhaustive catalogue of JRPG releases including Japan-only titles. Each game is covered by at least half a page of text with screenshots and cover art as illustrations. The book opens with a general article on the genre itself and each chapter starts with an article on the particular sub-genre it deals with.
Its sheer scope and lavishness means it's safe to assume this will be the definitive book on JRPGs for decades to come and a must buy for anyone with an interest in the genre.
Its sheer scope and lavishness means it's safe to assume this will be the definitive book on JRPGs for decades to come and a must buy for anyone with an interest in the genre.
February 5, 2023
It's probably not the kind of book you're supposed to read cover to cover, but this is an amazing encyclopedia of Japanese Role Playing Games. I thought I knew about them all and I was beyond mistaken - I've only played about 10% of the games in this book and only heard about maybe 50%. The discovery of series never brought over to Japan and the history behind them was really interesting. The artwork and quality of the book is seriously impressive. Not for everybody, but essential for a weebo nerd like me.
November 24, 2025
Kurt Kalata’s A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games is a handsome and incredibly thorough reference for the genre. If anything, it might be too comprehensive; I eventually found myself skimming because the sheer volume includes games that didn't always offer enough interesting background to merit the attention. That said, the production value is excellent and the sections on key series are genuinely interesting to read, making this a solid 4-star addition to a collection despite the occasional pacing issue.
October 14, 2023
This is a HUGE undertaking, and Kurt Kalata and all the contributors did an amazing job. It is well-researched and professional. It is very informative, even for a hardcore gaming fan. You get a history and developmental details on the entire genre of titles from all decades of gaming histoy. The printing and production values are all high quality. If you order it directly from Bitmap Books, even the shipping materials are the best-of-the-best.
November 13, 2025
This book contains a large quantity of information, which can be a good thing. This book however lacks organization which makes it a bit of a hindrance when reading. Several people collaborated on this book as well, which isn't a bad thing, but some of the writer's articles could have been cut completely and/or given to other writers to work on---less would have been more. Even with the few issues the book is a solid read for any jrpg fan
October 5, 2025
A must-have for anyone with an interest in JRPGs. This massive, beautiful book was a joy to read, whether I was reading about a series I was familiar with or learning about a game I hadn't heard of before. The layout inside is well done, too, which hasn't been the case for every release from Bitmap Books. I strongly recommend this one.
October 15, 2021
As large and beautiful as it is comprehensive. Well-worth the over $90 CAD price tag.
January 31, 2022
Read this book and thrill your loved ones with factoids about Funky Horror Band, Brain Lord, and Linkle Liver Story! Wow!
March 27, 2022
Absolutely fantastic. If you have the slightest interest in JRPGs you owe to yourself to get this wonderful book as it seems to cover all the games I remember and a lot I'd never even heard of.
February 15, 2024
Logged this to test out the Scanning feature on Goodreads, but man this was such an amazing book. I love JRPGs and this really helped me understand the origins and history. Absolutely amazing
April 6, 2025
Astonishing in quality, heavy to hold and read. As always an enjoyable trip down memory lane.
December 8, 2024
I want to love this book. It's very handsome and well designed, and it's (mostly) exhaustive. It is in many ways, lovely.
But.
The lead writer isn't very good. He has an unfortunate tendency towards presenting sweeping, unsupported, statements as fact, and has a lazy approach to research; if it's not part of his direct experience it's going to get dismissed, if it's acknowledged at all. It is very obvious if he hasn't played -- or just isn't interested in -- a game about which he's supposed to be writing, and it's not clear if he's fully aware that Europe exists.
(As this book has a team of writers, this is a trivial issue to resolve: just say "I don't feel like writing about Ax Battler; can someone else do it?" There you go. Wasn't difficult.)
I'm familiar with the writer from his website, and the same problems are apparent there too; if I'd realised he was the head writer for this book, I'm not sure I would have bought it.
The organisation is a bit odd too. It's not clear why games are ordered the way they are, and when other games are mentioned in an entry they are sometimes given a page reference, but most often not. Why? Who knows? If a game has multiple titles -- for example, English and Japanese titles -- they are listed only by one, and again it's not clear why that name is chosen. There is an index, but it's just an alphabetical list; again, if a game has alternate titles, they aren't indexed. Indexes by year and platform would have been useful too.
So it's a beautiful book, and there are plenty of surprises even for the most enthusiastic JRPG fan, but I would be very wary of treating it as any sort of authoritative, let alone scholarly, text. Ignore the title; it's not a "guide", it's more of an overview, albeit a fun and (very) pretty one.
But.
The lead writer isn't very good. He has an unfortunate tendency towards presenting sweeping, unsupported, statements as fact, and has a lazy approach to research; if it's not part of his direct experience it's going to get dismissed, if it's acknowledged at all. It is very obvious if he hasn't played -- or just isn't interested in -- a game about which he's supposed to be writing, and it's not clear if he's fully aware that Europe exists.
(As this book has a team of writers, this is a trivial issue to resolve: just say "I don't feel like writing about Ax Battler; can someone else do it?" There you go. Wasn't difficult.)
I'm familiar with the writer from his website, and the same problems are apparent there too; if I'd realised he was the head writer for this book, I'm not sure I would have bought it.
The organisation is a bit odd too. It's not clear why games are ordered the way they are, and when other games are mentioned in an entry they are sometimes given a page reference, but most often not. Why? Who knows? If a game has multiple titles -- for example, English and Japanese titles -- they are listed only by one, and again it's not clear why that name is chosen. There is an index, but it's just an alphabetical list; again, if a game has alternate titles, they aren't indexed. Indexes by year and platform would have been useful too.
So it's a beautiful book, and there are plenty of surprises even for the most enthusiastic JRPG fan, but I would be very wary of treating it as any sort of authoritative, let alone scholarly, text. Ignore the title; it's not a "guide", it's more of an overview, albeit a fun and (very) pretty one.
March 4, 2023
i read this book from July-February, doing so exclusively while seated on toilet. it boasts a comprehensive slate of games, great toilet-length write-ups, and wonderful design. bitmap books can be counted on to deliver excellent bathroom literature; this is far better than i expected (or than it needed to be)
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews