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The Bizarre World of Fake Video Games
The Bizarre World of Fake Video Games is a collection of video games that well, don’t exist! Filled with reviews, previews and retrospectives on games from an alternate timeline, the book seeks to examine the strange online phenomenon of people making games that are not real.
175 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 16, 2026
This is such a brilliant love letter to a fascinating subgenre of art. I was happy to see some favorites immortalized in the pages, and I think the choice to present this meta textually as a game review magazine that doesn't exist was fun and nostalgic.
February 1, 2026
Incredibly enjoyable; not only to read about these fake video games and the "experience" of playing them, but also to see how the video game magazine storyline develops. I think this shines a spotlight on the amazing artists who made these "video games" and has encouraged me to check out their works.
May 28, 2026
Fake videogames have become a fascinating niche artform and author John Walsh a.k.a. Super Eyepatch Wolf has collected more than 20 examples by various artists to showcase here. This is an interesting topic and all of the creators featured are incredibly imaginative and talented.
The medium opens up a different mode of storytelling, one that is not an actual videogame, but where the storytelling lies in the presentation of whatever pieces are created by the artist (be that concept art, screenshots, a soundtrack, etc.) often with fictional backstories about their creators as well.
I highly recommend watching the author's video essays on the subject as well. The book itself is phenomenally put together, with gorgeous layouts by co-editor Marco Cirillo Petri cramming in as much artwork by the various artists as possible. The writing is also very fun, as the games are "reviewed" in the format of gaming magazines (think Nintendo Power), with various fictional staff writers taking the helm on different games. It gives the feeling of holding an artefact from an alternate universe.
The entire package as presented by Super Eyepatch Wolf, Hollow Press, and of course all of the individual artists featured comes together as something genuinely unique, as beautiful as it is unsettling (the majority of these fake videogames have horror themes.) I absolutely loved it.
The medium opens up a different mode of storytelling, one that is not an actual videogame, but where the storytelling lies in the presentation of whatever pieces are created by the artist (be that concept art, screenshots, a soundtrack, etc.) often with fictional backstories about their creators as well.
I highly recommend watching the author's video essays on the subject as well. The book itself is phenomenally put together, with gorgeous layouts by co-editor Marco Cirillo Petri cramming in as much artwork by the various artists as possible. The writing is also very fun, as the games are "reviewed" in the format of gaming magazines (think Nintendo Power), with various fictional staff writers taking the helm on different games. It gives the feeling of holding an artefact from an alternate universe.
The entire package as presented by Super Eyepatch Wolf, Hollow Press, and of course all of the individual artists featured comes together as something genuinely unique, as beautiful as it is unsettling (the majority of these fake videogames have horror themes.) I absolutely loved it.
April 19, 2026
"the perfect video game is the one you never get to play"
what a wonderful and interesting piece of work. this book presents a series of fake games in the format of magazine articles from a fictional magazine, game wolf, which exists in a world where these games are real. it suffered from some technical problems – the book is littered with spelling and punctuation errors, and though the games are on fictional consoles like the hollow sphere, the apple world preview mentions the gamecube and clearly shows a gameboy advance. breaking immersion is pretty risky for a project of this kind, but i felt that otherwise the presentation was strong enough for me to be drawn into the world.
i look forward to checking more of these games out! my favourite articles in this book were the disappearance of catastrophe crow and lacey's diner. i also found out after that the ghost-trap!!! games were created and commissioned for this book, which makes sense as i thought the story of the ghost-trap!!! series development was a real hoot and enjoyed it being developed across the release of multiple games.
what a wonderful and interesting piece of work. this book presents a series of fake games in the format of magazine articles from a fictional magazine, game wolf, which exists in a world where these games are real. it suffered from some technical problems – the book is littered with spelling and punctuation errors, and though the games are on fictional consoles like the hollow sphere, the apple world preview mentions the gamecube and clearly shows a gameboy advance. breaking immersion is pretty risky for a project of this kind, but i felt that otherwise the presentation was strong enough for me to be drawn into the world.
i look forward to checking more of these games out! my favourite articles in this book were the disappearance of catastrophe crow and lacey's diner. i also found out after that the ghost-trap!!! games were created and commissioned for this book, which makes sense as i thought the story of the ghost-trap!!! series development was a real hoot and enjoyed it being developed across the release of multiple games.
February 24, 2026
I had a notebook out while reading through this book and had the best time I have had in a long time reading through this and taking notes on the bits of lore dropped about the ongoing story, timeline and character details.
Its also just a well done book showing why fake video games are so intriguing- fake video games are a portal to alternate worlds where different choices were made in the video games industry or just different people’s lives and these games are a way to take a skewed glimpse within these fractured worlds.
I’d love to make a video about this book one day if I ever find the free time. This is a new all time favorite of mine.
Its also just a well done book showing why fake video games are so intriguing- fake video games are a portal to alternate worlds where different choices were made in the video games industry or just different people’s lives and these games are a way to take a skewed glimpse within these fractured worlds.
I’d love to make a video about this book one day if I ever find the free time. This is a new all time favorite of mine.
February 19, 2026
Huge fan of Super Eyepatch Wolf’s videos and have watched him for probably close to a decade. He made this book and knew I had to check it out. This book showcases a lot of different artists and their talent. Also love the concept of fake video games. This book is written like a magazine where people review the games and you can tell from get-go that this has John’s DNA all over it. Starts to get wacky towards the end of the book which had me thinking of House of Leaves. Quick read with amazing art, good job everyone!
January 15, 2026
A super cool book! I absolutely loved the layout of the pages, the little pictures and screenshots of the 'games', to the point where it got me thinking, 'Damn, I wish these were real video games'. It was also cool seeing the fake video games I already knew about. I also loved the stickers I got with the book.
January 25, 2026
First finished read of 2026, and what a delightful read it was! If you're a fan of fake video games and/or Super Eyepatch Wolf's video essays over on Youtube, I highly recommend this!
April 1, 2026
expected more like the video, but this was also a fun read
February 23, 2026
“Art is important, and now more than ever, we need to support the people who make it.”
Goddammit, Super Eyepatch Wolf: because of you, my bank account has taken another hit.
This book is absolutely breathtaking… if you have any interest in the very niche subject that is ‘video games that do not exist’.
Luckily, I do!
After watching John Walsh’s video of the same name, I went straight out and bought the book “Vermis”, which I loved more than I can say (so I wrote a review of it – see my profile for more!) Then he announced he would be working on a book with “Vermis” artist, Plastiboo, and I was sold. My beautifully crafted, hard-backed copy arrived at the end of last year, and it was every bit the dream I’d hoped for.
So yes, this is such a unique obsession that I’d be surprised if anyone finds my review, but here is a simplified explanation: ‘Fake video games’ are created, by very accomplished artists, to have the appearance of actual video games, except that they only exist in the form of concept art, screenshots, gameplay videos, soundtracks, box art, character designs, etc. And whilst it’s a very specific art form, the content and talent found within are extremely vast and varied.
Take “Ghost-Trap!!!,” for example: a game where you literally date a sexy ghost girl, and which ends up with several bizarre sequels, each one even more removed from the original game than the last: from a beat-em-up, to a haunted house designer, to a straight up gothic horror. And I would play every one of them.
Or how about “Bird World”, a beautiful rpg seen through adorable concept art, but that also has its own nostalgic soundtrack on Apple music. Yes, really! And it’s lovely, really gives you the sensation that you’re playing a retro video game.
And then there’s “Echo Railway”, a futuristic, dystopian game of exploration, with a rich, atmospheric feel, as seen through some stunning gameplay screenshots. And these are just three of many more.
The framing device is also very unique: the book is presented as a collection of old-school video game magazine reviews, compiled from an alternate dimension in which these fictional games do in fact exist (along with their imaginary consoles). Reviews rotate between three writers, each with their own distinctive style and opinions. There’s a fun underlying and potentially disturbing story, slowly revealed as you read through each review, which I thought was a great little addition; one that I wasn’t expecting, but was ultimately grateful for.
The most infuriating part about all this is that every one of these games exist in this tantalising form, and yet I CANNOT PLAY A SINGLE ONE OF THEM. It’s intolerable. But if I can keep enjoying them through glorious tomes such as this one, I was be satiated (I think…). I genuinely hope there will be a second collection, if only to shine a bigger light on these incredible artists.
John, I tip my cap to you again, sir!
Goddammit, Super Eyepatch Wolf: because of you, my bank account has taken another hit.
This book is absolutely breathtaking… if you have any interest in the very niche subject that is ‘video games that do not exist’.
Luckily, I do!
After watching John Walsh’s video of the same name, I went straight out and bought the book “Vermis”, which I loved more than I can say (so I wrote a review of it – see my profile for more!) Then he announced he would be working on a book with “Vermis” artist, Plastiboo, and I was sold. My beautifully crafted, hard-backed copy arrived at the end of last year, and it was every bit the dream I’d hoped for.
So yes, this is such a unique obsession that I’d be surprised if anyone finds my review, but here is a simplified explanation: ‘Fake video games’ are created, by very accomplished artists, to have the appearance of actual video games, except that they only exist in the form of concept art, screenshots, gameplay videos, soundtracks, box art, character designs, etc. And whilst it’s a very specific art form, the content and talent found within are extremely vast and varied.
Take “Ghost-Trap!!!,” for example: a game where you literally date a sexy ghost girl, and which ends up with several bizarre sequels, each one even more removed from the original game than the last: from a beat-em-up, to a haunted house designer, to a straight up gothic horror. And I would play every one of them.
Or how about “Bird World”, a beautiful rpg seen through adorable concept art, but that also has its own nostalgic soundtrack on Apple music. Yes, really! And it’s lovely, really gives you the sensation that you’re playing a retro video game.
And then there’s “Echo Railway”, a futuristic, dystopian game of exploration, with a rich, atmospheric feel, as seen through some stunning gameplay screenshots. And these are just three of many more.
The framing device is also very unique: the book is presented as a collection of old-school video game magazine reviews, compiled from an alternate dimension in which these fictional games do in fact exist (along with their imaginary consoles). Reviews rotate between three writers, each with their own distinctive style and opinions. There’s a fun underlying and potentially disturbing story, slowly revealed as you read through each review, which I thought was a great little addition; one that I wasn’t expecting, but was ultimately grateful for.
The most infuriating part about all this is that every one of these games exist in this tantalising form, and yet I CANNOT PLAY A SINGLE ONE OF THEM. It’s intolerable. But if I can keep enjoying them through glorious tomes such as this one, I was be satiated (I think…). I genuinely hope there will be a second collection, if only to shine a bigger light on these incredible artists.
John, I tip my cap to you again, sir!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews