A Spooky... Instruction Manual?

By Aaron Thomas
Friday, 30 October 2009

Tags: Twisted Metal: Black , Horror Week

Nobody reads instruction manuals anymore, and for the most part, developers don’t put much effort into them. Some publishers don’t even bother to print their manuals in color, and I’ve seen plenty of manuals that refer you to a website for more-detailed instructions!

It wasn’t always like this, though. One shining example of how to make an instruction manual that’s actually worth reading is Twisted Metal: Black. Not only did it give you all of the information on how to play, it also doubled as a journal for one of the game’s characters, No Face.

This eerie, fascinating document added another layer to the game's already interesting plot, and it made such an impression on me that I devoted an entire paragraph of my (very wordy) review to it. I’m sure most of you out there probably never have seen Black’s instruction manual, but in honor of Horror Week, I’ve scanned its creepy story-related elements.

Hopefully the pages of this journal give you a chill, and maybe, just maybe they’ll scare a developer-or-two into making an instruction manual worth reading again.

Click on an image to see a larger version.

Comments (7)

That's really cool! I am actually part of the small percentage of people that read game manuals, and it saddens me to know that hardly any developer bothers with doing anything with them.

Nathan Andrews , October 30, 2009

I remember that manual. And I usually flip through the game manual, just to see if they've thrown anything interesting in it. You're right though, most of them are worthless.

Thanks for scanning the pages!

J. Cosmo Cohen , October 30, 2009

I'd read more instruction manuals, if it were worth doing. Modern manuals are unnecessary thanks to the crushing concept of the tutorial and, in the rare times that they contain additional content, it's often related to the story and it's incredibly hilarious to read, as it was in this case. These aren't manuals, but I really enjoyed the Earthbound strategy guide and the Mother 3 Handbook. Both of those books add even more flavor to each game universe without being embarrassing to visually absorb.

Vincent Graves , October 30, 2009

I really miss buying a game and then reading the manual to pass the time until I get home to play. I do agree that tutorials have made manuals less important.

Aaron Thomas , October 30, 2009

Yeah, I don't even look at them anymore, but this is way cool. How come I don't remember it?

Dan Hsu , October 30, 2009

I still read manuals even if they're as terrible as Onechanbara's. I knew it felt thin but just three pages, reprinted in spanish and french, still felt like someone dropped the ball. It didn't go into any timing of the Cool Combo or the requirements for the missions. I like to know button layouts and certain background on the characters and usually have the manual sitting in front of me for easy reference, at least for the first hour or two.

Tom Heistuman , October 30, 2009

@Tom: I'm with you. If it's a non-FPS game, I always have the manual out and open to the button layout page. Tutorials usually cover most things, but the good games have depth and texture that goes deeper than the tutorial. And that means additional research either on the web or in the manual.

I remember reading this one. Manuals such as this one and Fallout 3 make for good bathroom reading, too!

Keith Schloemer , November 06, 2009