Game Boy: The Box Art Collection pre-orders open on Sept. 28th, 2020

Whether you're an old-school Game Boy fan or discovering the wonders of Nintendo's million-selling portable system for the very first time, Game Boy: The Box Art Collection is the book for you – it's a vibrant celebration of some of the finest cover artwork for this monochrome marvel, which kick-started the handheld games industry.

Despite the fact that we live in a world where the average smartphone makes the Game Boy look like an abacus, in purely technical terms, Nintendo's trailblazing handheld still manages to capture the attention of gamers all over the world – and flicking through these pages, it's easy to see why. It's home to some of the most famous names in the videogame business, such as Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Mega Man, Castlevania, Gradius and Final Fantasy, and many of its best titles hold up surprisingly well by modern standards – with technology this basic, developers of the period needed to make sure the gameplay was compelling and addictive.

We've worked closely with some of the world's most renowned Game Boy collectors to pull together a varied selection of titles that spans both Western and Eastern tastes. We've tried to strike the right balance between the two, and we hope you'll enjoy seeing some familiar pieces of art rubbing shoulders with covers for games you perhaps know from the dim and distant past, but have never before seen presented in the packaging shown here.

The other notable addition is the inclusion of screenshots on each page, giving you the opportunity to see what the games in question actually look like. As if that wasn't enough, we've gone to the extra effort of professionally translating the titles of Japanese games into Romaji – something that, to our knowledge, has never been properly attempted before in any English-language book.

Additionally, Game Boy: The Box Art Collection includes a foreword by Gameboycameraman, a collector's interview and an extensive feature on the history of the Game Boy.

At 372 pages long, Game Boy: The Box Art Collection also boasts a metallic silver textured cover with a metallic blue foil logo. 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.

For the collectors out there, Game Boy: The Box Art Collection also comes in two special, limited run, never-to-be-repeated versions.

The 'Silver Version':

the book is housed within a sturdy metallic silver card box;
this box features an exclusive cover illustration designed by the one and only Wil Overton (Super Play, Rare);
an A2 poster of Wil’s artwork comes with it, supplied rolled within a heavy-duty tube; and…
this version is limited to 1,500 copies.

The 'Gold Version':

the book is housed within a sturdy metallic gold card box and features a holographic edition sticker;
this box features the same exclusive cover illustration by Wil Overton;
includes a postcard, featuring the cover illustration, signed by Wil;
the A2 poster of Wil’s artwork comes with it, supplied rolled within a heavy-duty tube; and…
this version is limited to only 500 copies – sure to become a true collector’s item!
These Silver and Gold versions are strictly limited and will never be printed again, ever.

Book specifications

372 pages. 250mm × 250mm. Edge-to-edge high quality lithographic print. Hardback. Metallic silver textured cover with a metallic blue foil logo. Sewn binding for enduring quality and the ability to lay flat for ideal double-page image viewing. Free PDF for viewing on the go.

You'll be able to grab a pre-order for Game Boy: The Box Art Collection on Sept. 28th, 2020. When pre-orders do open, you can lock yours in here.