News – NES Visual Compendium Hits Kickstarter Goal

There’s no denying the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System / Famicom’s lasting popularity. It’s an icon of the 1980s, and one of the single most important creations in the gaming’s history. It’s also is home to some of the most accomplished and iconic titles ever made, including Super Mario Bros., Mega Man and The Legend of Zelda.

It’s no surprise then to learn that the console and its library, still has many dedicated fans to this day. In fact, this website probably wouldn’t exist without the NES / Famicom. What’s more, Bitmap Books’ latest compendium, the NES Visual Compendium, also wouldn’t exist without the console. Although it also wouldn’t exist without the fans of the Famicom / NES, who have already taken to Kickstarter in their thousands to make sure this vision becomes a reality.

Described as a visual tribute to Nintendo’s classic 8-bit systems; the NES and Famicom, the NES Visual Compendium focuses on the design aspects of the 8-bit eras most famous console. In doing so it pays tribute to pixel art and both product and graphic design, whilst also informing readers about all things NES / Famicom. The book will also compliment this by giving the exact same treatment to the Japanese exclusive add-on, the Famicom Disk System.

What’s more, thanks to retro fans worldwide, the NES Visual Compendium has already hit all but one of its goals. As such, this 434 page 8-bit celebration is confirmed to include a wealth of added extras. These include; bookmark ribbons, a Disk-Kun vinyl sticker, a set of glitch postcards, blueprint posters, an exclusive chibi-tech 10 track CD, a heavy board slipcase, and finally, an inside dust jacket illustrated by Marc Ericksen.

That’s not all though, as with £142,312 already pledged, it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that this 8-bit visual celebration may even hit its final stretch goal of £175,000. This will see the fascia of the slipcase become lenticular, in doing so adding animated 8-bit sprites to the cover. To mark just how impressive this really is, it should be noted that Bitmap Books’s original goal was originally a respectable £25,000.

As of yet the NES Visual Compendium is still without a release date. Understandable given that its fairly recent Kickstarter campaign is still ongoing. However, one thing is for certain, unlike many recent Kickstarter campaigns, this one will definitely become a reality. In turn proving that retro is still extremely popular with many gamers.