Continue The Boss Fight Books Anthology

Boss Fight is proud to present our first multi-author collection, Continue? The Boss Fight Books Anthology.In these digital pages, Anna Anthropy celebrates her second favorite Epic MegaGames title, David LeGault offers a tour of the lost 80s Action Max console, and Mike Meginnis tells his Best American Short Stories-selected tale of a father and son who become obsessed with the saddest adventure game in the world.The eBook collects a diverse survey of essays and short stories from Boss Fight series authors Michael P. Williams, Ken Baumann, Jon Irwin, and Darius Kazemi, as well newcomers Matt Bell, Tevis Thompson, Rebekah Frumkin, Brian Oliu, Salvatore Pane, Mike Lars White, and Rachel B. Glaser.

A troubled man travels to a mysterious town from his past after receiving a letter from his wife... who's been dead for years. And while our "hero" explores dark corridors and battles countless disturbing enemies, his journey offers more psychological horror than survival horror. Welcome to Silent Hill, where the monster is you. Silent Hill 2 doubles down on what made the first game so compelling: The feeling of being lost in a foggy, upside-down town as unsettling as it is familiar. Nearly two decades after first experiencing Silent Hill 2, writer and comedian Mike Drucker returns to its dark depths to explore how this bold video game delivers an experience that is tense, nightmarish, and anything but fun. With an in-depth and highly personal study of its tragic cast of characters, and a critical examination of developer Konami’s world design and uneven marketing strategy, Drucker examines how Silent Hill 2 forces its players to grapple with the fact that very real-world terrors of trauma, abuse, shame, and guilt are far more threatening than any pyramid-headed monster could ever be.

You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you? Those grim words hang over the entirety of Majora Mask, the sixth entry in the Legend of Zelda series. In his darkest adventure, Link must relive the same three days over and over again to prevent the moon from colliding into the kingdom of Termina and ending the world. Made with a small team in a single year for the Nintendo 64 from the assets of its predecessor, Majora’s Mask could have been a shameless cash-in—but instead has gained wide recognition as the most mysterious, mature, and touching game in the series. It’s also the Zelda game that has inspired more inventive fan theories and bone-chilling internet horror stories than might be expected from a high-fantasy adventure. Through rigorous research and a new in-depth interview with Majora’s North American localizer, Jason Leung, writer and editor Gabe Durham investigates the relationship between Majora’s fast-paced, adaptive development and the meaning projected onto its story by players—and shines a light on the strange and tumultuous romance between art and fandom.

A game's creation as told by its creator, perhaps the best rpimer on game design.

A personal look at the pros and cons of temporarily giving your life over to the world's biggest game.

A historical, critical, and personal look at the defining video game of the NES era.

A deep dive into the classic SNES game many consider the high point in the entire RPG genre.

Before they co-created the hit web series Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'?, Ashly and Anthony Burch were just a brother and sister who shared a weird obsession with Solid Snake and his 3D debut, Metal Gear Solid. And why wouldn't they? Hideo Kojima's 1998 game featured groundbreaking stealth mechanics, a gruff and hunky leading man, a brilliantly claustrophobic setting, tons of cinematic cutscenes, shocking fourth wall breaks, and terrifying bosses. The only problem: The Burches grew up but their all-time favorite video game didn't. After nearly two decades, Metal Gear Solid's once-innovative stealth mechanics seem outdated, the cutscenes have lost some of their action movie punch, and the game's treatment of women is often out of touch. Witness a celebration/takedown of this landmark game with the combination of insight and hilarity that Ashly and Anthony have made their careers on.