Phantasy Star 2 Hint Book
Platform - Sega Genesis
Type of Material - Strategy Guide
Production Date - Unknown, likely close to release
Location - Scattered throughout Numerous Pages in Pictures, Text Boxes, and Margins
Writing Instrument - Pencil
Material Source - Purchased from Stomping Grounds Game Center in 2023
Summary - A dense strategy guide for the role-playing game Phantasy Star 2 on the Sega Genesis that contains maps and hints to help guide (but not direct) players from start to finish. The player has annotated these materials with their own discoveries and encounters, as well as some of their personal responses to solving various puzzles (see pages 36 and 37). Markings show how the player developed and implemented various techniques for representing their play experience, as well as the emotions associated with that experience (see exclamation marks throughout). It also presents a collaborative approach to gameplay with game, player, and print guide informing each other and the various techniques the player chose to document their game play. The choice of pencil over pen suggests that the player may have wanted to use a writing instrument that they could erase and revise as they worked through the various puzzles in the game.
