Fans of Super Nintendo Entertainment System role-playing games will be thrilled to know that they can get this without first randomly generating a character.
Bitmap Books has opened pre-orders on its forthcoming book, The Definitive Book of SNES RPGs Volume 1. We love Bitmap Books titles at Gaming Retro — see our review of Game Boy: The Box Art — and I reckon this could turn out to be one of their biggest successes yet.
What’s the book about?
There is a massive synopsis on the Bitmap Books website about the title, but the main gist of it is that Moses Norton has compiled a first volume of over 550 pages.
Written by the highly respected game critic and researcher Moses Norton, The Definitive Book of SNES RPGs Vol. 1 brings you over 550 pages packed with detailed writing, developer quotes, and genre history – and is filled to the brim with restored art and lost knowledge, printed to the highest standards. As the first volume in the series, The Definitive Book of SNES RPGs Vol. 1 is alphabetically focused, concentrating on games titled A-to-K, including The 7th Saga, Eye of the Beholder, Breath of Fire, Chrono Trigger, EarthBound, EVO, Final Fantasy II, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Knights of the Round, and many more.
The book is not a trivial ranking of favourites, a bartering of factoids, or a stroll down memory lane. It is an uncompromising and exhaustive study of the artistry, ideology, and legacy of SNES RPGs using a methodology and scope that has never been attempted before in any published work.
The full list of featured games is:
The 7th Saga, ActRaiser, Eye of the Beholder, Arcana, Brain Lord, Brandish, Breath of Fire, Breath of Fire II, Chrono Trigger, Dragon View, Drakkhen, Dungeon Master, EarthBound, EVO, Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, Illusion of Gaia, Inindo Way of the Ninja, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, King of Dragons, Knights of the Round.
Ready to pre-order The Definitive Book of SNES RPGs Vol. 1?
If this looks like the book for you, you can now pre-order The Definitive Book of SNES RPGs Vol. 1 direct from Bitmap Books. As well as the volume itself, you also get a PDF version, useful for keeping the original in pristine condition.
The Definitive Book of SNES RPGs Vol. 1 key specs
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Release Date | October 15, 2025 |
| Price | $49.00 / £34.99 / €41,95 |
| Pages | 556 |
| Dimensions | 216mm × 279mm |
| Binding/cover | Sewn/Hardcover |
| Weight | 3 Kg |
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through those links. This comes at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.