Apple Quest Monsters DX is a book of charming monsters and their descriptions, all for a game that does not exist. Not that this mattered for Splendidland, developer of Tender Caves of Death, as this look at monsters detached from a game carried that sense of discovery that came with cracking open strategy guides for Earthbound, Banjo Kazooie, and more, creating a digital space within the reader's mind that called up imaginary game worlds.

"I used to love reading strategy guides for games I never got to play, so why not make a guide for a game nobody has played" I loved the guide of Banjo Kazooie because it had so many different characters, and I still haven't played that game!" says Splendidland.

Guided Worlds
A strategy guide, or a feature in an issue of Nintendo Power, often came with unique artwork and character descriptions for the games they covered. While these were meant to be informative on the games they covered or to help flesh out a narrative, there was still a creativity, curiosity, and excitement contained within the artwork and words alone. Arguably designed to help make playing a game easier, these guides were still made with a love for storytelling and play that made the guides themselves fun all on their own.

This is the spirit Splendidland looked to capture with Apple Quest Monsters DX. "I love monster bestiaries! I read the Pokedex in Pokemon Yellow so much as a kid that I could memorize the cries of each monster. I am...