Today our search for tomes to read and worlds to explore takes us back in time, with a preview of the brand new Press Start. Acheron Games and Nerdcore decided to put together two staples of teenagers who lived in the 80s and 90s. Gamebooks and game rooms have been masterfully combined to recreate that magical atmosphere full of fast-paced action. More experienced adventurers will surely remember the afternoons spent in front of the arcade cabinet with only a few coins in their pockets. Now it will finally be possible to face those challenges one page at a time through the many choices present in these gamebooks. Street Fighter, Ghosts’ n Goblins and Ninja Gaiden are just some of the games used as inspiration.
Some News about the Press Start Preview
Press Start will consist of three gamebooks that will let us live compelling stories in the typical arcade style of that period. The covers and illustrations created by Francesco Biagini, Oscar Celestini, Elio Ubaldi and Turbogamma take inspiration from those videogames and even the character sheets are themed and involve the reader in this amazing atmosphere. For now I have only been able to play at their first levels, but I can say that Mauro Longo, Samuel Marolla, Franceso di Lazzaro e Gabriele Simionato have done a great job, and I can’t wait to have the finished product in my hands. The search for atmosphere seems to be a very important point in these gamebooks, so much that Kenobit created an appropriate musical theme to accompany our adventures.
At the moment Press Start is a crowfounding campaign on GameFound and it has already achieved its goal, also unlocking the first Stretch goals. Now that we have talked about the artists and authors of this project, it is time to see in detail the three gamebooks.



Games of Death II
Get in the ring and get ready to fight enemy after enemy till you reach the final fight!
The first gamebook we have in our hands is Games of Death II, a classic fighting game. A simple story and a single goal, to make our way one match at a time until we reach the trophy and earn the title of champion. Our energy, power and stamina are indicated on our character sheet. Our choices will decrease these values or those of our opponent. One shot at a time, between defense and attack, without ever lingering. It’s time to insert the first coin and choose our fighter.
Round 1 Fight!


Ghasts’n Gremlins
Enter the demonic realm and fight ghasts, gremlins, bosses and underbosses, till the final fight with Satan themselves!
The second gamebook is Ghasts’n Gremlins. In this adventure we will have control of the valiant princess Priscilla and we will have to save our beloved through different levels that emulate platformers. A classic hack ‘n’ slash metroidvania where we will have to deal with aberrant monsters and exciting challenges. To simulate the 80’s videogames even better, a checkpoint and wound management mechanic linked to the disappearance of the armor has been added, in addition to hidden bonuses and treasures dropped by enemies.


Shugendo
Shugendo emulates the appealing, NINJA themed platform games that were all the rage in the legendary 80s.
The third and final gamebook is Shugendo, an adventure in the classic ninja style in which we will have to make our way to save our master. A race against time facing the ninjas of a rival clan, hiding in the shadows or throwing us headlong into the action. At the end of each level we will find a boss waiting for us, ready to put a spoke in the wheel. We will have to choose whether to favor action or stealth following the path of revenge.


Conclusions of the Press Start Preview
We tested all three gamebooks and each adventure was a pleasant journey into memories. Whether you have lived through the 80s or not, these three game books will be able to make you spend several hours of fun with a simple and intuitive mechanics. It is possible to choose different forms of pledge, preferring the physical or digital form. In addition, it is even possible to choose which gamebook we want to buy, without having to take the whole package. Acheron gives us full freedom by providing a preview of the gamebooks so we can get an idea of what we will have in our hands (it is actually a quickstart to download). I invite you to take a look at the Gamefound page and let us know what you think about this project.