If you’re looking for a fighting game to get you into the spirit of the season, look no farther than Darkstalkers. Made by Capcom and developed in the same era that brought us Street Fighter, this masterpiece of a game was like the goth girl on the cheerleading squad. Full of pep, but just as likely to kick your ass.

What makes Darkstalkers stand out is its character design. Instead of the usual burly meatheads, there are catgirls, mummies, vampires, succubi, robotic sarcophagi, and even a Red Riding Hood-type character with a basket full of automatic weapons. To say the franchise is quirky is an understatement. Other than B.B. Hood, the only human in the series, Darkstalkers is about monsters fighting monsters.

Image – Capcom/Udon

Darkstalkers: Official Complete Works walks you through the development of every character in the franchise, with developmental sketches, final art, promotional designs, pin-ups, and more. You can even see the art for each stage in the game.

What’s neat is that everything is broken down by game. It’s interesting seeing how the art morphs over the life of the series as new artists take over from the original designer and as popular styles shift over the decades.

And it’s not just limited to Darkstalkers fighting games. These characters have made cameos in other Capcom fighting games, plus plenty of casual puzzle titles. All those designs are shown as well. Basically, if the characters ever appeared anywhere, this book has their designs (and all of their costume variations).

There are copious notes throughout the book, giving unprecedented insight into not only Capcom’s stringent costuming rules (who would have ever guessed, based on how she’s always depicted, that there were any rules on how exposed Morrigan’s assets are) but also the artists’ feelings about how their designs have withstood time and their peers.

The oversized coffeetable book is beautifully made, with large, glossy pages that make the art pop and make this the perfect complement to any game room. It’s exactly the kind of thing I could see flipping through while waiting for my turn in a match. My only issue is that one or two of the full-spread images are marred by unfortunate spine placement. Luckily, that’s a problem for only a small number of pieces.

In addition to the pin-ups made just for this book, there are pages upon pages of exclusive interviews with the concept designers and programmers who created the characters and brought them to life. If you’re a fighting game buff, there’s plenty to geek out on as they talk through the inspiration for various mechanics and systems.

If you’re a Darkstalkers fan, or if you know someone who is, this book is engrossing. Even for a casual fan like myself, I found myself lost in the pages, reliving memories of the old arcade on my college campus where I lost many an hour (and quarter) between classes trying to last beyond a single round (spoiler, that didn’t happen often).

You can grab Darkstalkers: Official Complete Works from Amazon now for around $36. Highly recommended.