Poll: Box Art Brawl: Duel – Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge
Hello folks, welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl!
Last time, we took a look at Metroid Prime: Hunters on the Nintendo DS and the end result was pretty unanimous. The vast majority of you prefered the western design over Japan’s, with North America and Europe winning with a whopping 86% of the vote! Clearly, the more abstract approach from Japan just didn’t sit well with folks.
This week, we’re going to be checking out a classic Game Boy title from Konami: Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge. Released back in 1991 (and over a year later in Europe), the game was considered a significant step up from Castlevania: The Adventure, with praise given for the inclusion of classic Castlevania weapons and better use of the Game Boy hardware.
It’s another Duel this week, with North America and Europe once again teaming up against Japan. The designs here are drastically different and, in our opinion, are both incredibly strong. We’ve a feeling this is going to be a close one!
Be sure to cast your votes in the poll below; but first, let’s check out the box art designs themselves.
North America / Europe
The western design for Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge features what is presumably the main protagonist, Christopher Belmont, swishing the franchise’s signature whip towards an enemy skulking out of an iron gateway. The backdrop here is particularly impressive, displaying multiple structures and natural landmarks. The logo itself is incredibly striking – literally – since it’s surrounding by a whole bunch of lightning. This is a nice one, indeed!
Japan
Japan’s approach, meanwhile, is very much reminiscent of its previous box art efforts, focusing on the inclusion of multiple characters in a more abstract composition. The main image itself doesn’t take up the entirety of the “canvas”, with the game’s logo and various icons set against a white background. Needless to say, though, the painting here is astoundingly beautiful, and Dracula himself looks remarkably menacing, looming over Christopher Belmont in the foreground. Oof, this is going to be a touch choice!
Thanks for voting! We’ll see you next time for another round of the Box Art Brawl.
