Ahoy everyone, welcome back to another one Box Art Brawl! We’ve got a great one for you this week, just in case the images and titles don’t work for you.
Last week we reviewed Mario plays golf (It’s a out now on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass!), compare North America with Japan to determine which box art design is better. The more ‘classic’ design of North American canned art came in first, taking 67% of the vote. It seems the more ‘artistic’ approach to the Japanese version hasn’t resonated with readers, and we totally get it!
This week, to celebrate the 30th anniversary The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past In North America, we’ll look at how this region’s box art design stands up to Japan. We won’t include Europe on this occasion, as its boxy shape is so similar to NA it’s not really guaranteed to be treated as a separate entity.
Be sure to cast your vote in the poll below; But first, let’s check out the box art designs.
North America
The North American box art for A Link to the Past is very luxurious. There’s just something about that golden background, right? It’s an aesthetic that has been popular with Zelda box art since the first game on the NES, and while it’s dropped a bit with later titles, we don’t think anyone would complain if Nintendo uses the same design for every major Zelda title. Merely do.
It is also the first game in the series to feature a sword that pierces the ‘Z’ in the Zelda title, a design choice that returned in the series. Wake up link And to a lesser extent – Ocarina of Timebefore going on vacation until 2017 Breath of the Wild. Again, this feels like old thing Zelda, and we love it!
Japan
The Japanese box art follows the general tone of the NES Zelda games in the region, with Link’s beautiful painting in a typical action pose on the Lost Forest setting. The Master Sword can be clearly seen in the background, illuminated by the beautiful rays of the sun. It’s the exact opposite of the NA box art, but arguably does a good job depicting all that the Zelda series is all about.
The logo itself is completely Amazing. The metallic gold lettering on the Triforce featured image is iconic in a completely different way from the NA version. It’s something we haven’t really seen again since, as Japan’s logo design is more or less on par with other regions.
Overall, it’s definitely a better In our eyes, the design is beautiful, but does it outshine the classic gold aesthetic of the NA box? Hmm, not sure…
Thanks for voting! We’ll see you next time in another round of Box Art Brawl.
