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Hi folks, and welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl!
Before we get cracking, let’s see how things panned out last time. We checked out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters on the SNES, pitting North America and Europe against Japan in a dual for the ages.
It’s funny, there are definitely certain instances where we can pretty confidently predict which region will come out on top, and this was definitely one of those times. Japan won hands down, bagging a whopping 75% of the vote thanks to its colourful composition and impressive use of depth of field.
This time, we’re sticking with the SNES with the original release of Super Bomberman, a game that would spawn one of the most recognisable franchises in all of gaming. Launched in 1993, it received unique box art designs in North America, Europe, and Japan, so we’ve got a classic three-way battle on our hands this week.
So without further ago, let’s get started.
Be sure to cast your votes in the poll below; but first, let’s check out the box art designs themselves.
North America
Known as Super Bomberman Party Pack in the US thanks to Hudson Soft’s desire to promote the game’s multiplayer chops (it would be the first SNES game to support four players), the box art here is decidedly different from both EU and Japan. The characters are certainly recognisable, but it seems the desire here was to create something that looks a bit more ‘3D’ than its regional counterparks. There’s certainly a good use of colour going on, but it also kind of reminds us of the US cover of Mega Man… Just not quite so egregious.
Europe
Europe’s approach is a bit more straightforward, showcasing the classic Bomberman characters kicking bombs at one another. There’s not really much chance of misunderstanding what the game is all about, right? The art style is simple, yet bold and timeless. Indeed, this same approach is still utilised by current owner Konami, so it obviously worked.
Japan
Cor, blimey. This one’s a looker. Utilsing the more vertical orientation of Japan’s SNES box, the design here is both colourful and action-packed, showing a multitude of different characters from the game against a backdrop of explosions and smoke. The style is almost a cross between EU and NA, with simplistic linework mixed with slightly more realistic colour rendering. It’s a nice one!
Thanks for voting! We’ll see you next time for another round of the Box Art Brawl.