Poll: Box Art Brawl

Testing, testing. Is the Animalese-to-English converter operational? It is? Excellent. Welcome back to another installment of Box Art Brawl!

Previously, we examined Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and it turned out to be a closely contested competition. The North American / European artwork just secured the victory, in the end, with 58% of the votes, leaving the Japanese edition with 42%.

This week, we’ve got Animal Crossing in mind (why could that possibly be?), so we’re pitting two covers from the delightful DS title, Wild World, against each other. Reflecting on it today, Wild World may seem a bit minimal compared to New Leaf and New Horizons, but during the mid-2000s, it was quite stunning. It was Animal Crossing on the go! What a notion!

There are merely two designs to examine this week, so let’s get started…

North America / Europe

We are all acquainted with this one, correct? The Western cover embodies, well, it’s a world. Furthermore, it’s charming. Just gaze at those polygonal little characters living their lives! It packs in an ample amount of series symbolism, too, showcasing plenty of recognizable figures, shops, and airborne packages. It’s simply a delightful cover to glance at.

Japan

The Japanese version shares similarities, yet diverges. Instead of portraying the world as a unified whole, this artwork separates it, positioning the characters from the Western cover to the top and bottom. All of the characters remain present and correct, although a few appear in altered positions to accommodate the split — get off the roof, Celeste!

It indeed creates more space for the central logo, but we miss the sense of togetherness that arises from viewing the world as a complete entity. Perhaps that’s just our perspective.

Thanks for casting your vote! We’ll catch you next time for another Box Art Brawl.