Gamers in the US are being taken back to the PS2 era as the Japanese and European box art of Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is way better than the US release.
While everything is pretty standardized nowadays, video game box art used to vary a ton depending on which region you were in. Crash Bandicoot was marketed as cute in Japan, Kirby got angry eyes in the US, you know the classics. The PS2 era in particular was filled with these differences, and for the most part the US was always on the worst end. Metal Gear Solid 3 and 4 got gorgeous Yoji Shinkawa-penned covers vs the US’ 3D renders; Resident Evil 4 in Europe is a work of art, while the US got a somewhat tacky collage of game models; and the all-time classic is Ico, which is a stunning piece of art in Europe, while the US got… yeah.
While nowhere near as bad as the likes of Ico and Resident Evil 4, Resetera users have noticed Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse has a major regional difference. Namely, the European version of the game features the absolutely stunning artwork from legendary illustrator Katsuya Terada, which is akin to the illustrated box art of the series’ past. The key art for the US edition is the key art for the game, showing Rose Belmont overlooking a burning town. Granted, this art is more in line with what’s seen in the actual game, but that doesn’t stop people from being bummed about missing out on Terada’s work.
While responses to the change haven’t been calling the main artwork bad, some are upset at the difference. One user says, “It’s almost like comparing the Japanese and North American SOTN boxes!” which is another famous case, where Europe and Japan got a lovely bit of Alucard art while the US got a generic castle. While another response says the main boxart makes the game feel like an “indie Castlevania-like”, while the Terada art makes it feel like a real deal Castlevania.
I do think people are overreacting somewhat, as the US box art doesn’t look bad in the slightest, even if it does feel similar to other game box art that simply features the main character standing in the game’s environment. But still, I’m definitely happy and even keener to get the Terada art as a physical copy.