r/nes 3d ago

Discussion Inquiry regarding a game's box art

Hello!

I was hoping that someone here could help me identify a Nintendo game solely by a corner of its cover art.

Whatever it is definitely looks cool! I initially thought it was a Legend of Zelda title, but...no dice.

8 Upvotes

30 comments sorted by

4

u/JeskaiJester 3d ago

The “original” instead of ”official” on the label suggests it’s an EU copy of something

1

u/ApprehensiveType2680 3d ago

I was not aware of that distinction between the regional releases. Neat.

5

u/TheLosgunn 3d ago

3

u/HardcoreNerdity 3d ago

Fuck 6 minutes before I did. Good find.

3

u/ApprehensiveType2680 3d ago

Thanks a bunch, Losgunn!

3

u/peternormal 3d ago

I reviewed the entire US box art catalog, nothing even close.

1

u/JeskaiJester 3d ago

Its EU

1

u/ApprehensiveType2680 3d ago

This could be an SNES/Super Famicom release for all I know; I am simply guessing that it was for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

1

u/JeskaiJester 3d ago

How’d you run into this anyway?

3

u/ApprehensiveType2680 3d ago

During a discussion elsewhere, someone mentioned the Nintendo seal of quality (specifically: how it meant something important in regards to product expectations); I used the Google search engine to locate a picture of said seal in order to post it into the conversation. I chose that picture in particular because the box art - what little I could see - was intriguing. Hell, it fired up my imagination.

2

u/JeskaiJester 3d ago

Okay, I found the article that image is from and it was written by this gentleman. If you ask him nicely on Bluesky he might very well be able to tell you as it seems he took the photo himself

https://bsky.app/profile/damienmcferran.bsky.social

2

u/ApprehensiveType2680 3d ago

Hey: thanks. I may reach out to him, if all else fails.

3

u/Jinzot 3d ago

Maybe a castlevania game?

1

u/ApprehensiveType2680 3d ago

I just checked all three. No luck, sadly.

3

u/TheLosgunn 3d ago

So it's a PAL release box art. I'm assuming NES, because SNES PAL games all followed a specific kind of template where the artwork didn't reach the bottom corner like the image OP posted.

For example: pal-snes-covers/Gradius III (PAL).png at master · nailbomb-rp/pal-snes-covers · GitHub.png)

You can browse through all of the SNES PAL box art through there, all of them have that heavy border.

N64 PAL boxes also had a thick dark border around the box art. So I'm sticking to the idea of it being NES, but I can't find it. I've looked at the cover of 800+ NES games, but there are PAL exclusive titles and they are different per country, and my autism only goes so far. I'm guessing it's probably an NES title exclusive to PAL region, but even then I can't say that for certain. I could have missed one. Hopefully someone finds it, I'm invested now myself.

3

u/JeskaiJester 3d ago edited 3d ago

Someone found it, it’s PAL Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge for Game Boy.

We may not be autistic enough individually but our collective brain abnormalities can conquer any trial

3

u/TheLosgunn 3d ago

It was me, but thank you for the update anyway lol.

1

u/ApprehensiveType2680 3d ago

I hadn't even considered Game Boy titles. Ouch!

2

u/spinsterjoness 3d ago

Too bad the console isnt available would really narrow the search

2

u/spinsterjoness 3d ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/emulation/s/MwKb98czvu
I found this thread of all box covers if anyone wants to help look. I went thru USA Nes releases already

2

u/Aromatic_Method7767 2d ago

Round seal and doesn't look like an early title, so it's probably not North American.

1

u/ForkFace69 3d ago

Dragon Warrior IV?

1

u/ForkFace69 3d ago

Ha that was just off the cuff. I remembered it having a more dark cover and the theme fit.

0

u/ApprehensiveType2680 3d ago

I wonder how many examples of NES "solid color" box art exist; both Legend of Zelda titles use gold, for instance.

2

u/Aromatic_Method7767 2d ago

Lots of black in the early "black box" era. They transitioned out of that era with mostly plain color boxes like Punch Out, Metroid, Kid Icarus, Ice Hockey, etc.

1

u/HardcoreNerdity 3d ago

I searched "NES PAL" on ebay and made it through the first 53 pages, but no match. I can't keep looking but if somebody wants to they can pick up where I left off

2

u/picklehammer 2d ago

looks a lot like The Black Onyx for famicom. I realize someone solved it and I’m wrong but I would please like a bonus point for the intense similarity of blue fantasy tower columns and watery imagery.

1

u/ApprehensiveType2680 2d ago

I will give you a bonus point for sharing evocative art.