This is the cover for the 1987 game Mega Man. It is a series revered for its exciting gameplay and level design, and one of the most successful games to find its beginnings on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Though it and its sequels received much critical acclaim, why is its box art so bad? Honestly, it is just plain hard to look at, and especially hard to imagine something good coming from that cover.
Simply Bad Design
To begin, let's examine the perspective and why it simply feels off. We notice the titular character is framed against what appears to be a city, which also appears to be very small. Now, on a two-dimensional plane, of course something in the distance is going to be small. However, the placement of those golden objects and line design off to the side imply that Mega Man is a only a few feet away from the city. This creates dissonance since humans aren't typically bigger than buildings. The addition of palm trees alone create even more confusion as to where in the world this is all going on.
Considering Mega Man alone, we see a strange man, who appears to be fearful or cowering. Starting from the top of his asymmetrical, off-centered helmet, down to his bow-legged, awkward and unnaturally posed legs, we get an overwhelming sense of disproportion. This character doesn't feel like a hero we would want to play as; even his shrugging, oversized shoulders are characteristic of cowardice, not heroism.
And what are those golden objects? They feel noisy and distracting. It is difficult for us to assume what anything is, and the objects in contrast to each other don't feel grounded in reality. There is no frame of reference and nothing to create balance against one object or another.
Personally, I feel this frame is too loud and too complicated, and is extremely incoherent as to what is going on.
And for those curious, this is what Mega Man ACTUALLY looks like:
Ah, much better!
Simpe, Good Design
Conversely, we have the cover art for Castlevania, a game that was also extremely well received and respected. Here, instead of getting a jumbled mess of figures and objects, we get a very simple and effective design of a simple and good game.
Instead of seeing a disproportionate character framed against a seemingly tiny city, we get a fully proportionate hero facing an eerie precipice with an ominous castle sitting on top, juxtaposed with a sinister vampire (Dracula) staring through the frame. This works so much more than Mega Man's artwork since we can actually make out familiar objects and have a decent frame of reference.
Following the directional cues of the art, we are led through the eye-line of our whip-wielding hero towards the dangerous castle. This is a subtle, yet effective way to create a flow through the image. The contrast of our hero looking upward towards his impeding journey creates a narrative and a sense of adventure and discovery. We also get a sense of dimension and breaking of the fourth wall with the whip cracking beyond the limits of the frame. The item is used to show the courage and might of our hero, unlike Mega Man and his wimpy posture.
Likewise, here is what Simon Belmont (the character depicted) looks like:
Not too bad for an 8-bit rendition, huh?
To Wrap Up
Sometimes, less is more and too many cooks can spoil the broth. Essentially, don't let a design become excessively loud and even underwhelming in its simplicity. With Mega Man, things were too confusing and distracting, and overall was just a misrepresentation of the actual product. With Castlevania, we a design that is short, sweet and to the point.
