Boxart Breakdown: Phantom Hourglass [JP]

Yesterday, we took a look at the US boxart for Phantom Hourglass, and judging from the comments, most of us around here feel the same way: it’s solid, but short of spectacular. Read on for a look at the far more vibrant and playful Japanese version.

Interestingly, this situation somewhat mimics that of the US and Japanese boxart for The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass’ predecessor: the US version is simplistic and given a minimum color treatment for increased impact, while the Japanese rendition is colorful, fun, and more lighthearted overall.

In the case of Wind Waker, I really love both, but the Japanese incarnation wins due to a combination of irresistible cuteness, sweet cardboard, and a lack of the extremely unsightly ‘Only For Nintendo GameCube’ tag that mars the US edition. I despise that thing.

Moving on, it’s quite clear that the Japanese boxart for Phantom Hourglass is the one preferred by fans, and for substantial reason: it looks like an invitation to fun and adventure, and that’s what Zelda (especially Celda) is all about.

The colors are beautiful (I wanna dive in), the illustration is top-notch, and even the hourglass — a bit of a sore thumb in the US version — fits right in. Also, while I’m not an expert in Japanese typefont, the style used here for ‘Phantom Hourglass’ looks far, far better than it does in English. Note: Click here to see the JP art/English text European box.

So for me, the Japanese box wins in every category. Above all, looking at it makes me wanna play the game more than ever, and I’d say that’s a job well done. Agree with me?