They just don’t make them like they used to. Before the modern tradition of cover art featuring nothing but a protagonist and a title, artists ran wild with extravagant box art to entice potential players. In the classic era of theNES, game visuals were simplistic and often abstracted by their pixilated aesthetic, relying on awesome art to convey what the game wanted the player to feel.
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Most gamers have seen the fantastic vista of Dracula’s castle in the original Castlevania, or the less than stellar Mega Man cover in the west, but theNEShad hundreds of games with great art that are no longer in the public eye. These are some of the best examples of forgotten NES games with awesome box art.
10Gyruss, With Beautiful 80s Sci Fi
Gyrusswas originally played in arcades,tasking one lone starship to rid the galaxy of evil. It was eventually ported to the NES, where it remained a solid shooter by way of its colorful art and steep difficulty. The NES version also added additional content like an intro cutscene, boss fights, and a proper ending to the game as opposed to the arcade version’s simple block of text telling players that they had saved the galaxy. Unfortunately, it could be said that the port is too easy. It gets repetitive in its latter half with reused bosses, as well as giving frequent power-ups that trivialize combat.
The cover, on the other hand, has no issues. The colors and use of abstract planets call to mind old Jack Kirby’s work inDr. Strangecomics. The depth is staggering, with the ship having a palpable sense of speed as it hurtles towards the glowing red planet in the distance. Cooler still, the spinning of the ship and planets matches the tube-like gameplay Gyruss employs.
9Pool of Radiance, Dungeon Diving in the Forgotten Realms
Pool of Radiancebegan as an early foray into the home computer market. It was an officially licensedDungeons and Dragonsexperience, one that received positive reviews at the time. It was just like playingD&D, only the player creates and controls the entire party, similar to a JRPG. It was later ported to the Amiga and NES, unfortunately having to sacrifice much of the stellar pixel art for blocky, simplified sprites and backgrounds. While serviceable, it lost a lot of charm in the transition.
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As if it were ripped straight from the pages of an AdvancedDungeons and Dragonshandbook, the cover art fulfills the promised fantasy ofD&D. There is a lot of depth, like in the case of the human character’s stance. Is he avoiding the fiery attack from the dragon, or winding up an attack of his own? Just likeD&D, it’s fun, colorful, and fantastical.
It’s tough being a gimmick game, andBad Street Brawlersits definitively in that category. One of only two games to ever be developed for the Power Glove peripheral, it suffered quite a bit in the gameplay department due to its wonky controls and even wonkier controller. Playing as the “world’s coolest martial artist,” players fight enemies ranging from thugs to gorillas. As fun as that sounds, the Power Glove makes this game hard to love.
In spite of it being a terrible game, the box art does not disappoint. Launching an enemy beyond the borders of the art gives the cover an awesome perspective shot, and makes the weight of the strike palpable. Featuring “Power Glove Gaming Series” in bright neon lettering above a steely 3D title,Bad Street Brawleris dripping with old-school charm.
7Cyberball, Football With Some Sci-Fi Flair
Nowadays, the world of sports games has a distinct lack of variety. Back in the day, however, before the popularization of theMaddensandFIFAs, there were zany takes on sports likeCyberball.Replacing human players with robots and swapping the pigskin with a bomb, the game had a lot of flavor to set it apart. But, no matter how cool that may sound, when it came to gameplay it was still just football. The arcade cabinet may have been a cool-looking one, but the port to NES just wasn’t all that interesting, nor was the standard football gameplay.
But just look at that robot! The rounded look for the cover character elicits the look of modern football pads but adapts it into a beefier, full-body form. Its aggressive stance sets the expectation thatCyberballis a no-holds-barred brutal take on football, presumably what the game would have done if not for technical limitations of its era.
6Solstice, A Puzzling Journey With Unforgettable Music
Full titleSolstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos,this forgotten gem was an isometric puzzle game released to positive reception, selling enough for a sequel calledEquinoxto release on the Super NES. It still holds up, but it is eclipsed by its music. Composed by the brilliant Tim Follin,Solsticehas music that pushes the minimal bits on an NES cartridge to their absolute limit, even starting a resurgence forSolsticewhen its tunes were rediscovered by the internet.
Matching the intensity of its main theme, the cover art portrays the player character Shadax as powerful in both magic and muscles. Apparently, this cover was printed against the wishes of the game’s creator, as he disliked the idea of a bodybuilder filling the role of his wizard character, but he is definitely eye-catching. The contrasting purple, green, and blue of Shadax draws the eye all over him, and the silhouette of the castle in the background is as imposing as Shadax himself.
58 Eyes, Definitely Not Castlevania
If there’s any game that misses out on a cool premise, it’s8 Eyes.It’s a tale of a falconer and his loyal falcon fighting to reclaim nuclear magic gems in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy adventure. In reality, though, it is a middlingCastlevania-like adventure. To its credit, it is playable in co-op, with one player taking control of the falcon to aid the other. This is a unique take on co-op and is still cool today. However, when playing solo, one has to control both characters simultaneously, making the game even harder than it already was.
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The apocalypse of the game’s story isn’t apparent in the art, and it could be said fantasy settings on boxes were generic onceZeldahit shelves. It’s not a stretch to claim that8 Eyeswanted to drum up a certain crowd, but the art is fantastic, despite being a tad misleading. The stylized logo portraying the titular 8 eyes within the letters itself is an awesome touch, seamlessly introducing the game’s MacGuffin. Centering the main character surrounded by enemies Doom-style has always been cool, and the ferocity on his face lends credibility to the monster’s threat.
4Adventure Island III, Where Dinosaurs Meet Aliens
Yes, that is a guy riding a dinosaur wearing a baseball cap with a UFO.AdventureIsland IIIis a platformer in the same vein ofSuper Mario Bros 3in terms of both look and feel. The main character, Higgins, has to save his girlfriend from a lizard villain a bit too often and happens to ride a dinosaur on the way there. This game is no rip-off though. There are a variety of dinos to ride, and the game’s constantly depleting health and high difficulty separate Higgins from his Italian contemporary. Ironically, developer Hudson Soft would go on to createMario Party.
Pivoting from other covers of the era,Adventure IslandIIIis just pure fun. Games are self-serious now, cover art has to be ‘cool’ to sell. Nowadays, this boils down to a dude on the box with a title above. When’s the last time a game had dinosaurs, aliens, and a guy in a baseball cap with the name of the developers on the box?Adventure’s box art is awesome because it shows what was lost when video games made the jump from kooky ideas to big-budget blockbusters.
3Alpha Mission, Space David and Goliath
Alpha Missionwas another arcade success ported to home consoles, and it remains a fun option in the scrolling-shooter genre. Players can fire at flying enemies as well as things on the ground level, making the background more than just set dressing.Alphadidn’t reinvent the wheel, but it did so enough to be deemed a success.
The game’s art style is limited by its era, consisting of lots of solid colors broken up by enemies. However, the art more than makes up for this. The design of the enemy ship is the highlight here, being an imposing hybrid of giant evil robot and alien mothership. The tiny ship flying towards it adds enough depth to show just how big the enemy is, dwarfing it in size to the point that a David vs. Goliath comparison is impossible not to make. Uphill battles are fun in video games, and the cover ofAlpha Missionpromises just that.
2Strider, Featuring The Most 80’s Art Ever Made
Ok, admittedly this one is a stretch. It would be a lie to say thatStrideris forgotten in the modern era of gaming, so, in this case, it’ll be considered an honorable mention for the art featured on the cover, not its notoriety. Because while it’s true thatStrideris known for its hardcore difficulty and smooth gameplay today, it is not remembered for its cover art. And wow, it is a doozy.
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Striderfeatures possibly the most 80s piece of cover art ever conceived. It features the titular ninja hero Strider sword fighting a Kalashnikov-equipped Russian soldier. From the muscles to the action, the cover is dripping with cheesy 80s machismo. Strider’s sword cleaving the title itself is a cool touch too, and viewers can get a better look at it by checking it out mid-swing in the hands of Strider himself.
1Dynowarz, Saving The Best For Last
Game first, then the cover art can take center stage.Dynowarzwas a game on the NES that allowed players to take control of either a giant mech or ‘Cybersaurus:’ a destructive robot dinosaur. It got negative reviews for its time and didn’t make much of a splash upon its release or since. However, the gameplay is not why this game is far from its strongest feature. It may be a forgotten game, but the art is unforgettable.
Finally, it’s here: The greatest box art of all time. Ok, that’s subjective and might not be true, but just look at it. It’s a robot in space firing an old-school ray gun through a dinosaur’s head! The title is spelled with Y’s and Z’s! Come on, it even has the subtitleThe Destruction of Spondylus! Truly,Dynowarz: The Destruction of Spondylusmay be the most awesome box art in the entire NES library.
