25 Greatest Video Game Box Art Of All Time

2. Castlevania (NES)

Castlevania – the classic platformer – features a mesmerising cover inspired by legendary illustrator, Frank Frazetta, making his second appearance on this list. In fact, the image above is so similar to the illustrator’s famous work, The Norseman (shown below) that many people have accused the game of intentionally plagiarising the original.

Regardless, the image of Simon Belmont confronting the castle – whip in hand, nemesis looming above – is iconic, somewhat eclipsing the original as a modern masterpiece. It’s completely inspiring, telling you everything you need to know immediately: hero, villain, and castle. It reduces the experience to its core components, and achieves everything it sets out to accomplish in the process.

(The Norseman):