10 Fiendishly Clever Secrets Hidden In Video Game Covers

Above all else, video game cover art needs to sell the game to potential customers, by concisely explaining to them its genre, style, and tone.

But because cover artists apparently find all that a bit boring - or have too much free time, perhaps - they're also not beyond including some sneaky Easter eggs and hidden nods for only the most eagle-eyed players to catch.

These 10 games all concealed hilarious, insane and downright ingenious secret messages, visual motifs and even solutions to in-game puzzles in plain sight, and 99% of players never even noticed - at least not until the Internet called it out.

For every bored video game cover artist out there, there are dozens of obsessive, supernaturally attentive fans who will catch their oh-so-clever hidden messages, usually in record time no less.

If you caught any of these yourself without any help, give yourself a pat on the back. Yet given how much most of us take video game box art for granted, this is a neat reminder to take a minute or two to appreciate the thought and artistry that goes into their creation...