Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, our regular poll to find out which region got the best cover for a particular retro release.
Last time, we saw the Capcom DS jewel Ghost Trick: Ghost Detective in honor of its 10th anniversary (in the West). The North American cover won over 60% of the votes, leaving Japan with a quarter and Europe with the rest.
This week we’ll continue with Capcom and Nintendo DS to other birthday fight. Yes, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence launched fifteen years ago on January 19, 2006, bringing Shinji Mikami’s original PlayStation to Nintendo’s handheld in time for the series’ 10th anniversary. Using the system’s touchscreen and adding some mechanics to the original structure, Deadly Silence is an underrated little door and remains an excellent way to revisit the horror of the B shlocky film and the game’s mid-90s visuals in its aspect. original (as opposed to beautifully smooth and reimagined REmake).
The Resident Evil series is regular in ‘Brawl, of course, with no less than four previous appearances to date; variants of Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 have fought for their approval in the past.
So, pack your sandwiches (Jill) and let’s go back to Spencer Mansion …
Europe
The European cover places the terrible Tyrant on a suitable blood-red background with its mutant claw visible, although widely covered by the logo. We have a good view of his dynamite abdomen below, however, and his impressive set of gnashers above.
Not a lot is going on here. We like the deep red and the general impression that the great evil offers, although it is a little on your face and does not convey much of the tension you will feel as you explore the mansion’s monotonous corridors. I have to love the little yellow splash of the Capcom logo, though.
North America
The North American cover adds more action, with Jill Valentine halfway through with two guns in her hands, one firing. She is flanked by a horde of zombies (and a nasty-looking reptilian guy with yellow eyes) while the Tyrant hovers over the entire collage. His big flabby claw hangs menacingly over the image, although we’re not sure what he’s doing with it. Pitching forms, perhaps?
The logo is identical, but has shrunk to show more of the art. Overall, it is good, but more generic and less focused than the European version.
Japan
The Japanese cover goes for something a little more thoughtful; something that evokes evil in the residence without showing the final boss of the game or an enthusiastic sniper hero. A sinister raven takes center stage surrounded by fiery reddish-orange light, and in the darkness of its silhouette you can see the lit face of a zombie and the vague outline of Spencer Mansion.
Bearing in mind that this was a game released around the 10th anniversary of the original iconic, it is reasonable to assume that everyone already knew what ‘Biohazard’ was, so this more evocative cover would have worked well. Although it is not so attractive immediately, we admire how it avoids the obvious.
So, you saw the options, but which one resides in your heart? Choose your favorite and click on ‘Vote’ to inform us below:
Fifteen years! Feel free to share your memories of this REmake on a smaller scale below. We hope everyone is safe and well – hHave a great week and see you again for another Box Art Brawl.