An extra star because it's MUCH shorter than Equinox.
Another entry in my ongoing "American covers are goofy as hell and Japanese covers tend to understand or respect the game far more than we ever do" research. An action puzzler with a little wizard in a fun medieval dungeon with cool Escher vibes, with the back of the box copy right there saying "non-violent fun for the entire family!", and what do my guys in the US do? Put him on the cover with a Groundskeeper Willie-ass six pack and pecs that can crush an empty beer can. He's not even shirtless in the game, guys! "Whatever you do, don't make Shadax the old friendly wizard look gay. No kids will buy this quirky puzzle game unless we make the main character look like the guy my wife told me not to worry about." Meanwhile, look at the Famicom cover. Look at it! On the other hand, I can see the problem here, as the Japanese cover makes the game look far cooler than, erm, it actually is. Surely, though, there must be a golden mean between setting up unreasonable expectations and fuckin Beefslab McJohnson up there?
Another entry in my ongoing "American covers are goofy as hell and Japanese covers tend to understand or respect the game far more than we ever do" research. An action puzzler with a little wizard in a fun medieval dungeon with cool Escher vibes, with the back of the box copy right there saying "non-violent fun for the entire family!", and what do my guys in the US do? Put him on the cover with a Groundskeeper Willie-ass six pack and pecs that can crush an empty beer can. He's not even shirtless in the game, guys! "Whatever you do, don't make Shadax the old friendly wizard look gay. No kids will buy this quirky puzzle game unless we make the main character look like the guy my wife told me not to worry about." Meanwhile, look at the Famicom cover. Look at it! On the other hand, I can see the problem here, as the Japanese cover makes the game look far cooler than, erm, it actually is. Surely, though, there must be a golden mean between setting up unreasonable expectations and fuckin Beefslab McJohnson up there?