Hatris - BAB
Image: Nintendo Life

Welcome one and all, to another edition of Box Art Brawl (hey, that rhymes)!

Last week, we looked at a brand-new release with Sonic X Shadow Generations, Sega's latest (and greatest) 3D Sonic title for the Switch. North America and Europe went against Japan for this one, and it was the latter that came out on top with 60% of the vote. A good effort from the Western regions, but Japan's definitely brings back a few more memories of SA2.

This week, we're going back in time to the Game Boy with Hatris, ParaGraph and Bullet-Proof Software's curious sequel to the greatest puzzle game ever created, Tetris. Released in 1990, Hatris never quite reached the heights of its older sibling, but was nevertheless an interesting addition to the franchise's catalogue. It'll be also be fully playable in the upcoming Tetris Forever compilation from Digital Eclipse on Switch.

It's North America against Japan for this week's brawl, so let's get to it.

Be sure to cast your votes in the poll below; but first, let's check out the box art designs themselves.

North America

Hatris
Image: Bullet-Proof Software / Mobygames

If there's one thing that differentiates North America's version of Hatris, it's colour. Or the lack of colour, rather. It's a curious setup, really, as the title itself is kind of tucked away at the top of the composition, while the rest of the image is made up of different hats against a tiled background. Admittedly, it's a strong showcase for the actual gameplay in Hatris, mind you.

Japan

Hatris - JP
Image: Bullet-Proof Software / MobyGames

Japan's approach is a lot more colourful, and we dig it. It's one of those images where, at first glance, it appears as though there are only a couple of hats, but then you see another, and another, and another, until they're everywhere. Very cool stuff.


Which region got the best Hatris box art? (1,373 votes)

  1. North America
    North America50%
  2. Japan
    Japan50%

Thanks for voting! We'll see you next time for another round of Box Art Brawl.