Mendel Palace - BAB
Image: Nintendo Life

We hope you're ready for another clash of covers, because it's time for this week's Box Art Brawl!

Last time, thanks to a certain Super Mario Galaxy Movie appearance, we took a look at Star Fox: Assault for the GameCube. While the grey Japanese cover put up a good fight, it was the European and North American design that comfortably walked away with 64% of the vote and the win.

This time, to celebrate its surprise drop on the Nintendo Switch Online NES library, we're taking a look at Mendel Palace. There's every chance that you haven't heard of this one before, but does the name Game Freak ring a bell? Yes, this was the debut title from the Pokémon team, a puzzly adventure game about flipping tiles to get through a monster-filled dream world.

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube845k

There are two different covers to pick between this week, so let's check 'em out!

North America

Mendel Palace -
Image: Hudson Soft / Launchbox

There's a vague Labyrinth vibe to the North American cover that we can't help but dig. It's absolutely jam-packed with weird-looking characters, while the mysterious gothic tower looms in the background. Cap it all off with the purple border and funky font, and you've got one of those covers that wouldn't look out of place on your hip co-worker's office wall.

Japan

Mendel Palace -
Image: Namco / Launchbox

The Japanese design is... different. It's a lot cuter, for sure, with all those weird characters from the previous cover taking on a chibi aesthetic and the central castle looking a lot more welcoming. There's a general brightness to the whole thing, too, with the blue skies and white border presenting an entirely different game to that seen by audiences out West.

Which region got the best Mendel Palace box art?

Thank you for voting! We'll see you next week for another edition of Box Art Brawl!