Smashbox

Just in case it wasn't bad enough that our beloved Nintendo characters are forced to smash each other to bits in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and that almost all of them have just been completely annihilated by a giant ball of light in the sky, this limited edition Spanish box art has now attempted to erase Pikachu from the equation entirely by plastering a huge number 12 over his precious little face. The cheek of it.

You may remember that earlier this year, an early look at the German physical box art revealed that Yoshi was no more; Europe's large USK rating symbol forced Pikachu to squeeze up a little too much, leaving no room for poor Yoshi to be featured. While that was a horrendous act in itself, we feel that this one is even worse, with Pikachu still being called up for the photo shoot just to see his dreams be ruined in the final cut.

The photograph of this box comes from Twitter user @Sylvalum; a number of Spanish fans appear to have received early deliveries of the game as retailers attempt to combat potential postage delays in the upcoming public holiday.

If you're worried about the appearance of your own future copy, you'll be pleased to know that this won't affect every region. As noted above, Europe often faces larger rating stickers than other regions (although this still changes between individual countries) so chances are it shouldn't get any worse than this.

Still, at least now poor old Mike Wazowski can have someone who understands his feelings.

A scene from Disney Pixar's 'Monsters, Inc.'

As ever, feel free to share your thoughts on this disastrous turn of events in the comments below.

[source twitter.com, via nintendosoup.com]