Metroid Dread’s box art is simple yet foreboding, with Samus standing confidently in the foreground, while the seven E.M.M.I robots loom in the background. Another series known for its generally simple box art designs isFinal Fantasy, and one has used inspiration from that franchise to redesignMetroid Dread’s box art.
Going back into bothMetroidandFinal Fantasy’s histories, fans will find evidence of consistently clean box arts. WithMetroid, the focal point is normally Samus in the center of the art, surrounded by elements from the game itself whether it’s enemies or environments. Take for example the last release beforeMetroid Dread,Metroid: Samus Returns, that simply shows a squatting, focused Samus, while the horizon of a planet and outer space appears behind her.Final Fantasyis similarly pretty simple with its design, in many cases simply selling a white box that has an enlarged version of the logo, with the attention being the eloquent icon set behind the text, likeFinal Fantasy 7and the meteor.
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Reddit user thedidynotkong recently shared their remake of theMetroid Dreadbox artin the style ofFinal Fantasy. There are two main connections toFinal Fantasyin thedidynotkong’s redesign: the color pallette and the design simplicity. Thedidynotkong does not referenceFinal Fantasy’s usual color pallette specifically (it as mentioned typically being primarily white) but does the same technique asFinal Fantasy, contrasting the logo artwork from the background through strong color work. In this case, thedidynotkong blacks out the entire background, leaves the text as is, and most strikingly, portrays Samus and E.M.M.I. in all red, really popping off the art.
As for the design simplicity, it is clear what effect thedidynotkong was going for. The placement of Samus and the E.M.M.I slightly above the title but still touching it evokes some ofFinal Fantasy’s iconic logos and the work of Yoshitaka Amano, like Yuna and Sin onFinal Fantasy 10’s, or Kain Highwind onFinal Fantasy 4’s. From another perspective, thedidynotkong may have taken inspiration from the box art of entries likeFinal Fantasy 7 Remake,Final Fantasy 13, or theupcomingStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, that show one solid image contrasted by a stark white background. The red images of Samus and the E.M.M.I are recolors of officialMetroid Dreadrenders.
Overall, thedidynotkong’s redesign works as an extension of the original art, as well as a piece inspired byFinal Fantasy. Keeping the color pallette to just those three colors of black, red, and white passively instills the same sort of intensity found in the original box art. Furthermore, without any sort of detail surrounding the characters, the design appears influenced by both the beautiful logo design ofFinal Fantasy, and also the staging of its more elaborate box arts. Other artists have attempted this crossover, like one who adapted theCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightlogo withFinal Fantasyinspiration.
Metroid Dreadis available on Switch.
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