Visions of Mana’s changes to US and Europe box art draw attention 

Square Enix just announced Visions of Mana’s August 29 release and opened pre-orders for the title. The box art for the game’s physical editions has also been revealed, and the subtle differences between the US and Japanese versions have drawn attention from fans on social media. 

Aside from using different “Visions of Mana” logos, the two versions of the box art also portray the protagonist Val differently. In the Japanese version, Val is standing in a powerful yet neutral pose with a determined yet calm looking expression on his face. On the other hand, the US Visions of Mana box art shows Val swinging his sword in a far more animated pose. In addition, his facial expression is noticeably more intense – lips parted in what may be a battle cry and eyebrows knitted in anger. The rest of the characters appear to be the same on both versions of the front cover. 

A quick look at Visions of Mana’s PlayStation Store pages suggests that the Japanese version of the box art is also being used in other Asian countries such as South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, while the altered design is being used in the US and Europe (although, in some countries, both versions are being sold side by side due to differences in supported languages). 

In response to content creator Genki’s post linked above, users have been expressing varying opinions on the changes – many prefer the Japanese version’s box art, but there are fans who like the more dynamic look of the US version.  

While box art designs have become standardized across regions for the most part in recent years, similar changes have been made in the past. For example, Kirby’s facial expressions on US box art have long been a subject of discussion in this regard. The Japanese version of Kirby Air Ride from 2003 featured a cheerful-looking Kirby, while the US and European versions portrayed him in a more serious, almost angry-looking manner. Similar alterations can be seen throughout the series. 

More recently, Nintendo edited the Princess Peach Showtime box art in a similar way – giving Peach a more tense and serious look. The edits to Visions of Mana’s box art this time around, which leave most of the illustration untouched save for facial expressions, have reminded users of these past instances. 

Visions of Mana is scheduled to be released on August 29 for the PC (Steam/Microsoft Store), PS5/PS4 and Xbox Series X|S.