Poll: Box Art Brawl – Duel: Super Monkey Ball Adventure

Let’s get the ball rolling on another edition of Box Art Brawl, shall we?

Last week, we matched up two covers for Capcom’s Demon’s Crest on the SNES. The regional designs shared few similarities and the same can be said for the spread of votes, with 84% of picks falling in Japan’s favour. Talk about a washout!

This time, we are throwing things forward to the GameCube as we take a look at Super Monkey Ball Adventure. While not considered the crème de la crème of the Monkey Ball series, Adventure was a big swing by Sega, giving AiAi and co. a world-hopping story mode alongside the more traditional floor levels.

With the game not landing a Japanese release, there are only two covers to pick between this week, so let’s get into the duel!

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

North America

The North American cover art keeps things firmly in the classic Monkey Ball territory. Familiar faces roll about in their translucent balls while all kinds of mayhem ensues behind. It doesn’t go heavy on the ‘Adventure’ theme — you’re not going to know that this one is any different from what’s come before — but its bright colours are certainly eye-catching enough.

Europe

Ooo okay, now this is leaning into the ‘Adventure’ vibes a bit more. The overall design is much darker, with the muted colouring standing apart from the above variant. But perhaps most importantly, where are the balls? We still see AiAi and his pals, but are they… walking? What kind of madness is this? If you wanted to know what makes Super Monkey Ball Adventure different from the prior games, this cover puts it front and centre.

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