Poll: Best Sonic box art on Switch for 35th anniversary

An online Box Art Brawl compared the standard North American retail box art for every Sonic game sold physically on Nintendo Switch. The feature ran over the series’ 35th anniversary weekend and invited readers to vote for their preferred cover. Only standard retail box art was considered; special editions, steelbooks and lenticular covers were excluded. ESRB North American versions were used for consistency.

Voters were asked to judge each cover on design, composition and visual impact rather than on the games themselves.

Titles included Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Sonic Colors Ultimate, Sonic Superstars, Sonic Origins and Sonic Origins Plus, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Sonic x Shadow Generations, Sonic Mania Plus, Team Sonic Racing and Sonic Frontiers.

The feature highlighted specific elements of several covers. The Mario & Sonic image places the two mascots side-by-side with a stadium backdrop. Sonic Colors Ultimate was highlighted for a vivid color palette and a clean layout. Sonic Superstars was noted for depicting four characters, including Amy. Sonic Origins Plus was presented as a visual callback to the Mega Drive/Genesis era and showed a large cast. Sonic Mania Plus was noted for a yellow background and a classic character focus. Sonic Frontiers was presented with an action shot of Sonic grinding along a rail. Team Sonic Racing and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds received more mixed commentary on their visual impact compared with other racing covers.

The feature invited votes and indicated the brawl format typically runs weekly with other franchises and regional comparisons.