Five favorites: Japanese DS box art

Two weeks ago, I published a silly little post about my five favorite examples of Japanese Wii box art. Well, this week I'm going to cover something just as frivolous: My five favorite examples of Japanese DS box art.

Both of these posts were written up because I'm "mourning the passing," so to speak, of both the Wii and DS, by the way--which is kind of funny to me, as I'm absolutely loving my 3DS at the moment. Still, I doubt Nintendo's second dual-screened handheld will ever reach the heights of its first, so maybe that's where these feelings of abandonment (for lack of a better word) are coming from.

Anyway, you're probably wondering which pieces of Japanese DS box art I like the most. Here they are:

1. Awatama--This unique, Mekensleep-made title, which is better known as Soul Bubbles in the west, is one of those rare games that was released in Europe and North America before it was released in Japan. Japanese DS owners shouldn't feel too bad about that, though, as they got by far the best cover art, in my opinion. (Admittedly, it isn't hard to top the European creation, which can be seen here.)

2. Fushigi no Dungeon: Furai no Shiren DS--I've played a number Fushigi no Dungeon (or, Mystery Dungeon) games, but I've never played this one. That has nothing to do with its fantastic box art, of course--which may just be the best of the Fushigi no Dungeon bunch. (Only Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon's cover offers up any real competition, in my opinion.)

3. Oideyo Dōbutsu no Mori--OK, so I may be a bit biased about this one. I am a fairly big fan of Nintendo's Dōbutsu no Mori (aka Animal Crossing) series, after all. Still, I think most folks would find this game's box art at least somewhat appealing--what with its adorable characters and abundance of color.

4. Sigma Harmonics--One of the many reasons I'd like to get my hands on a copy of this sadly-never-released-outside-of-Japan game at some point: It's played while holding the DS sideways, as though it's a book. Another reason, of course, is that I love its purple-heavy cover art that features a pair of The World Ends With You-esque characters and what appears to be a clock tower.

5. Wish Room: Angel's Memory--Don't worry if the name Wish Room doesn't ring a bell. Outside of Japan, it was given the rather noire-ish title of Hotel Dusk: Room 215. The various releases of this Cing-developed game feature at least one other notable difference--with that difference being their box art. The Japanese art, above, has long been a favorite of mine due to its color scheme and the sense of solitude it evokes.

See also: 'Five favorites: Japanese Wii box art'