Ye Olde Inn

Why is that? Licensing issues with Les Edwards? Or something else? Why the cropped art vs the full layout?
Interesting differences in the art nonetheless.
Let's look and discuss.

KELLAR'S KEEP

American



European



RETURN OF THE WITCH LORD

American



European

I believe these were discussed on some other topic, can't really remember what the solution was though. I think it was because US version wanted to have it diagonally where as the UK artwork was lengthwise. Maybe it was just easier to use one artist for UK and one artist for US versions.

But as said, can't say for sure

This has bugged me since the first time it was pointed out to me. If there's another thread about this I'd love to know.

With RotWL, it almost looks like the same artwork, just cropped differently and with some minor changes, like what would happen if an editor said it needed some different colors.

But Kellar's is like a very simliar but different piece of art entirely. Very curious.

A theory...

Obviously the American KK artwork is technically vastly inferior and made by another artist.
My bet is that for unknown reasons someone decided to turn the original American cover 90 degrees. This was not a problem at that time as the original box had horizontal art. Made sense to use the entire Les Edwards painting.
Then came the next two expansions. They had a different box with vertical artwork. As they didn't want to change the look and layout of the American quest books, and they couldn't really use the box art, they had to commission a second horizontal cover by another (cheaper) artist.

But it's just a theory... a GAME theory!

Maybe just maybe.....

Some of us Americans insist on being difficult and half butt backwards that we would rather read a game box up and down instead of left to right like normal people.

I think both have different art. On the RotWL art look at the elf and the skeleton holding them. They're different. Look at the symbols on the rim around the opening under the dias, they're different. That monsters hand is different...several small things.

Maybe photoshop of the day could have done it, but it seems unlikely...

The up/down vs left/right box/booklet issue leads to cropping problems. One gets more art/background than tge other.
But my main curiosity is that the art was redrawn.
I guess there was an issue with having to secure the rights to Les Edwards art.
I've seen redrawn same-ish versions of cover art before.
Prince of Persia and other NES box art for example.

Now that you say it - they are really redrawn! Small details are different all over the picture!

And I like the format of the American better, whereas i like the details of the European better.

aaronAGN wrote:The up/down vs left/right box/booklet issue leads to cropping problems. One gets more art/background than tge other.
But my main curiosity is that the art was redrawn.
I guess there was an issue with having to secure the rights to Les Edwards art.
I've seen redrawn same-ish versions of cover art before.
Prince of Persia and other NES box art for example.

Or Les Esward's commissioned art simply called for a vertical painting. Which just didn't fit the American format and they had to make someone re-draw it.

Perhaps he was too expensive to hire a second time to redo art for the NA format. Or he didn't want to try and draw the same twice because it never comes out identical.