God of War’s alternate box art saves the day

God of War’s standard box art is ... not great. It’s not bad, but it’s just Kratos and his kid, Atreus, in a boat, and the pose might speak to that relationship but it really doesn’t sell the kind of action and creativity that made the game a critical smash well before its launch yesterday.

However, the physical case is still worthwhile for fans, because you can always flip around that insert and get a much nicer wraparound box cover, more befitting the game’s rokken-like-Dokken nordic spirit.

Samit Sarkar/Polygon

Moreover, it appears to be a kind of homage to Doom’s wraparound alternate cover from 2016? I could just be seeing things, though.

Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment (top) and id Software/Bethesda Softworks (bottom)

Really, if the standard packshot ends up being the most (or only) blah thing about God of War, we’re all coming out ahead. Hell, I don’t have any box art — since I live way out in the sticks, I bought mine digitally. OK, fine, I’m just lazy. I didn’t want to hitch up the wagon and ride into town for six months’ worth of dry goods, salt pork and taquitos at the Walmart.

God of War launched on Friday for PlayStation 4. Spoiler alert: We really like it. As for actual spoilers, here’s a handy (and spoiler-free, of course!) post on how to avoid them.