It was very difficult to find PlayStation Vita games with terrible box arts, it was already the modern times, people are cultured and skilled. Yet, somehow, intentionally, some people made these boxarts. Below are seven of the worst boxarts on the PlayStation Vita.
PS vita Games with the worst boxarts
7. Disney Infinity 2.0
This is just plain boring. One can go for the minimalist look given the succeeding entries in this list giving us horror vacui to the extremes. But Disney Infinity’s bare minimum of a blue cover is giving us nothing, give us something.
As for the game itself, Infinity 2.0 on the Vita is questionable due to its lack of portability as anyone who wants to play this game will be tethered to the ground. The physical base and figurines are impractical for on-the-go gaming. A virtual base like in the iOS version would have been more suitable for a handheld console. The real issue, though, lies in the game’s performance on the Vita. Load times are painfully long, and there’s noticeable input lag, making gameplay feel sluggish. While not game-breaking, these issues are significant enough to be frustrating.
Disney Infinity 2.0 on the Vita is inconsistent with its visuals, with some scenes looking subpar, akin to the 3DS, while others are visually impressive. True, the Vita version has its charms, it also has numerous flaws that might make sticking to traditional console versions more appealing.
6. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is as disappointing as its cover art. The box art should have deterred anyone from buying this game. Look at it, the art direction is bland, this is supposed to be a culmination of the proud franchises that belong to Sony, and like the Vita before it, the effort in the creation of this cover is lackluster. It is not specifically ugly, but it is disproportionally unattractive for the prestige that it is supposed to evoke.
The battle system in PlayStation All-Stars leans more towards traditional fighters with a combo system familiar to fighting game enthusiasts, setting it apart from other games. Despite this effort, many gameplay elements feel out of place. Characters float away after being hit, building up a Super Gauge with three levels, the highest being almost unbeatable. This mechanic, unlike Smash’s damage percentage and knock-off-the-stage scoring, doesn’t fit well. The arcade mode drags on, and even the online mode grows stale quickly. PlayStation All-Stars looks unappealing and lacks the polish needed for a compelling experience.
5. Dragon’s Crown
There are so many Vita games with horrifyingly busy cover arts. Most of them are Japanese-only games, hence, they cannot be part of this list as we try to have US/EU releases for most of our list. Hence, Dragon’s Crown takes, well, the crown for one of the worst cover art on the platform.
Still, this game is one of the best games on the platform. Hell, Dragon’s Crown is one of the best games released in that span of time. Unfortunately, the game was not ported out of Sony hardware. There seems to be no modern remaster or release of this game.
Dragon’s Crown is a fantastic action RPG with enough content to keep players engaged for hours. Its blend of old-school and modern RPG mechanics, combined with beautiful visuals and a satisfying loot grind, makes it a must-play for fans of the genre.
4. Dungeon Hunter
The three men in the cover art look the same? The difference among them is the facial hair and the facial expression, being the one on the left has a crumpled forehead. This somehow evokes a rip-off mobile game whose trailer is different from the actual game, of which is somehow true.
Dungeon Hunter Alliance is encumbered by awkward controls and other gameplay issues. While it may initially seem appealing, the experience quickly deteriorates, leading to the game being unplayable. This type of game is better suited for touch screen devices where controls are more intuitive. The gameplay is particularly disappointing, with weak combat mechanics, ineffective item stats, and boring game modes.
The graphics in Dungeon Hunter Alliance are mediocre at best, with character textures needing refinement and washed-out landscape colors. The story fails to engage players, plagued by poor camera angles in cut-scenes and the absence of voice acting. The music is uninspired, seemingly borrowed from other RPGs, and does not match the quality of soundtracks found in more renowned RPG series. Nobody is expecting Nobou Uematsu.
3. Lost Dimension
“Put all the characters on the cover and be done with it.”
These might be the words spoken in planning the cover of this otherwise great game. Lost Dimension may appear as a simplistic turn-based tactics game with an equally straightforward relationship system. However, this impression quickly changes as the game reveals its true potential. Set in a world threatened by weapons of mass destruction, the narrative follows the S.E.A.L.E.D. team as they climb a tower to stop the chaos, all while dealing with an internal traitor. The story unfolds through a series of missions, culminating in the dramatic judgment room where players must identify and eliminate the traitor based on their intuition and relationships.
Each character in Lost Dimension possesses unique supernatural abilities known as gifts, ranging from offensive attacks to healing powers. The protagonist, Sho, can see glimpses of the future, aiding in the identification of the traitor. Suspicious thoughts during battles help Sho gather clues, but the uncertainty of the judgement room means that players might eliminate the wrong team members, impacting the end game.
2. Putty Squad
This game is as horrible as its cover art. Putty Squad has a bad cover, but not as bad as its gameplay. Simply put, this game should be ignored.
The game is a reimagining of an old SNES title from 1994. Unlike speed-oriented platformers like Mario and Sonic, Putty Squad focuses more on navigation, which feels less about speed and more about moving around the levels in a more methodical manner.
Despite its retro charm, Putty Squad’s design leaves much to be desired. While the visuals are bright and colorful, enemies often get lost amidst the backgrounds, making it frustrating to navigate. The game tends to throw many enemies at you at once, causing unexpected damage from unseen foes.
1. Smart As…
It is very challenging not to use puns in both Putty Squad and Smart As… in successive order. Anyway, the horrendous cover in Smart As is second to none. It looks like the art that your grade school teacher made on Microsoft Publisher on Windows XP.
Smart As…, which seemed like a derivative entry in a genre, brain-training games which was perfected by Brain Age, that lost relevance years ago. And it is. The daily training in Smart As… quickly becomes monotonous, with repetitive minigames that alternate every other day. This mode features four categories: language, logic, math, and observation, but lacks difficulty adjustment, reducing the incentive to continue.
The simplistic nature of the minigames, combined with technical issues like poor writing detection and problematic motion controls. These flaws make the game feel unpolished and frustrating, detracting from any potential enjoyment and making daily assessments feel like a chore rather than a fun activity.