Poll: Styles for Kingdom Come Deliverance cover art

[TobiTobsen]

Greetings Community,

Once again, we want to wish you a happy, healthy and successful new year of 2017. This year will be very exciting for us, because we will all play Kingdom Come: Deliverance soon! Yaaay!

We were also busy throughout the winter holiday to present you with a little eye candy…

What you can see below are NOT ACTUAL GAME COVERS.

Click on the picture to make them bigger!

These are just artworks which will give us a hint which way to go when creating the box art for Kingdom Come: Deliverance. To get a clearer image of the way we should go, we would like to share these and ask for your preferred art styles (feedback). It would be ideal if you could even make a comment to explain your choice, your impressions and your feelings. Try to imagine yourself in a game store or an online store. Would you grab the box/check the game if you had zero information about the game? We are not discussing what would look cool on a poster!

You can choose only 1 preferred cover art in this poll, but the comments section is something where we want your feedback.

• 1 – Henry in armor
• 2 – Henry, Cuman, Woman (plays a role in the game)
• 3 – Artistic/periodic arrangement
• 4 - Henry’s face & soldiers marching
• 5 – Kneeing Henry with precious sword
• 6 – Henry’s head with helmet in profile

[DrFusselpulli]

Examples:
“I like X because it expresses the history very good."
“I dislike X because it looks like every other game, I wouldn’t even see it on the shelf.”
“I like X but I would add the colors or this things from cover Y.”
“I like X but I would remove that ornaments.”
Never judge a book from its cover. In videogames however it says a lot. Let us know what you think!

[Tsunamik]

Number 6 just absolutely rocks… It is SO simple, clean, yet saying so much in one picture. It doesn´t try too hard to show everything game has to offer, it doesn´t look like every modern movie poster ever (like No4), and there is something definitely badass in it, and at the same time a lot of hidden emotions.

Only problem is, that it is probably least representative of what the game is about (But, you can read about it on back of cover, so it does its job of catching your eye).
No1. would be my second pick, it does lot of things about equally well, but there are no emotions like in No6

[cr4zydave]

My two cents about this:

As the covers are, I like number 1. one the most. It shows Henry very good and I just really like seeing historically accurate armor without too much else in the foreground.

I do not really like 6., because we can only see so little of Henry.
But I love the background style of number 5.

The best cover for me would be if you had Henry in armor from the first picture with the background of number 5.
That cover would show the ongoing war in Bohemia and Henry, who on cover 1. in my opinion looks determined to fight in said war and play his part.

[Blacksmith]

All covers are to fixed for fighting and knights. Only exception is No. 5.
They would be a good cover for Bannerlord.

Why not make a cover with 3 different Henrys. One should be the knight, second the thief/assassin and the third the noble/diplomat. To show the choice you have, to play.

+1. and +6. They are looking good, cool and simple, but with the white background they are some kind of unfinished.

+3. Very good, but with the golden color and the ornaments,… I would expect a fantasy game.

+5. Extraordinary, an eye-catcher, but nothing what I would buy…

+2. The upper part is the best, but the lower dosn´t fit. Maybe you change it with the lower part of cover No. 4.

+4. Give Henry a helmet and you have a ready cover!

+2. and +4. The are the only with a crown or kcd emblem. This is a must for the cover!!!

[jackalj]

I had a hard time choosing between 1 and 4.

A combination of Henry in armor and soldiers marching and flags waving in the background would be a good combo.

[petic537]

Poster no. 5 looks best by my opinion. This poster has “some story behind” it.

Other posters are not bad but I think that there are many games with same style of posters.

[Grubocap]

1&6 - simple&cool, but 1st is better. 5 recalls the first/old Henry. 1&5 the best. In tne 5 orange background looks not really cool, may be battlefield wiil looks much better.

And yes. 1 looks like an Assassin’s Creed cover a little bit and something else :о)

Sorry I don’t know how to use “spoiler”.

[Urquhart]

• 5. personally like it most…the cover raises questions … why does the hero mourn?
• 2. and 4. looks OK but not more…could be a strategy game,…hmmmm
• 3. Looks like there is magic in the game…So No
• 1.and 6. worst for me. Looks like a cheap movie banner…

[Freix]

1. My immediate reaction was “Assassin’s Creed”, which is not neccesary a bad reaction I guess. People looking for Assassin’s Creed might buy it by accident, and that’s a huge customer base. No, seriously, IMO this one would work the best out of all the artworks on a shelf due to it’s simple, clean and contrasting execution, although I’m not a fan of it because of it’s unoriginality.

2. It’s a mess. Hodgepodge of dull colors and motives that will be totaly lost on a shelf among all other games with distinctive motives. It also looks like a cheap movie poster of some B-grade TV film.

3. This one is also dull, it won’t catch anyones attention. And I believe it represents the game badly, I don’t get an impression that it is supposed to be a realistic medieval game at all. I don’t know what to think of the ornament in the background, somehow the woman reminds me of medusa and the cuman helmet doesn’t help either. It makes me think it will be some stylized fantasy game.

4. Another mess, although not as bad as n.2. Due to it’s composition, I would guess it is a strategy game focused on controling armies rather than an RPG game with one main hero. In a shop I would pass by it without a thought.

5. I voted for this one, although I’m not really satisfied with it either. I love the old original artwork of kneeling Henry, it’s really emotional and I think it would be a great and powerful main motive of the game cover, only in a different execution than this one, something cleaner and simple, like the artwork n.1. This execution isn’t bad either, it’s original and eye-catching, so I think it would work well. However, to me it feels inconsistent and unrepresentative of the game. The cartoon “childish” style of the background is imo confusing for a realistic game and it also doesn’t fit well with the rough realistic Henry’s drawing in the center. I would use the kneeling Henry as a center motive on a more fitting background in a minimalistic setting.

6. Not bad, but not good either. Somehow uninteresting and emotionless, but doesn’t offend.

Btw. did Henry get another facelift?

[GingerFOX]

If I was passing through a place with all of those covers around I would be subconsciously attracted to #5 (It may be those colors, but probably I just have similar visual already associated with your game because I saw it before)
On the second look though, I may would find other covers more interesting.
Except #3 which smells by fantasy too much, but it could look cool if you replace fantasy with some cool religion art.
Number 1 the Bad-ass guy is ok, but there are too many covers with bad asses. It would still work for me, but spice it up with some nice detail on armor or something…
I was looking at #2 for quite long. It has something I like, but something is off at the same time I cannot put my finger on it. I like more characters there - it suggests a good story.
Contrarily, the Concept #4 looks complete. It nails it quite well…There is war and our Hero protagonist who looks dirty, yet charismatic normal person.
Like Tsunamik said, Number 6 does not say much about the game, but might turn out unique enough for some people to check the back cover too.
Honestly I dont give a damn about covers. Make some medieval boobs if it helps the sales…

EDIT: I came back to my original favorite and voted #5, mostly because it looks the most ready. Give #4 some more love and I will possibly change my mind

[Wicker]

I’m not really into any of them. I prefer this one:

Number 2 seems to be it’s successor, but I think this version is far better.

[Earl_Thorn]

OK, so this was a tough one really in terms of voting…

I voted for number 1 in the end purely because I prefer the artistic direction of this type of image. Stylistically I think it fits with the game and the genre the best. The same can be said for image 6 (which again for me presents and portrays the same thematic and emotional expression)

2: Feels too contrasting. Too warm on the top, and too dark and cold beneath. I don’t think it ties in very well. But I’ve always liked that painting of Henry on horseback

3: As many have said, this provides a feeling of a game where magic and fantasy elements are to be expected. It doesn’t accurately fit the notion or vision of what KCD is about. Too misleading for me.

4: Looks a bit like Toby …Seriously though, this one too misses the mark from a theme and genre perspective also. It screams “Hey I’m the hero, the savior that will lead armies”. It’s got cliche written all over it.

5: I really like the periodic detailing in the background of this image. It stylistically is the same as what we can expect to see in-game, from the various wall paintings and murals (which is great). But I think the shadowy figures depart and detract from that style too much. Coupled with the really washed out purpley grey tones of kneeling Henry. I think these elements ruin the composition in my opinion.

I also don’t feel as though kneeling Henry portrays the protagonist in the right or best possible light. Yes, it’s Henry at his weakest coming to terms with the loss of his family and his village… and the tragedy is the catalyst for the story. But I just don’t think you’d want to use this portrayal of Henry as the primary game cover image.

A combination of images 1 and 5, with softer contrasts (less overly warming gold and orange tones perhaps) would be perfect.

6: I mentioned it above, and I think this is again stylistically on the right track in terms of the general feel, art style, colour and tone. But it’s too tight in on Henry as it stands. The profile is very emotive, but I think if it was presented in a less zoomed in fashion, panned out a bit, with some other elements introduced; you’d have a nicer composition.

The KCD logo is a must though for sure.

All in all, great job. Always impressed by the artwork, can’t wait for the Art Book.

[bax_cz]

Agreed, it really looks the best.
@warhorse what’s so bad with this? PCBoxFrontCover.jpg

[Tsunamik]

Well… If this one would be in the poll, we have a winner imo. It’s just absolutely the best image there ever was (it’s also my wallpaper on pc aswell as phone). It’s eye catchiness is absolutely unparalleled.

It simply has everything. Color palette is on spot, it suggests war torn land, scorched battlefields, misery, and at the same time there is our hero… Clearly struggling in his situation, but standing firmly against all odds. it also shows just one character, which clearly evokes that this is single player game, focused on this one person, and just from the image alone I want to know his story. Also… Warhorse…

[kbd]

That’s the best version, I agree… although I’d decrease the size of the KCD badge, move the background up a bit and leave the name of the game where and as it is.

[Wenceslaus]

I voted 6. I like simple clean things and you can definitely say it is about a man in a war times.

I’m not fan of the faces blending with some scenery as it became a bit a film poster cliche to me.
But the 2nd without the upper half (i.e. what Wicker or Bax_cz suggested) would be also great.

[JarlKarl]

In my opinion number 4. is generally the best one, but there is one thing i would change. Give Henry a Helmet like a Sallet in picture 6. Or a Helmet like in picture 2. and 3. (Without changing the face and the head direction). Number 6. would have been my second choice, but it looks too empty in the backround for me.

But my real favourite is the one Wicker showed above! Why not using this one? it’s eye cathing and represents the game perfectly how Henry is sitting impending on his horse and waits for revenge.

[Pavel1]

Volil bych číslo 2 a 4.

2 nevypadá vůbec špatně, dobře na mě působí i ta žlutá barva v pozadí, myslím si že taková nějaká pestrá barva na kupujícího upoutá jeho zrak, ať je jakákoliv

4 mi přijde o něco lepší s tím rozdílem, že práve do toho bíleho pozadí bych ještě rozhodně něco přidal