Astaroth: The Angel of Death

"Censored" cover illustration

Astaroths box originally was showing the "Angel of Death". Sandra Cousin, responsible for the packaging design, asked Steve Weston (who also did the illustrations for Eliminator, Exolon and Nebulus) to create the illustration. After creating some sketches, he finished the picture while on holiday in Spain. The Angel of Death picture showed the angel as naked woman with wings, influenced by H.R. Giger's artwork. Before release of the game, it was shown to major retailers, and Hewson were told that the game would not be stocked with the present picture on the package. As a result, the package got a very neutral black cover with only the name of the game. And inside the box, a poster of the Angel of Death illustration was included.

Graphics

The main sprite is based on a drawing of Sisters of Mercy frontman Andrew Eldritch.

Inspiration

In the manual of the game, designer Marc Dawson reveals that he got the idea for the game after reading Carrie by Stephen King.