Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered's October release has reignited the debate surrounding Japan's CERO age rating system. The game's creators are openly expressing their disappointment over the censorship imposed on the Japanese console version.
Suda51 and Shinji Mikami Criticize Censorship of Shadows of the Damned
CERO Faces Backlash Again
Suda51 and Shinji Mikami, the creative minds behind Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered, have voiced their strong disapproval of Japan's CERO rating board. In a recent GameSpark interview, they criticized the censorship applied to the remastered game's Japanese console release.
Suda51, renowned for titles like Killer7 and No More Heroes, confirmed the necessity of creating two separate versions – a censored one for Japan. He highlighted the significant increase in workload and development time this caused.
Shinji Mikami, celebrated for his work on mature titles such as Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and God Hand, expressed concern that CERO is disconnected from modern gamers. He questioned the rationale behind censoring games, arguing that it prevents players from experiencing the full creative vision, especially those who actively seek out mature content.
CERO's rating system, including the CERO D (17+) and CERO Z (18+) classifications, has been a point of contention. Mikami's original Resident Evil, a pioneer in the horror genre, featured graphic violence, a characteristic retained in the 2015 remake, which received a CERO Z rating.
Suda51 questioned the effectiveness and target audience of these restrictions, emphasizing his uncertainty about the impact on players. He believes the restrictions don't reflect the preferences of the gaming community.
This isn't the first time CERO's rating practices have been challenged. In April, EA Japan's Shaun Noguchi raised similar concerns, highlighting the inconsistency in CERO's approval of Stellar Blade (CERO D) while rejecting Dead Space.
