The Japanese version of The Evil Within 2 has various censorship-related changes due
to the restrictions imposed by the Japanese rating system.
Yes, despite being a Japanese game, the developers Tango Gameworks had to tone the game down
in its home country.
This was also the case with the first game released in 2014 - however, unlike the first
game, this time there is no "gore mode" dlc to bring back some of the original content.
You see, the first game was released with only D rating in Japan, meaning 17 years and
up, but a DLC was made which increased the game's violence but also bumped the game's
rating up to a Z rating, meaning 18 years and up as well as placing a few restrictions
on how it's able to be sold.
However, even with this DLC, the game was still censored in places, as the Japanese
rating system will not allow certain content even with the max rating.
This time around, The Evil Within 2 was released with the max Z rating from the get go, with
no special DLC.
This means that not as much content had to be altered but there are still quite a few
differences from the Western version.
The first of these affects any instances of open wounds on human characters that reveal
internal organs or other graphic details.
Whilst simply blood is fine, as soon as you can start to see things like bits of brain
matter, the Japanese rating system will step their foot down.
Due to this, scenes like this were altered in Japan by retexturing the surfaces and blackening
areas of the exposed wounds.
Here's another example of a human corpse with a graphic wound - this time to the stomach.
Due to being able to see his intestines, the Japanese version completely darkened the area
like so.
For much of the game though, particularly during story cutscenes, the violence doesn't
exceed that which the Japanese rating system permits.
Also, whilst moments like this may seem especially gory, it was allowed to be shown in Japan
uncensored, most likely due to the fact that you can only see red flesh and not things
like internal organs.
There was more censorship to violence though and this affects the death animations that
will play out when you get killed by the various enemies and bosses.
Different animations will play depending on what killed you and how and, in the Western
version, things can get pretty gruesome at times.
Early on in the game, for example, you are chased down a corridor by a huge monster wielding
a circular saw.
At one point a QTE will play out and, whilst most players won't fail this short bout of
button mashing, if you were to fail, the monster will slice your torso completely in half and
then leave you dangling in the air.
In the Japanese version, the animation stays the same but the camera is positioned higher
up, hiding all of the violence.
Here it is again but side by side.
There are a few more death animations that were censored and one of these is from the
same enemy but dying in a different way.
If you get killed prior to the QTE segment, the monster will instead slice your leg of
like so, leaving it visually dismembered and then proceed to cut your body in half, which
allows you to then see the sliced body parts scattered across the screen.
Over in Japan, not only does the leg stay firmly attached to his body, but the camera
angle is then changed during the 2nd part of the attack to hide the torso being cut
in half.
However, it's not just violence that Japan's censors have an issue with.
Despite common misconceptions, sex is treated very strictly in Japanese video games.
Whilst suggestive, non-explicit stuff is fine, the Japanese rating system does not allow
graphic sex and nudity.
This is the reason why most Japanese games are always only ever suggestive in nature
and don't actually show things like nipples, because if they did, they would need to be
censored in Japan.
Within The Evil Within 2 is reoccurring enemy, with a very deformed female-like figure.
One of the creatures' moves is an attack where they grab you and spray acid in your face
and this allows you to get a good view of its chest, which, as you can see, has feminine
beasts and nipples.
Due to this, the creatures had to be changed in the Japanese version, so that its nipples
are completely removed, as shown here.
It's important to point out, though, that these rules only apply to titles rated by
Japan's CERO rating system and CERO is only responsible for console games and not PC releases.
So, whilst the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game are censored in Japan, it is possible
to pick up the Japanese PC version and still play the game uncensored.
Censored Gaming has covered games censored in Japan many times now and, unless the strict
rules of Japan's rating system change, will likely to continue doing so.
If you are interested in seeing more comparisons like this then please make sure to hit that
subscribe button and, until next time, thank you for watching.