Image: Nintendo
Monolith Soft’s JRPG series Xenoblade Chronicles Known for showing a little skin every now and then, it looks like the third installment won’t be any different. According to the latest ESRB ratings, uncovered earlier this week, players need to be prepared for an adventure that includes themes of gore and violence, swearing and innuendo.
Note: Spoilers may lie ahead.
One section in the assortment in particular seems to have received some attention around certain parts of the Internet (yes, twitter) Is Exposed Armor – Character and creature designs with “deep cleavage” and “partially exposed breasts”. Likewise, there will be swearing and violence. Here is the full summary:
“This is a role-playing game where the player follows warriors through a conflict between two countries. From a third-person perspective, the player completes missions and engages in hand-to-hand combat with enemies (eg, animals, creatures, human boss characters). Cry and screams of agony are highlighted. Cutscenes depict more instances of violence: a character pierced by a sword; a character shoots himself off-screen; a man stabs himself off-screen. A few scenes depict blood ( e.g. dripping water droplets) from injured character; blood dripping on character’s face). Some fantasy characters/creatures are designed with exposed armor and/or anatomy (e.g. deep cleavage, partially exposed breasts). Words “sh*t,” “ar* ehole,” and “b*tch” appear in dialogue.”
While this kind of content in the first-party Nintendo version might surprise some, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this sort of rating for the Xenoblade version from the ESRB.The original game has “partial nudity”, below is Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Ratings, which also contain similar but different “suggestive themes” and language:
“The game contains some suggestive material: female characters/creatures wearing costumes that expose a lot of cleavage; camera pans and lingering shots on hips and/or breasts; dialogue saying, ‘You’re staring at… perverts! During gameplay, characters mention alcohol in dialogue (eg, “Wine! I want wine”, “Cheers love! Get me a beer.”), and customers can be seen drinking in the background; Depicted with a cigar in his mouth. The words ‘sh*t’ and ‘a*shole’ are heard in the game.”
Notably, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is rated “T for Teen” – making it the same rating as the first two entries on the Nintendo Switch. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 also received an “M Mature” rating in Australia. You can read more about it in our previous post.
In addition to this ESRB classification, the game’s release date has also been moved up this week, jumping from September 2022 to July 29.
Will you jump into a third game when it releases? DLeave a comment below.
