Ar Tonelico III was rated teen in Japan. The ESRB isnât being as kind, slapping on a mature rating on the PlayStation 3 RPG for, among other things, a male character reaching inside a female characterâs body while she moans.
https://lastchance.cc/nsfw-can-you-believe-this-game-is-rated-15-and-over-5463076/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
The lead character, which has been a male in all three entries in the series, must attune himself to certain female characters by inserting crystals into their bodies. This is traditionally accompanied by embarrassed noises, moans, and suggestive dialog. Hereâs an example, from the first game:
Thing is, Ar Tonelico and Ar Tonelico 2 for the PlayStation 2 were both rated T for teen. How did Ar Tonelico III, listed as Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel on the ESRB website, wind up with a mature rating? Letâs take a look at the Entertainment Software Review Boardâs rating description.
Some power moves cause female charactersâ clothes to vanish in layers; the characters are often depicted holding (covering) their breasts, wearing only underwear, or standing behind strips of light that obscure their genitals.
That doesnât sound so bad! Surely itâs nothing more racy than what weâve seen in a Sailor Moon cartoon.
The rating continues:
In one cutscene, male characters encourage a woman to strip (e.g., âUh . . . do I have to take off even more clothesâŠ?â and âQuit teasing us and do it already!â); another sequence depicts a male character âremovingâ a magical crystal from a female character-this scene is accompanied by suggestive moans and comments (e.g., âAotoâs putting his hand inside Somaâ and âFumble around every inch inside of her . . . you will find what youâre looking for . . . !â).
*fans himself*
Well okay then, it looks like this particular ESRB ratings employee did their homework, in detail. Does this bode well for the North American release of Ar Tonelico III?
Check out the full rating description over at the ESRB website. Thanks to Nicholas for pointing it out!
