About the game's rating...

[lukwik]

I know that A Hat in Time have PEGI 7 rating, but that was basically a pure luck. Now I looked at new Direct games Japanese promo and I was really disappointed. It was obvious that with its not-really-suitable content this game would end up like this, but COME ON! Besides all of that, AHiT is so childish that anybody in Gears for Breakfast should do something with (at least) the console version for the Japanese audience.

It may be strange what I'm talking about, but for many western games it's not easy to make a video game suitable for all ages for the Japanese market and this is (I think) because of at least two reasons:
One - age categories are based on various, but also much different content than stuff to notice in the PEGI system. For example CERO have a crime content descriptor. Let some racing game have for example a traffic violations to be descripted with it and get the B or higher immediately.
Two - between A (for all) and B (for 12 and up) there's no any rating (like A8 or something) to fill that wide age gap.
Many LEGO games (except Ninjago ones), some 3+/7+ Need for Speeds, Forza Horizons and My Time At Portia (also 7+) suffer from having some content unsuitable for CERO standards.

By the way, B-rated games also require an age verification to watch the promo video and screenshots on Japanese PS Store. That's a good example how many LEGO games and A Hat in Time are treated - like for adults.


And yes, I know that it's just a mandatory to have a video game rated by them, but the problem is in fact, that CERO is a bit too strict and the game developers don't do anything with A Hat in Time to make it to be re-rated lower.

[MrSnowKitten]

You can't water it down, unless:

* Dynamite and TNT barrels get removed
* the Vanessa's Manor gets entirely removed or replaced with something less dreadful
* Conductor's knives will also end up removed
* Murder investigation level gets removed
* Snatcher's way of "greeting" you will also get removed (along with the music)

I can't speak for developers, but from the player's point of view, it's really not worth butchering the game just to fit some bogus CERO rating.

[lukwik]

Originally posted by dsp:

You can't water it down, unless:
(...)
I can't speak for developers, but from the player's point of view, it's really not worth butchering the game just to fit some bogus CERO rating.

To be fair, I'm not advocating censorship, but I feel it would be terribly clashing when noticing AHiT with innocent-looking Hat Kid and a cute, childish gameplay and graphics between various fighting games, Square Enix RPG's, etc.; while its competition like Yooka-Laylee or Lucky Tale are more accurate to the platformer's genre target demographic.

Odyssey was possible to be toned in some way to be accurate to the series standards and get by the same way much bigger audience but nobody did that so it's not for (like Snatcher possibly would say) "kiddos" there.

Originally posted by dsp:

* Dynamite and TNT barrels get removed

Ehem... Worms (2007) and Worms 2: Armageddon had no problem with A rating. Not to mention that Minecraft exists.

Originally posted by dsp:

* the Vanessa's Manor gets entirely removed or replaced with something less dreadful

Well, for example the camera can be less dramatic, music can be different, yet still focusing on getting away from the sight. Why everything must end up with cutting out the level if it's still about keeping the gameplay, etc.?

Originally posted by dsp:

* Murder investigation level gets removed

If it looks too violent then knife can be removed, but I don't know what to do with FAKE blood unless changing the type of the murder... Ouch.

You've also forgot about:
* Mustache's "killing-machine" plan
* Dead Bird Studio tresspassing
* Mafia itself


Notice that Smash today have similar editing in its domestic market besides being in the west for teenagers and 10 year olds in USA.

Basically, before E10+ rating by ESRB - almost every Japanese video game which was A-rated ended up being T-rated in America for various reasons (sometimes it happens because of inaccurate or older audience targeted localization instead of translation) while western games ends up getting higher ratings just because something don't work with local standards, but how it ends up for most of these games is just ridiculously dissapointing.

[lukwik]

Yeah, so AHiT would get some new dlc and honestly I'm impressed at it, but I don't know if it would help at all with the topic, maybe it gonna make this worse. :/

[zetSuBou-Billy]

I don't know, I've always had the impression that this game wasn't made for children, witch can be enjoyed by adults
- but the opposite way

[lukwik]

I can agree about it. This is a fact I think. But as it looks and plays comparable to various platformers, then it can be like judging a book by its cover.

[Kevin]

Originally posted by zetSuBou-Billy:

I don't know, I've always had the impression that this game wasn't made for children, witch can be enjoyed by adults
- but the opposite way

This is the case, since the game was made as a love letter to old platformer games, which means if you have any idea what a platformer is then you're at least twenty. Unfortunately, that is also the reason the game does get the amount of attention it deserves in my opinion, since the golden days of the genre has long pasted as far as the general media is concerned.

[lukwik]

As I said earlier, I'm not advocating the censorship and I understand the nostalgia, but it was possible to be done in two ways, not in the third way.

First way: Developing a platformer accurate to the memorable classics as possible.

Second way: Developing a platformer with mechanics comparable to the various classics, but ignoring the rules of its content at all.

Third (chosen) way: Developing a platformer with mechanics comparable to the various classics, with some content, but some little limits.


Also because of how CERO rated this game, I feel like PEGI wasn't really into this game to control it entirely. As if the chalkboard and Vanessa wasn't enough, then how they didn't noticed s@d off and b&##er off?

[Omoikane]

Originally posted by lukwik:

... then how they didn't noticed s@d off and b&##er off?

Those are easter eggs. They take time and searching that a ratings board really doesn't want to output.
Also, those really aren't that bad in any real sense. It is the equivalent of saying crap, or go to hell. Which, in this day and age, is oretty much every day speak.

[Panic Fire]

Originally posted by lukwik:

I know that A Hat in Time have PEGI 7 rating, but that was basically a pure luck. Now I looked at new Direct games Japanese promo and I was really disappointed. It was obvious that with its not-really-suitable content this game would end up like this, but COME ON! Besides all of that, AHiT is so childish that anybody in Gears for Breakfast should do something with (at least) the console version for the Japanese audience.

It may be strange what I'm talking about, but for many western games it's not easy to make a video game suitable for all ages for the Japanese market and this is (I think) because of at least two reasons:
One - age categories are based on various, but also much different content than stuff to notice in the PEGI system. For example CERO have a crime content descriptor. Let some racing game have for example a traffic violations to be descripted with it and get the B or higher immediately.
Two - between A (for all) and B (for 12 and up) there's no any rating (like A8 or something) to fill that wide age gap.
Many LEGO games (except Ninjago ones), some 3+/7+ Need for Speeds, Forza Horizons and My Time At Portia (also 7+) suffer from having some content unsuitable for CERO standards.

By the way, B-rated games also require an age verification to watch the promo video and screenshots on Japanese PS Store. That's a good example how many LEGO games and A Hat in Time are treated - like for adults.


And yes, I know that it's just a mandatory to have a video game rated by them, but the problem is in fact, that CERO is a bit too strict and the game developers don't do anything with A Hat in Time to make it to be re-rated lower.

They don't need to?

[lukwik]

Originally posted by Omoikane:

Those are easter eggs. They take time and searching that a ratings board really doesn't want to output.
Also, those really aren't that bad in any real sense.

Lol, I'm not talking about cheese easter eggs.

For the 1st one there's for eg. Mustache's cave with a lot of it pointing at Mafia Boss face, while for the 2nd mentioned example, various mafia goons have it written on their aprons.
It's may be not a case for me, but looks like it actually can be like this in British English. First copies of Sonic Rush Adventure got 12+ rating just because of that.

Originally posted by Panic Fire:

They don't need to?

Yeah, but it may hurt their game's image. (IRONIC MODE; noticing the game cover) Just look at a little cute Hat Kid happily running to take her Time Piece while being chased by various funny looking vilians at colorful background! Plus funny music and simple platformer gameplay when played! owo

[Panic Fire]

Originally posted by lukwik:

Originally posted by Omoikane:

Those are easter eggs. They take time and searching that a ratings board really doesn't want to output.
Also, those really aren't that bad in any real sense.

Lol, I'm not talking about cheese easter eggs.

For the 1st one there's for eg. Mustache's cave with a lot of it pointing at Mafia Boss face, while for the 2nd mentioned example, various mafia goons have it written on their aprons.
It's may be not a case for me, but looks like it actually can be like this in British English. First copies of Sonic Rush Adventure got 12+ rating just because of that.

Originally posted by Panic Fire:

They don't need to?

Yeah, but it may hurt their game's image. (IRONIC MODE; noticing the game cover) Just look at a little cute Hat Kid happily running to take her Time Piece while being chased by various funny looking vilians at colorful background! Plus funny music and simple platformer gameplay when played! owo

Except the game is surprisingly dark despite the cuteness. The first villian you litterally chop up into a jar of goo. Just because the game looks cute doesn't mean its for kids. Conkers bad fur day says hi.

Now go back to dodging the hanging ropes in the forest.

[Nezzy]

Nooses LMAO
Basicly, too many changes would have to be made

[Magic Spazm]

I say make the game rating Adults Only.

[Unseen]

Originally posted by dsp:

You can't water it down, unless:

* Dynamite and TNT barrels get removed
* the Vanessa's Manor gets entirely removed or replaced with something less dreadful
* Conductor's knives will also end up removed
* Murder investigation level gets removed
* Snatcher's way of "greeting" you will also get removed (along with the music)

I can't speak for developers, but from the player's point of view, it's really not worth butchering the game just to fit some bogus CERO rating.

Wait why should paper mario get away with a murder investigation then?

Granted the penguin really wasn't dead but we didn't know that at first.

[Kevin]

Originally posted by MoMoRIP:

Originally posted by dsp:

You can't water it down, unless:

* Dynamite and TNT barrels get removed
* the Vanessa's Manor gets entirely removed or replaced with something less dreadful
* Conductor's knives will also end up removed
* Murder investigation level gets removed
* Snatcher's way of "greeting" you will also get removed (along with the music)

I can't speak for developers, but from the player's point of view, it's really not worth butchering the game just to fit some bogus CERO rating.

Wait why should paper mario get away with a murder investigation then?

Granted the penguin really wasn't dead but we didn't know that at first.

The person here isn't really dead either.