Ever since theESRBwas established in the early 90s, the organization has tried to put labels to satisfy age-appropriate labels for countless video games. However, the ESRB no doubt made numerous oversights over the course of labeling age ratings.
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Keep in mind that accidents happen and things occasionally slip through the cracks. Thankfully, despite a few creepy or suggestive moments, most of these games ended up being kid-friendly. Therefore, this serves to showcase a few times which suggestive or violent themes flew under the radar or were slapped with an unneeded maturity label.
10Too High: Star Fox Adventures
Star Fox Adventureswas the firstStar Foxgame to be rated T for Teen. Fox’s first adventure outside of his Arwing was designed by Rare. As such, Rare took liberties to Fox’s new adventure by introducing new characters, concepts, and bosses.
Despite being rated for “animated blood,“Star Fox Adventuresshows next to no gore. The only possible instance might be from the first boss,Galdon. In one phase of the battle, he swallows you and spits you out with green blood. This doesn’t count as violent enough to warrant a blood warning, though. However, Krystal, a major character in the game, wears a scantily-clad outfit. Yet, the ESRB did not mark any suggestive themes for the game. We can perhaps give you a good reason why Krystal ducked under a T-rating later in the article.
9Too Low: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The firstLegend of Zeldatitle in 3D featured a more realistic take on the series. Using anime-style, polygonal art,Ocarina of Timedisplayed detailed character models and facial expressions. It also included blood-curdling dungeons, such as the Shadow Temple. This dungeon not only features blood pools and lore regarding Hyrule’s “bloodied history,” but execution chambers, as well.
Moreover, when you fightGanondorf, beating him once, he will cough up blood. Slaying him in the final battle, you’ll slash his face apart as blood sprays out. This scene was enough for Nintendo tochange his blood color to green, despite the characer being a human, in later released versions of the game.
8Too High: Super Smash Bros. Melee
Nintendo’s crossover fighting game was the first Nintendo title to ever receive a T-rating. All the comic violence was plenty kid-friendly. Yet, perhaps for a 2001 standard, the concentration on fighting alone was enough for the ESRB to label a T-rating to protect young minds.
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If you played laterSmash Bros.titles, but notMelee, here’s a bit ofPrincess Peach triviafor you. Players could look up Peach’s dress, revealing a pair of bare legs and pink bloomers. In later games, series creator Masahiro Sakurairemodeled the characters to avoid this. He even omittedMai Shiranui, aFatal Furymascot, from being in Smash’s background when Terry Bogard enteredSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. Yet, despite being rated E-10, Krystal, fromStar Fox,appears in all of her glory.
7Too Low: Kirby’s Dream Land 3
The child-friendly, coloring book-styled platformer featured Kirby in his last SNES adventure before moving onto the N64. With all the charm in the world and an easy difficulty to match, no one would believe this game was remotely mature.
This changes when you collect all of the hidden stars and confront the final boss, Zero. Unlocking this fight, you fight a gigantic eyeball. Defeating his first phase tears off the entire eyeball, creating a bloody mess in the process.Dream Land 3also set the precedent of introducing dark turns to the final boss either through theviolence, thescreams, or even thelore. This includes Nintendo’s latest game in the series,Kirby: Star Allies.
6Too High: Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Following in the footsteps of Capcom’sDevil May Cry, Konami wanted to bring a full 3D Action title to consoles. Featuring Leon Belmont, the vampire hunter would face numerous demonic entities and monsters while trying to rescue his wife, Sara, from the clutches of an evil vampire.
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Despite the gothic and dark atmosphere, this was par for the course for the T-ratedCastlevaniaseries. At most, you were creating blood splatters from fighting enemies. Yet, this was completely permissible in the past four T-ratedCastlevaniagames, which even featurednaked women as enemies.
5Too Low: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
WhereasOcarina of Timefeatured blood and dark dungeons,Majora’s Maskwas known for itsdarkstorytelling. In the land of Termina, you’ll encounter death everywhere you go.Majora’s Maskis not afraid to pull its punches.
Let alone the looming apocalypse hailing from the sky, you had to deal with other people’s crises. You endured the world’s sadness, the decaying and haunted lands of Ikana, the potential abduction of a girl, and depressed men who had lost everything. It did not need violence to convey such mature themes.
4Too High: Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies
The first and only M-rated title in theAce Attorneyseries,Dual Destiniesfeatures its fair share of bloody crime scenes. In Case 2, for instance, you may see a massive spill of blood coming from the victim at the beginning of the case. However, we’ve seen blood in enough T-rated games to believe it might not warrant an M-rated.
Dual Destinies' calling card, however, comes from Case 5. When the prosecutor explains a story, it ends in a moment of horror with nothing but silence. It features the descriptive tale of a girl eviscerating her mother with machinery. Given the rest ofDual Destinies' relatively tame moments in comparison to the rest of the series. However, the title still could otherwise pass with a T-rating.
3Too Low: EarthBound
Originally released as a Kids to Adults, or E-rated game, this JRPG featured cute, colorful graphics that told the story of a kid-friendly game. However, the more you dug intoEarthBound, the more you began to realize this was not as friendly as its impression first provided.
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Taking down cults, freeing people of possession, and fighting the creepy Giygas at the end showcased a game that was kid-friendly in looks alone. Granted, kids could still enjoy the game, but don’t expect it to be as friendly as your standard Mario game. Nintendo would eventually raise it to aT-ratingwhen they releasedEarthBoundon the Wii U eShop.
2Too High: Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
Ninja Gaiden 2, directed byTomonobu Itagaki, was renowned for its gory and beautiful violence. In addition to cutting down enemies with blades, you could execute them when you lowered their health enough. Blood-splattered walls and streets would signify your accomplishments.
When Team Ninja re-released it asNinja Gaiden Sigma 2, however, the combat lost most of the gore in the process. While it was still violent, all of the gore was replaced by a purple mist. At this point, you could barely give it a blood rating save for some minor splatters. By comparison, it should have been enough to turn an M-rated game into a T-rated title.
1Too Low: Tales of Berseria
If otherTalesgames are rated T, then what does that makeBerseria? Within the first hour of the game, you witness the protagonist’s little brother murdered in front of you. Your protagonist then spends three years in prison feeding off of monsters and becoming one herself.
Berseriais renowned for its narrative. You’ll consume your enemies, fight your family, and assemble a band of renegades just for the sake of revenge. Interestingly,Berseriawas also ratedPEGI 16in Europe.
NEXT:The ESRB & Game Responsibility: Are Publishers & Parents Doing Their Part?
