Dark Souls II Rated Teen By ESRB

Judging by the ESRB’s official rating for Dark Souls II, you’d have to wonder just exactly how the game qualifies as a Teen rated game. According to their classification system, Dark Souls II will feature “Blood and Gore,” “Mild Language,” “Partial Nudity” and “Violence.” When you consider that the original Dark Souls doesn’t feature “Mild Language” in their synopsis classification, signaling that Dark Souls II won’t necessarily be toned down despite a lower rating. We knew the game would be rated Teen before today, but now we know the reasons why.

Just listen to how gruesome some of the descriptors for Dark Souls II. “Combat is highlighted by cries of pain and small splashes of blood. Some locations depict instances of blood and gore: a giant snake boss holding its severed head; a giant boss creature composed of hundreds of corpses; dead ogres near a pool of blood; a torture device with streaks of blood.”

What does this mean for consumers? It means that, depending on your location and Local/Municipal/State (or Provincial) laws, those under the age of 17 will not be required to have someone above that age purchase the game for them. While it hasn’t stopped thousands (if not millions) of Call of Duty kiddies from purchasing games in those series, it does mean that what was once a niche action RPG series will be easily accessible to a larger audience of gamers. (Thankfully, a lack of widespread voice support will keep the game’s mood the way it should be)

Dark Souls II will be released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 March 11th in North America. The PC version should follow shortly afterwards.

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