It’s no secret thatGod of Waron PlayStation 4 will be a departure from series norms. The game is looking to be more narrative-focused, it trades Greek mythology for Norse mythology, and it will be thelongest game in the series to date. Now thanks to its ESRB rating, we know yet another way the game will be different than past games in the series.
The ESRB has given 2018’sGod of Waran “M” for Mature rating for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, and Strong Language. Those that have been playing the franchise since the beginning may notice that the rating makes no mention of sex or nudity, which likely means that the newGod of Warwill not feature the traditional sex mini-game at the start of the adventure.
Some fans may be upset that this series tradition is going by the wayside, but the removal of the sex mini-game actually makes sense. After all, Kratos is not alone on this adventure, but rather,he is joined by his son Atreus. In all the footage we’ve seen of the newGod of War, Atreus is very young, and it’s hard to see how the traditional sex mini-game could be included without drumming up a great deal of easily avoidable controversy.
Furthermore, the sex mini-game was included mostly as a humorous easter egg in past games, as opposed to a meaningful part of the narrative. The newGod of War’s focus on narrative and character development means that shoehorning it in may ruin the tone the new game is shooting for, unless of course, it is handled in a much different, more mature manner.
Ultimately, the sex mini-games were such a small part of theGod of Warexperience that this shouldn’t be too controversial of a decision on the part of Sony Santa Monica Studio. The game still looks to be retaining the franchise’s other adult-oriented elements, like its over-the-top violence and gore, with the ESRB rating description promising plenty of decapitations and headless corpses lying around.
