Games Censorship in Japan

The Callisto Protocol is a 2022 single player horror survival game by Striking Distance Studios

The game has now been banned in Japan after it was refused a CERO rating. The developers have decided not to pursue local edits to tryan achieve a rating. String Distance Studios said via its Japanese Twitter account that the localized version for Japan will be discontinued and that anyone who pre-ordered will get a refund, adding:

We have determined that the game cannot pass the CERO rating in its current state and that changing the content will not provide the experience that players expect.

The reason for refusing the rating have not been reported but it is assume that the refusal was down to the game's violence and gore

Japan's games censors of the Consumer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) are set to resume after having closed down last month to comply with Tokyo's lockdown. The board plans to resume business on May 7.

The censors did not work from home during the closed period, so it will be a relief to games producers and distributors as ratings are mandatory in Japan before a game can be sold.

No western release has been announced for Labyrinth Life on the PlayStation 4, or its Nintendo Switch counterpart, Omega Labyrinth Life. However, it has been confirmed that the Japanese releases will feature English-language options, making these titles even more accessible.

Note though that the Playstation version, Labyrinth Life is a censored family friendly version while Omega Labyrinth Life on the Switch is fully uncensored.

The game's main hook is known as Omega Power, which augments the characters' chest sizes, and not coincidentally, their stats. Expect these elements to be more edited on the PlayStation 4.

Both versions will release on August 1, 2019.