Being the last of the well-loved "Batman Arkham" trilogy, the forthcoming action-adventure video game is the first in the lineup to get an M rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board or the ESRB. Ultimately, this might be the darkest fans will ever see of the Caped Crusader.
While it was no secret that the title was to get the rating, the mystery dwelled on how and why the game got it. Now, at last, the ESRB has revealed the reasons that led them to believe that "Batman: Arkham Knight" does not fall under T for Teen rating.
"Some sequences allow players to use tank-like vehicles with machine gun turrets and rockets to shoot enemies; a vehicle's wheels are also used to torture an enemy in one sequence," ESRB wrote in its description about the game.
Furthermore, it reasoned that the cutscenes, which show characters getting shot (on and off camera) while they are restrained and defenseless, are not too teensy. Also, the Gotham City troublemakers are often seen wailing in pain, and the ESRB added that takedowns "highlighted by brief slow-motion effects and loud impact sounds" are not that bit of a Teen-rating material. The "large bloodstains/pools of blood" that appear in crime scenes are also not that appealing to the agency, not to mention what may be some bloodcurdling scenes following a plethora of sadistic dealings in "Batman: Arkham Knight." On that juncture, ESRB wrote as an example, "one room depicts a person torturing a character on a bloody operating table."
Moreover, "Batman Arkham Knight" is infused with explicit objects such as neon signs in a red-light district that read "live nude girls" and "XXX." ESRB also found the use of inappropriate words during the gameplay way over the Teen rating.
The rating came as a surprise to Rocksteady. The game studio's founder and "Arkham Knight" game director Sefton Hill said before that they "never wrote it or made it with a rating in mind."
It is unclear whether the scenes pointed out by ESRB will be removed or altered. But what's sure is that "Batman Arkham Knight" will be out on June 2.
