Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice by FromSoftware has been rated Mature by the ESRB for its gruesome gameplay and brutal cutscenes. 

ESRB ratings can occasionally be very notable, sometimes leaking entire games, ports, or physical releases before their official announcements.  Additionally, the descriptions provided can sometimes hint at the kind of content players can expect from certain titles.  FromSoftware and Activision’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was recently rated by the ESRB, and while its rating is a fairly obvious one, the rating summary does give us a better idea of what some of the game’s more intense elements will be. 

If you somehow couldn’t guess it, yes, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice did receive a Mature Rating from the ESRB.  Ever since Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’s reveal trailer from The Game Awards 2017 one could tell that FromSoftware’s track record of creating titles with fairly gruesome characters or themes would continue with this game. 

The only two content descriptors Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice received were Blood and Gore and Violence.  There is no mention of any in-app purchases, confirming the developer’s previous statements claiming that the game wouldn’t feature any microtransactions.  Outside of that, the full summary highlights the game’s premise before pointing out how bloody Sekiro’s combat is. 

It also briefly touches on some violent, and previously non-disclosed, cutscenes that feature people getting brutally stabbed, including a child.  You can check out the full rating summary below:

This is an action-adventure game in which players assume the role of a disgraced shinobi on a quest to rescue his kidnapped lord in ancient Japan.  Players use swords and a prosthetic arm to battle members of an enemy clan and supernatural demons in frenetic combat.  Large blood-splatter effects occur as enemies are killed; some attacks result in decapitation and/or dismemberment.  Cutscenes depict additional acts of violence: a man impaled through the chest with a sword; a child stabbed with a sword off screen. 

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is currently poised to launch for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on March 22, with this ESRB rating basically making that date a surefire thing.  Those of you who want to pre-order the game can currently do so on Amazon. 

If Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice doesn’t interest you, FromSoftware does have two other unannounced projects in the pipeline for you to look forward to.  Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that either of these titles is Bloodborne 2 as President Hidetaka Miyazaki recently had to apologize for the rampant speculation caused by the Bloodborne easter eggs present in Déraciné. 

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