Pre-Release The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Has Been Rated by the ESRB

[Hero of Hyrule]

Huh, I thought Zelda had been rated T since Twilight Princess. I guess because here in Australia that's been the case (every main 3D game since Twilight Princess has been M, our equivalent of T).

I assumed Twilight Princess being a darker Zelda game is what earned it the higher rating, and given the first trailer and Aonuma's comments, I was expecting this to be darker than BotW, but perhaps it's not as dark as I thought given the E10 rating?

The art style really impacts these ratings. The Wind Waker's climax where Link literally stabs Ganon through the head is more violent than anything in Twilight Princess; The Wind Waker is E and Twilight Princess is T.

Plus ESRB ratings also don't necessarily reflect thematic darkness. Majora's Mask is arguably the darkest Zelda game, and is always rated E (or E10+ as of MM3D).

All of which is to say - don't worry about the rating too much.

 

[merp]

The art style really impacts these ratings. The Wind Waker's climax where Link literally stabs Ganon through the head is more violent than anything in Twilight Princess; The Wind Waker is E and Twilight Princess is T.

Plus ESRB ratings also don't necessarily reflect thematic darkness. Majora's Mask is arguably the darkest Zelda game, and is always rated E (or E10+ as of MM3D).

All of which is to say - don't worry about the rating too much.

Tl;dr:

Wind Waker was actually the darkest Zelda game and you all didn't notice because you were all busy gushing over Twilight Princess's "adult visuals" and "dark themes."

(...Please don't kill me.)

 

[404LinkNotFound]

God, why won't Nintendo grow up and make Zelda an M-rated franchise?


Anyone else remember that talking point from the late 2000's?

It was that
It was "Zelda should be like Souls"
"Zelda should be Skyrim"
Luckily BOTW came out and was popular enough to shut that up for a little while (i know the moment a zelda game underperforms itll return)

 

[Hero of Hyrule]

Tl;dr:

Wind Waker was actually the darkest Zelda game and you all didn't notice because you were all busy gushing over Twilight Princess's "adult visuals" and "dark themes."

(...Please don't kill me.)

HesRightYouKnow.jpeg

 

[Jersh]

The art style really impacts these ratings. The Wind Waker's climax where Link literally stabs Ganon through the head is more violent than anything in Twilight Princess; The Wind Waker is E and Twilight Princess is T.

Plus ESRB ratings also don't necessarily reflect thematic darkness. Majora's Mask is arguably the darkest Zelda game, and is always rated E (or E10+ as of MM3D).

All of which is to say - don't worry about the rating too much.

Is that really so much more violent than getting stabbed through the heart in the climax of Twilight Princess? It's practically the same thing in my mind.

But yes, the art matters; the ESRB legitimately has different descriptors for "unrealistic" depictions of blood compared to realistic ones. However, as of the HD versions, they both qualify as having "animated blood" (the unrealistic kind) and it's actually not clear what qualifies them for different ratings as a result, even when delving into the ESRB's definitions.

(It's probably the art direction, they just don't wanna say it.)

Tl;dr:

Wind Waker was actually the darkest Zelda game and you all didn't notice because you were all busy gushing over Twilight Princess's "adult visuals" and "dark themes."

(...Please don't kill me.)

If we're talking about the "darkest Zelda", this is by far my favorite piece of media on the subject and very well worth half an hour:

 

[kimbo99]

This tells me that Nintendo heard Sony's feedback about them being a "product for kids" and decided to run away with it. The alcohol reference from the Gerudo bar is now replaced by mocktails.

 

[merp]

Is that really so much more violent than getting stabbed through the heart in the climax of Twilight Princess? It's practically the same thing in my mind.

But yes, the art matters; the ESRB legitimately has different descriptors for "unrealistic" depictions of blood compared to realistic ones. However, as of the HD versions, they both qualify as having "animated blood" (the unrealistic kind) and it's actually not clear what qualifies them for different ratings as a result, even when delving into the ESRB's definitions.

(It's probably the art direction, they just don't wanna say it.)


If we're talking about the "darkest Zelda", this is by far my favorite piece of media on the subject and very well worth half an hour:

Yes, it's a very good video (I, err, already watched it a long time ago, but I do like when people bring it up every now and then).

It's actually one of the best "Zeldatube" video essays I've ever seen... which honestly isn't saying much.

(In fact, most video essays on YouTube are essentially well-produced, highly-praised, and ultimately subpar, in my honest view.)

 

[C_Ali]

We are ready…

 

[Jersh]

Yes, it's a very good video (I, err, already watched it a long time ago, but I do like when people bring it up every now and then).

It's actually one of the best "Zeldatube" video essays I've ever seen... which honestly isn't saying much.

(In fact, most video essays on YouTube are essentially well-produced, highly-praised, and ultimately subpar, in my honest view.)

Yeah, and just to be clear I wasn't criticizing calling TWW the darkest Zelda. I just love bringing up this video when I get the chance.

 

[WestEgg]

The art style really impacts these ratings. The Wind Waker's climax where Link literally stabs Ganon through the head is more violent than anything in Twilight Princess; The Wind Waker is E and Twilight Princess is T.

Plus ESRB ratings also don't necessarily reflect thematic darkness. Majora's Mask is arguably the darkest Zelda game, and is always rated E (or E10+ as of MM3D).

All of which is to say - don't worry about the rating too much.

I’ve always thought the original ending of Ocarina of Time, where Link impales Ganon through the mouth, felt a lot more raw and viscerally violent than Wind Waker’s climax. I dislike that the 3DS version changes this slightly to more closely match Wind Waker.

 

[merp]

We are ready…

Today, we are all... Reggie.

 

[Joe]

God, why won't Nintendo grow up and make Zelda an M-rated franchise?


Anyone else remember that talking point from the late 2000's?

I remember back in 2004, people rejoiced at the announcement of Twilight Princess, because Zelda will finally be "mature" and "adult" unlike the "kiddy" Wind Waker.

Twilight Princess:

 

[carlosfilho]

I remember back in 2004, people rejoiced at the announcement of Twilight Princess, because Zelda will finally be "mature" and "adult" unlike the "kiddy" Wind Waker.

Twilight Princess:

I can hear that gif

 

[Awesomegames23]

Malo was the first boss baby.