Japanese Resident Evil Requiem censorship criticized for killing immersion with blacked-out gore

Resident Evil Requiem launched last Friday, but Japanese players were quick to notice a glaring problem – the local version's gore censorship is far blunter than anything Capcom has done before in the series, and fans say it actively destroys immersion.

Capcom has historically taken a more creative approach to satisfy the strict requirements of Japan's CERO ratings board. In the Japanese release of Resident Evil 7, the decapitated head in the fridge was swapped out for a photo of the character, and in Resident Evil 4, certain brutal scenes were cut entirely rather than altered.

But in Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom went a different route: problematic body parts and internal organs are simply painted over in black – and the coverage is extensive enough to stand out in completely ordinary gameplay moments. One puzzle requires retrieving an artificial heart and lungs from a corpse, and in the Japanese version, the entire upper body and the organs themselves are hidden behind a solid black rectangle.

Players aren't holding back their frustration.

"It really bothers me that although blood during cutscenes is red, damage dealt to zombies (headshots or severed arms) is black."

Game director Koshi Nakanishi had said in a pre-release interview with Game Watch that the Japanese version was "quite comparable" to the global release – a claim that's now being met with considerable skepticism from fans.

The root of the issue lies in how CERO operates: any game seeking a physical release in Japan must pass through the board. Even the top rating of CERO Z (18+) has strict rules against depictions of dismemberment and body horror.

Refusing to comply with CERO already cost The Callisto Protocol its Japanese release – developer Striking Distance Studios stated that the required changes would undermine player expectations. The certification process is also expensive: a failed submission means paying the review fee again, plus a separate porting fee for each platform targeted for a physical release.

Digital storefronts have an alternative in the form of IARC ratings, accepted by both the Nintendo eShop and PlayStation Store, but physical releases remain bound to CERO.

The censorship extends to the PC version as well. Steam players report that the Japanese build has also been modified, and at least one English-speaking buyer has already requested a refund after discovering the restrictions. Some Japanese users are recommending picking up an overseas version on Steam – the UK release, for instance – since those support Japanese and come without any cuts.

Resident Evil Requiem is available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch 2.