‘Far Cry Primal’ ESRB Rating Describes Brutal Torture, Sex, And Nudity
Ubisoft’s Far Cry series hasn’t shied away from sex and violence before, and it certainly isn’t doing so with Far Cry Primal for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. A recently released ESRB rating for the open-world single-player game describes some frankly brutal torture scenes along with the usual showing of human naughty parts and sex. In short, the game earns every bit of its “M” for Mature rating.
Far Cry Primal takes place during the Mesolithic Period when humans were transitioning from hunter-gatherers to forming settlements. The main character is Takkar, and he is on a quest to rebuild his tribe. He is unique in that he has the ability to tame and control various animals, including wolves, bears, and even a mammoth, as previously covered by the Inquisitr.
The opening of the ESRB synopsis for Far Cry Primal sounds like most standard shooters and action games.
“This is an action game in which players assume the role of Takkar, a nomadic hunter trying to reestablish his tribe. From a first-person perspective, players engage in missions that involve tracking/hunting animals, resource-gathering, and combat against rival tribes. Players use arrows, spears, and clubs to kill enemies in frenetic combat. Some sequences require stealth kills in which enemies are stabbed in the head or slashed close-up.”
The second part of the Far Cry Primal synopsis is the eye-opening part, as it describes brutal torture scenes straight out of hard R-rated horror films.
“One cutscene depicts a character being held in a fire while screaming; another depicts Takkar tapping a hole in another character’s skull as the man screams. Some scenes depict corpses in various states of mutilation: heads and torsos on spikes; ears cut off and kept as trophies; headless bodies lying in pools of blood. Certain scenes or camera angles can depict male genitalia under garments or in shadows; some female characters are depicted topless. A handful of scenes depict characters engaged in sexual activity while clothed; grunts and short moans can be heard, though no explicit details are seen.”
As previously mentioned, the nudity and sex isn’t new for the series. Far Cry 3 infamously depicted the player waking up while the primary female character was being intimate with him. Meanwhile, Far Cry 4 has some pretty strong sexual suggestions and briefly depicted a naked man during one battle.
It will be interesting to see how the game industry and the general mass media reacts to the torture scenes described above in Far Cry Primal. Similar torture scenes from Call of Duty: World at War from Treyarch Studios and Grand Theft Auto V from Rockstar Games almost comes across as tame in comparison.
Ubisoft has a ready-made reason for the violence just with the Stone Age time period alone.
In a blog post explaining the history and setting of Far Cry Primal, Creative Director Jean-Cristophe Guyot said, “We want this to feel like a time period where it’s not war, but survival.”
Far Cry Primal is due out on February 23, 2016, for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. PC gamers will have to wait until March 1, 2016, to buy the title.
The Stone Age setting and the ability to tame animals as companions are Far Cry Primal’s primary hooks. The different animals have different abilities and behaviors. Wolves will explore the surrounding area for Takkar and warn him of danger by growling. Sabretooth tigers, meanwhile, are stealthy and one of the deadliest predators in the game. The cave bear is a tank and soaks up damage and attention from enemies. There is even a honey badger capable of killing animals several times its size. An owl is also accessible to give player’s a bird’s eye view of the world and serve as a scout.
What do you think of the ESRB description of Far Cry Primal? Sound off in the comments below.
[Image via Ubisoft]
