Following the recent coverage of PAX East, it would appear that Atlus's upcoming Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE will be making some censorship upon its Western release.

As reported on Nintendo Life and Censored Gaming, gameplay footage has indicated content censorship and alterations in accordance to territory regulations. With changes to some of the characters age demographics from 17 to 18 years old, other changes are most apparent on a dungeon level for chapter 2, which has censored images of bikini models in favor for fully clothed imagery. Censored Gaming said this dungeon serves as a big part of the story, as your current party is chasing down a possessed photographer, who specifically photographs Japanese idols.

Japanese version (top), Western version (bottom). Image sourced from Censored Gaming

All this news comes months after it was predicted via a 4Chan post (below) back in February. This post not only hinted the titles censored content, but also the subsequent new Western name prior to the Nintendo Direct announcement.

It is also worth noting that everything so far has been proven corrected, including the titles censorship in panties, Atlus' localization and Japanese only audio dialogue. If everything post continues to remain true, this may mean that the Hot Springs DLC may be next to be omitted.

Image sourced from Persona Central

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is set for release on the Nintendo WiiU, June 24th.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpVhoHMcRD8[/embed]

Quick Take

I'm not a big fan of censorship. As an Australian who has only recently been introduced to the R18+ classification, I've always held a firm belief on consumer rights. Whether creative content causes offense is irrelevant. We're living in a age where adults are a dominant force in the gaming industry, and as such, should have the freedom to decide whether or not this game is appropriate for their entertainment.

Censorship in gaming is a dirty word. One minute it's cleavage shot, then next it's a costume, character, story arc, and ultimately, the entire bloody game.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you feel these changes are justified? Are you going to be picking up Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE upon release? Let us know in the comments below!