We might be getting a release date for Final Fantasy VIII Remastered soon, as the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) has given the game its official rating in North America. After its announcement at E3 2019, fans have been eager to find out when they’ll get their hands on the upcoming remaster. And while the game’s ESRB rating isn’t surprising, we can take solace in knowing the game is likely nearing release.

The ESRB has given Final Fantasy VIII Remastered a T rating, which unsurprisingly is the same as the 1999 original. Looks like not much has changed in the last 20 years. Its content descriptors point to the following items: Mild Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence. Interestingly, the original game’s rating didn’t note the use of alcohol or mild blood (it also listed “Animated Violence” instead of violence), but it also didn’t have this extended summary of the content in the game:

This is a role-playing game in which players follow the story of fighters involved in a war for independence. Players can explore cities, interact with characters, perform quests, and battle human and fantastical enemies. Combat is turn-based, with players selecting attack moves from a menu which triggers brief animated sequences. Cutscenes also depict instances of violence and blood: a character impaled through the chest with a crystal shard; a character slashed across the face during a swordfight; blood splashes and a bleeding wound on a character’s face. The game contains some suggestive material: scenes referencing a “naughty magazine,” though no images are shown; female characters wearing low-cut or skimpy clothing that reveals large amounts of breasts/cleavage. A handful of scenes depict drunk characters slurring their speech or hiccupping; one sequence allows players’ character to buy alcohol in order to obtain an item—after drinking, a character says, “Whoa…(hic) I’m totally wasted…”). The words “a*s,” “bastard,” and “b*tch” appear in the dialogue.

One other interesting tidbit is that the ESRB page only notes PC and Xbox One under Final Fantasy VIII Remastered’s platforms, which is obviously a mistake since we know the game will be headed to PS4, as well.

This is a game that fans have been clamoring to get a remaster for, as it’s been surprisingly absent for many years. Although, there is a reason why its announcement took so long, as explained by the game’s original director, Yoshinori Kitase. He chalked it up to wanting to make sure it looked the part for modern televisions.

Along with Final Fantasy VIII Remastered releasing sometime relatively soon, we’ll be getting our hands on Final Fantasy VII Remake at the beginning of 2020, so we’ll have plenty of Final Fantasy to keep us occupied.

As soon as we find out a release date for Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, we’ll be sure to let you know.

[Source: ESRB]