In a twist that could rival any superhero saga, the epic narrative adventure known as Dispatch has been slapped with a censorship sticker on the Nintendo Switch and its shiny sibling, Switch 2. Players are now engaging in a high-stakes guessing game to figure out who wielded the scissors.
A Hero’s Journey Gone Awry
This episodic delight, whipped up by the creative brains from Telltale Games, Ubisoft, and Night School Studio, served up a delectable blend of art, humor, and twists that had critics singing its praises last year. Fast forward to now, and it’s a different tune altogether as players open their consoles, only to find some adult-themed moments mysteriously off-limits. Surprise, surprise!
The Talk of the Town (and Twitter)
Upon its recent launch on the Nintendo platforms, gamers prepared for a delightful romp, only to discover that certain juicy bits of content—like the occasional glimpse of nudity—are now cloaked in a black bar that might as well be wearing a “Do Not Enter” sign. Was it meant to be incognito? Probably not.
In Dispatch, there’s a laugh-out-loud scene where the blonde bombshell, Blonde Blazer, turns to her partner Robert Robertson and asks, “How do I look in this dress?” Spoiler alert: A hint of her nipple is peeking out, mingling cheekily with dialogue choices that allow players to either address it or pretend they’ve suddenly become blind. However, the arrival of a gigantic black bar effectively turns what was once a subtle nod into an in-your-face (literally) piece of bureaucracy, compromising the scene’s humor. Thanks, Nintendo!
Behind the Scenes: The Censorship Conundrum
In a valiant attempt to establish why the Switch versions are sporting a “no nudity” policy while others aren’t, AdHoc Studio had to step in and clarify. It appears the puzzle pieces are scattered across criteria that vary from platform to platform. In a statement that might have been pulled straight from a once-popular ‘game of telephone’, they mused:
“Different platforms have different content criteria, and submissions are evaluated individually. We collaborated with Nintendo to ensure the content met the eShop’s criteria while keeping the core narrative and gameplay experience intact.”
Translation? You can thank the Nintendo eShop police for the missing raunchy bits.
Social Media Shenanigans
As word spread, the internet erupted into a sea of hilariously confused opinions. Some users boldly accused Nintendo of having double standards. After all, the eShop doesn’t exactly shy away from adult-themed titles—over 100 games cheekily flaunt “Hentai” in their titles, despite their commitment to keeping things more PG than R-rated.
The Global Censorship Web
One theory floating around in the cyber abyss is that the way games are sold across various regions plays a pivotal role in all this madness. Each game must tiptoe through a linguistic ballet which changes depending on the console’s system settings. For example, should a gamer purchase The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild from the UK, switching to Japanese mode would result in the game doing a dramatic character shift to the Japanese version—complete with subtle cultural differences.
If the notion of Japan’s notoriously strict censorship board, CERO, is the real culprit in this censorship saga, it raises some eyebrows. Their guidelines are tighter than a pair of superhero spandex. Hence, it’s quite possible that the censorship rules AdHoc refers to aren’t dictated by Nintendo alone, but rather by CERO’s watchful eye. Therefore, the same version must adhere across all eShop regions, creating a binary code of censorship that stifles expression.
The Potential Fix
Could a workaround exist? Perhaps releasing two versions of the game restricted to certain areas could do the trick. After all, CD Projekt showed that a little creativity goes a long way—Cyberpunk 2077’s Switch 2 version received separate treatment in Japan, resulting in a nudity-free product tailored for the local market.
However, for an independent studio like AdHoc, navigating these waters while maintaining budget sanity might be trickier than controlling a superhero’s power. Submitting multiple versions for approval could sound great in theory but quickly transforms into a logistical nightmare that no dev wants to face.
In the end, the mystery of who’s responsible for this perplexing censorship continues. Stay tuned, as the saga unfolds in ways only the gaming community can imagine!
