Yesterday, Bandai Namco revealed the pre-order bonuses for Tales of Berseria, announced a demo for January 10, and showed English footage of the game’s beginning for the first time.

This sparked controversy.

I have not included the video here, since one scene could be considered a spoiler, if an early one. What caused the controversy is that it is a violent scene, and the violence has been altered from the Japanese version.

(It’s still violent, just magical, less personal violence. Some people argue the localized version actually looks more brutal.)

People exploded over the censorship, some decided not to buy Berseria, and many questioned whether the game’s other dark content might be similarly altered.

Well, Bandai Namco has responded to the concerns. In short, they couldn’t have kept their 16/T rating if the scene was left unaltered. (Although this refers to the European rating specifically, they also took the ESRB into account.)

While it might seem extreme that one moment could push it over the edge, the nature of the scene makes it likely.

I know, some of you are thinking, “Then release it as an M-rated game!” From Bandai Namco’s perspective, that would cut out a large chunk of their audience. It also would have affected their marketing. They made the decision to alter the scene just enough to get it through.

They went on to clarify that the scene’s importance and consequences remain the same, and that this is the only scene that has been altered. No other Berseria content has been censored.

I don’t see it as a problem, and I understand Bandai Namco’s position. And I say this as a writer–you can make adjustments and minor changes without sacrificing the vision of the artist who created it.

Anyway, if you’ve heard whispers of a Tales of Berseria censorship controversy, that’s what it’s all about. Meanwhile, you can look forward to a Berseria demo for both Steam and the PS4 on January 10.

If you preorder the game, you’ll get an exclusive 15-minute skit. PS4 players will also get an exclusive Berseria theme and 3 songs from the soundtrack. Steam players will get 10% off if you own Symphonia or Zestiria on Steam.

Are you planning to buy Tales of Berseria? What do you think about the altered scene?

Tales of Berseria deals with Velvet’s quest for revenge against a “savior” named Artorius.

This premise is interesting for many reasons, one of which is the connection to Tales of Zestiria.

It also raises questions about how Tales of Berseria will fit with Zestiria’s world.

Daemons and Daemonblight, featured in Berseria, seem as though they could be early incarnations of malevolence and hellions. However, while Zestiria portrays hellions as always bad, Berseria doesn’t do the same for daemons.

Likewise, Artorius feels like an early Shepherd, but is presented as an antagonist rather than a protagonist.

The newest Tales of Berseria trailer introduces Artorius himself for the first time and shows why Velvet wants revenge. It has been subtitled by a fan here.

Warning: this trailer contains story content and potential spoilers.

I already like Artorius. Me and my villains, you know.

Tales of Berseria looks like it has the potential for an interesting story. I’m a little wary after how Zestiria turned out, but I want to believe Berseria will not only have a solid story of its own, but repair Zestiria’s worldbuilding.

In fact, the discrepancies I mentioned above could already be a sign of that. Adding depth to hellions and showing an antagonistic Shepherd could be a way to work the twisted (and bizarre) morality of Zestiria into something that makes sense.

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on the new trailer, Artorius, and Tales of Berseria in general.