10 CENSORED Moments in God of War Games
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VOICE OVER: Ty Richardson
WRITTEN BY: Ty Richardson
With immense violence, sexuality, and other adult themes, it's not surprising "God of War" has been censored multiple times. Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we'll be looking at all the times “God of War” got a little too risque for some regions. Our list of censored moments in "God of War" games includes Pollux's Demise from “God of War: Ascension” (2013), Civilian Harm from “God of War” (2005), The End of Herc's Adventures from “God of War III” (2010), and more!
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’ll be looking at all the times “God of War” got a little too risque for some regions…mainly just Europe and Japan. Did you find any of these censors surprising? Let us know down in the comments.
One would think a number of regions would find “God of War” grotesque enough to where the game would be banned or heavily censored across a multitude of regions. However, most of the world was fine with the number of separated limbs and red fountains. Japan, on the other hand, was not. Any and all dismemberment was removed in the Japanese version mostly because of CERO, the ratings board for Japan, and their stance on the player doing violent actions. It probably didn’t help that most of “God of War’s” violence is inflicted upon humans and human-like characters. Speaking of humans…
One of the segments in Athens sees Kratos fighting a cyclops while denizens panic and run amok, screaming their lungs out. Though they don’t bring much to the table, Kratos can grab them to earn a small amount of health. The same applies when traveling the Road to Athens. Once again, CERO was not for this part of the game. While the levels themselves were untouched, the ability to off the citizens for your own personal gain was axed.
“God of War III” is arguably the most gruesome entry in the franchise (if not Ascension, but that’s beside the point). You would think this would lead to a large number of censors plastered all over the game. On the contrary, many of the brutal scenes are left untouched except for two. One of those two involves how some unalive’d people have their bones protruding from their limbs. The Japanese version has the bones completely removed, though. Just the bones. Corpses are still there. Just no bones.
Yeah, we had a feeling this scene was going to get altered the second we saw it. “Ascension’s” grisly Martyr’s Chamber segment involves one dead person losing their arms. Care to guess who had the scene altered? Well, it wasn’t Japan this time, but Germany. And get this - it wasn’t the limbs coming off that was the problem. They just simply removed the fountain of gore.
The weirdest thing about this was that Germany had no problems with the original iteration of “God of War II”. Looks like someone had suddenly changed their minds when Bluepoint Games touched it up for the PlayStation 3. The HD version of “God of War II” was altered specifically in the section where Kratos meets the woman with Gaia’s voice. While the sweet keister was left undisturbed in every other corner of the world, Garmany said “that ain’t gonna fly with our core values” and had the booty covered.
To be honest, we’re not quite sure what the problem was here. Maybe Pollux’s death is viewed as too vicious in Germany and Japan? In the uncensored version, all Kratos does is stomp on his head. One stomp. It wasn’t a death as vicious as any of the ones we’ve seen in, say, “God of War III”. But for some reason, this was too much for Germany, and the camera zooms in on the Ghost of Sparta before his foot comes down.
“God of War III” could have had just about all of its deaths censored in Japan if violence was that big of a concern. And yet, the only boss whose death got toned down was Hercules. Yeah, getting your face beaten to a pulp is an awfully savage way to go out. But how could you possibly tone this down even further? Well, just remove the bloodshed. That’s it. Now, the game is a-okay…somehow.
We’ll keep this one brief since we can’t show too much of this, but “God of War” is no stranger to nudity. And there are times where it might be a bit much for some. So, we don’t blame Europe and Japan for not wanting people running around with Kratos in their birthday suits.
Oh, you know what we’re about to cap off with. It’s the scene everyone who has played the original game knows! But before we get into that specific portion, there is one alteration we found a tad interesting. In the sacrificial chamber, there is a note left by a guard before his death that reads “What the Gods ask me I can not do, even for Pandora's box. They are monsters now, and they were once men.” Considering some European countries might be too sensitive to religions being questioned and defied, this scene was changed in PAL regions to instead read, “I know I am weak but I can not be a part of this. I have failed Athens.” It arguably changes a bit of the game’s story and themes, but who are we to judge?
Of any and all deaths featured in the “God of War” franchise, this one was the most heavily altered, and it was done for both Europe and Japan. Look, the sacrificial chamber is one of the best scenes in the original “God of War” for both its brutality and character-defining moment for Kratos. But not everyone can stand seeing a digital human get cooked alive. For the two regions, the human soldier is replaced with a monster, and all of the dialogue that would have happened between Kratos and the soldier is completely cut out. The same replacement was made with the other soldiers in cages - all changed into monsters. We’d like to imagine that soldier is somewhere out there in this alternate version enjoying llamas and croissants.
Dismemberment
“God of War” (2005)One would think a number of regions would find “God of War” grotesque enough to where the game would be banned or heavily censored across a multitude of regions. However, most of the world was fine with the number of separated limbs and red fountains. Japan, on the other hand, was not. Any and all dismemberment was removed in the Japanese version mostly because of CERO, the ratings board for Japan, and their stance on the player doing violent actions. It probably didn’t help that most of “God of War’s” violence is inflicted upon humans and human-like characters. Speaking of humans…
Civilian Harm
“God of War” (2005)One of the segments in Athens sees Kratos fighting a cyclops while denizens panic and run amok, screaming their lungs out. Though they don’t bring much to the table, Kratos can grab them to earn a small amount of health. The same applies when traveling the Road to Athens. Once again, CERO was not for this part of the game. While the levels themselves were untouched, the ability to off the citizens for your own personal gain was axed.
Dem Bones
“God of War III” (2010)“God of War III” is arguably the most gruesome entry in the franchise (if not Ascension, but that’s beside the point). You would think this would lead to a large number of censors plastered all over the game. On the contrary, many of the brutal scenes are left untouched except for two. One of those two involves how some unalive’d people have their bones protruding from their limbs. The Japanese version has the bones completely removed, though. Just the bones. Corpses are still there. Just no bones.
Lifting Bodies
“God of War: Ascension” (2013)Yeah, we had a feeling this scene was going to get altered the second we saw it. “Ascension’s” grisly Martyr’s Chamber segment involves one dead person losing their arms. Care to guess who had the scene altered? Well, it wasn’t Japan this time, but Germany. And get this - it wasn’t the limbs coming off that was the problem. They just simply removed the fountain of gore.
Buttgate
“God of War II” in the “God of War Collection” (2009)The weirdest thing about this was that Germany had no problems with the original iteration of “God of War II”. Looks like someone had suddenly changed their minds when Bluepoint Games touched it up for the PlayStation 3. The HD version of “God of War II” was altered specifically in the section where Kratos meets the woman with Gaia’s voice. While the sweet keister was left undisturbed in every other corner of the world, Garmany said “that ain’t gonna fly with our core values” and had the booty covered.
Pollux’s Demise
“God of War: Ascension” (2013)To be honest, we’re not quite sure what the problem was here. Maybe Pollux’s death is viewed as too vicious in Germany and Japan? In the uncensored version, all Kratos does is stomp on his head. One stomp. It wasn’t a death as vicious as any of the ones we’ve seen in, say, “God of War III”. But for some reason, this was too much for Germany, and the camera zooms in on the Ghost of Sparta before his foot comes down.
The End of Herc’s Adventures
“God of War III” (2010)“God of War III” could have had just about all of its deaths censored in Japan if violence was that big of a concern. And yet, the only boss whose death got toned down was Hercules. Yeah, getting your face beaten to a pulp is an awfully savage way to go out. But how could you possibly tone this down even further? Well, just remove the bloodshed. That’s it. Now, the game is a-okay…somehow.
Birthday Suits!
VariousWe’ll keep this one brief since we can’t show too much of this, but “God of War” is no stranger to nudity. And there are times where it might be a bit much for some. So, we don’t blame Europe and Japan for not wanting people running around with Kratos in their birthday suits.
The Chamber’s Memo
“God of War” (2005)Oh, you know what we’re about to cap off with. It’s the scene everyone who has played the original game knows! But before we get into that specific portion, there is one alteration we found a tad interesting. In the sacrificial chamber, there is a note left by a guard before his death that reads “What the Gods ask me I can not do, even for Pandora's box. They are monsters now, and they were once men.” Considering some European countries might be too sensitive to religions being questioned and defied, this scene was changed in PAL regions to instead read, “I know I am weak but I can not be a part of this. I have failed Athens.” It arguably changes a bit of the game’s story and themes, but who are we to judge?
What Are We Cooking Tonight, Brain?
“God of War” (2005)Of any and all deaths featured in the “God of War” franchise, this one was the most heavily altered, and it was done for both Europe and Japan. Look, the sacrificial chamber is one of the best scenes in the original “God of War” for both its brutality and character-defining moment for Kratos. But not everyone can stand seeing a digital human get cooked alive. For the two regions, the human soldier is replaced with a monster, and all of the dialogue that would have happened between Kratos and the soldier is completely cut out. The same replacement was made with the other soldiers in cages - all changed into monsters. We’d like to imagine that soldier is somewhere out there in this alternate version enjoying llamas and croissants.
