Australia and the games industry have had a rocky relationship over the years, with many titles being censored before they could make it to the island nation. With the appearance of the R18+ rating, the number of games that have refused classification has gone down - with the implication that games would be refused classification would be significantly lower.
However, Dennaton Games’ Hotline Miami 2 is now on the censor’s block, having been refused classification for the scene of implied rape and sexual violence. To their credit, the Australian Classifications Board’s section on sexual violence is stern. According to Player Attack, games that “depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified” will still find themselves subject to restrictions.
However, based on the drug misuse, crime, cruelty, and violence metrics, even the first Hotline Miami was already treading the line, with something of a merry disregard.
Brian Kale found the game to be a must-play, despite the heavy violence and psychotropic subject matter. “Hotline Miami is a great game that you need to play. Everything comes together beautifully, resulting in an experience that you simply need to witness first-hand,” he wrote in his Hotline Miami Review. “I loved the tight controls and relentless difficulty that was just hard enough to keep me coming back for more, and I can’t overstate how well the soundtrack compliments the on-screen action. Every aspect is executed in such a way to create an engaging, addictive and polished title that is not only fun, but one that I have every confidence will still continue to be discussed a decade from now.”
No word yet from Dennaton Games or Devolver Digital on Australia-friendly version, though this likely won’t come as a huge shock to the developer. The scene, which sees the player character slaughtering an NPC before forcibly penetrating the anus of a woman, caused significant upset when it was first revealed in an early demo of the game.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is slated to come out early this year, so it’s no doubt that Australian customers will be looking for some updates before the game’s release.
