Devolver Digital's New Game Has Been Banned In Australia

Of all the things in the world that can be banned, that's what they chose? Interesting. Meanwhile, people drink themselves into immense life problems, including death and carnage with drunk driving, and alcohol is still okay in most of the world. Smoking kills people all the time with cancer, and cigs and vapes aren't banned. But don't put a freaking cat with a double ended butt hole, that might just make people's brains melt.

The Butthole Cut of Cats actually got released?

Not surprised, any use of drugs in-game that's related to incentives (such as giving any kind of buff) is frowned upon by our glorious nanny. Even if the drug doesn't give a buff but simply doesn't give a debuff it can considered incentivising the use of drugs.
If only there was some kind of rating where adults could still purchase this content and enjoy it without worrying about children...

@3RedTriangles Mushrooms literally let you fly around the map and see all the spots you need to visit.

Must buy game with double butthole cat

Why isn’t Mario banned in Australia? He eats mushrooms after all.

Excellent marketing strategy, now I'm going to get this game.

gotta love censorship...

To say this game is very much NOT my cup of tea would be an extreme understatement.

But I've always believed it's better for things to be clearly rated and to allow the consumer to make their own choices.

Furthermore, history has shown that it's usually easier and more reliable to regulate things, rather than banning them outright. I generally agree with this mindset - unless things are actively dangerous to people, like real drugs and firearms, in which I think stricter laws apply.

As long as what a person is doing is not harmful to others, I say let them do it.

But perhaps back on topic, this game looks beyond terrible. Utter trash tier that doesn't sound appealing to me at all.

Basically anything that has Drug use or 'encouraged' drug or alcoholism (e.g this games feature to smoke cigarettes) gets automatically banned with options for an appeal.

While games have alcohol and cigarettes as options a game can't actively encourage you to consume them for rewards.

'We the happy few' for example was banned here then released on consideration because the whole point of the game is 'drugs are bad'.

As a side note; This game looks and sounds like garbage anyway... lol.

@BloodNinja gotta also remember the drinking and smoking empires are obscenely rich and have gone to great expensive length's to ensure they have lots of protection to stay rich and i doubt this spec in comparison company has the funds to persuade a government to give it special treatment.

very interesting and fun game I think, although the VHS effects hurts my eyes (you can turn it off but I love it lol). It was free on the Epic Game Store

Jeez, how long has this been going on in Australia?

@edgedino Indeed, it’s very sad.

The reason why this game is banned in Australia is a mystery, but also from looking at it, a mercy.

Sooo...we can talk about buttholes here, now? Not entirely sure what to do with this knowledge.

ive heard of cats having 9 lives butt 2 buttholes?

Weird, as I'm sure they allow games that MAYBE are more "controversial". The game itself sounds poor anyway.

Are those eyes or roberts

Do you think the people working at the Australian Classification Board have to undergo councelling because they're at such risk of becoming drug users from all the games they keep us safe from?

Reminds me of ataris getting up got banned in aus

This is likely to have received an RC (refused classification) certificate due to the IARC algorithms after the publisher disclosed the game’s content. Had this game been peer-assessed, perhaps things would have played out differently.

Katana Zero similarly was “banned” in a similar manner until the machine-generated rating was manually overturned by the Board, and I suspect that the same will happen here.

Incidentally, a game called Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure was initially rated MA15+ by the Board in the mid 2000s, but a complaint about the game encouraging real-life graffiti vandalism by a politician (the Minister of Home Affairs, most likely) resulted in the decision being reviewed, and the game was subsequently banned.

I mention this because there is a precedent for banning games that encourage graffiti vandalism, though it’s a huge leap of logic in the interpretation of the guidelines considering that games that encourage killing others aren’t banned.

@BloodNinja Australia has a problem with adult oriented media. They also banned import of Japanese figures and manga. They were very adamant about not making an 18+ rating for games for a long time. And I remember someone making a stink about Secret Hitler boardgame there.

"Smoke Ciggy Cigs brand cigarettes. Smoke ‘em up real good."
Found the problem

Australia really is a useless, draconian country, isn't it?

@nessisonett And those mushrooms are made to look just like cartooney, hallucinogenic amanita mushrooms to top it off.

I believe they got enter the gungeon there and it had smoking and alcohol in there, but more subtle. It’s always been my belief that we never saw the first contra on the vc because of the dude smoking on it.

Definitely the most interesting part about this is the fact that they banned it on Switch but not on Steam or Epic.
It's never been clearer that the Australian classification board has no concept of impartiality and objective judgement. Nintendos are for kids and PCs are for adults. Therefore, their own ratings are meaningless! Give a game an MA15+ rating, and it will still be played by kids if it's available on a "kid's machine". What a hypocritical disgrace.

Damn it!! I have been looking forward to this for MONTHS

Yet somehow, it's still available on Steam and Epic.

This looks a fun game...if you're 12yo or younger!

@SmaggTheSmug Interesting history! I always wonder how things like that manifest.

@BloodNinja In case of those bannings it's the conservatives in charge making a "we're protecting children" PR move. As for the offended at board game person, I think it's the current outrage culture and offense clout farming. UK has a lot of that too.

@SmaggTheSmug Yeah, we have that same problem in the US with regards to race; most of the racial problems here are stirred up by third parties getting offended for someone else. I wish our culture was more “color blind,” for lack of a better term.

@BloodNinja Just call it MLK culture: "don't judge me by the color of my skin, but by the content of my character". Unfortunately too many people actually want people to segregate themselves by skin color (especially the proponents of "critical race theory"), but this is not the place to discuss it

@SmaggTheSmug I’m with you on that!

Game about graffiti (Crime) and being gross in general sounds bad and wrong as *****. Avoiding this one.

As a cat owner, I'm not touching this game because of that cat.

Isn't this the same automated ban Devolver always takes advantage of for marketing purposes?

Welcome to the new millennium. We hope you enjoy your stay in our new, political, child-friendly world. If not, have jail cells for you

@Joeynator3000
yer just jealous that sasha doesnt have 2 bungholes

@ogo79 ....Sasha?

my bad i think sanya.
yes its sanya

....Uh huh. >.> lol

typing more stuff here so I can post

@Ardisan

"Are those eyes or roberts"

?

I don't see the problem, it's a fairly accurate image

@Mario500 the butt hole area looks like eyes or roberts (breasts)

Ew...I knew the game was bad but getting banned at Australia wow thats like a whole new record lmao

"Dedicated fart button."
This is all I need to know, sold.

I'm really surprised by people's disgust towards this game? Not people's cup of tea but far, far from abysmal.. It's not a bad game at all. I got it free on Epic, it's a charming, largely inoffensive walking simulator with light platforming and worldbuilding, plus a pretty strong aesthetic. I'd recommend the game as a bit of ambience to zone out to.