Elden Ring ESRB rating summary teases self-amputating boss, semi-naked monster, and strong language

The ESRB has posted its rating and a summary for the upcoming game Elden Ring (as spotted by redditor u/YouAreNotMeLiar). The title has been given an M rating (for Mature 17+), which is the second-most restrictive grade after AO (Adults Only 18+). Games that attain this particular rating usually have content that relates to adult themes such as violence, gore, coarse language, sex, and nudity. The rating summary for Elden Ring has been picked apart by fans, as it may contain some teasers and even spoilers (warning).

The summary begins with a very brief description of the game overview: The player has to become the Elden Lord by getting hold of the shards of the magical Elden Ring. Unsurprisingly, being an RPG means players will have to explore, collect things, get into conversations and fights, and deal with bosses. But while it might be expected such typical fare as amulets, gold coins, and swords would be on the collectible list, apparently so are “severed fingers and tongues”. It’s unclear why a player would need such gruesome trophies, but this is a game coming from the collective minds of George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones) and Hidetaka Miyazaki (Souls games), so nudity, bloody combat, and swears are par for the course.

There is some little detail about the bosses and characters gamers might encounter, with one of them being a boss that apparently is capable of amputating its own arm, presumably to hit the player with. The rating describes an area that has “severed arms hanging from a ceiling”, and it is possible this could be related directly to the boss just mentioned. It’s even been suggested this may be an Amygdala-type boss, with the multi-limbed spider-like creature appearing as a moving target for archers in Bloodborne. Whatever the truth is, players are clearly in for a messy and gore-filled melee. There’s also a semi-naked monster running around Elden Ring, with scales and scars covering its modesty (“breast and pelvic regions” to be precise).

Depending on your viewpoint and upbringing, the presence of the word “shit” in the dialogue could have been what clinched the M rating for Elden Ring from the ESRB. It’s clearly something that has raised some eyebrows with the board’s reviewers, as it is written as the less offensive “sh*t” in the summary. Elden Ring, which is being developed by FromSoftware and is to be published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, is currently scheduled to be launched on February 25 for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series S, and Microsoft Windows platforms.

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