One of the most striking things about Resident Evil 7 is just how gore filled it is. It’s packed with chopped off limbs and sickening body horror. But it seems that the experience is a tamer in Japan.
In a brief video, the folks at Censored Gaming highlight some of the more egregious changes to the game. All of these are from the higher rated “Grotesque” edition of the game, which isn’t really all that grotesque.
Many of the changes center around the hapless deputy David Anderson. Plainly put, he has a very bad time in Resident Evil 7. First, his head is bisected by a shovel. He’s infected with the dangerous, body melting mold. Had his warped head cut off and put into a fridge and finally has a key pulled out of his stomach by Ethan in one of the game’s grossest moments.
In Japan, he seems to do a bit better. His head survives the shovel, is never ripped off, and Ethan merely snags the key as it sits near his corpse. In all, it’s a lot less brutal.
Smaller changes hint at key plot point as well. Protagonist Ethan Winters endures his fair share of dismemberment. It led some players to speculate he was infected with the body altering mold. Black blood from severed limbs seems to confirm the theory.
Resident Evil 7 isn’t all about the blood and gore, mind you. But if you like things a bit grimier, it looks like the international release is where you’ll get your grindhouse fix.