While ESRB ratings usually mean little to gamers who don’t have to convince their parents to buy a new game for them, these ratings sometimes reveal new details about upcoming titles. For example, star fieldThe “Mature” ESRB rating has just been revealed, and it seems to confirm that the RPG will be a little steamier than we previously thought.
It should come as no surprise that the majority of star fieldThe ESRB rating of focuses on the violence of the game. Most RPGs from Bethesda Game Studios feature some level of violence, and star field is no exception. Specifically, the ESRB warns us that attacks on enemies can “lead to blood splatter effects” and that “screams of pain” can often be heard when using “guns, lasers, axes, and futuristic explosives”. We assume you’ll also be able to sneak around such conflicts or get away with them, but the gorehounds apparently won’t be left behind.
The most interesting details can be found further down in the notation description. For example, the ESRB warns us that star field contains a fictional drug known as Aurora. Interestingly, the description bothers to note that Aurora is “important in the game”. Prominence, in this case, seems to refer to the amount of the drug (it can be obtained “by stealing it or buying it from vendors”) as well as its role in the story. Most notably, it looks like there will be a section of the game that will require players to work in “an illicit drug lab.” This description probably applies to a mission, but it would be fascinating to learn that there is some kind of side hustle of Aurora that we can partake in.
Functionally, Aurora seems to work like ancient parchmentis Skooma or To fallof Chems. The ESRB claims that consuming Auroa “leads to a distorted effect on the screen.” At this time, however, it is unknown if the drug grants a debuff or buff effect when consumed. Given the history of recent BGS titles, I’d bet the on-screen effect is purely cosmetic.