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Omega Labyrinth Z Game Refused UK Certificate

The website of the Video Standards Council Ratings Board, which is the statutory body responsible for the age rating of video games in the UK (with legally enforceable judgments) has published its reasons for refusing to give a UK certificate to the game Omega Labyrinth Z.

From the website:

Omega Labyrinth Z is a dungeon crawler game for the PS4 and PlayStation Vita. It was submitted with a provisional PEGI 16 rating for depictions of erotic or sexual nudity.... Throughout the course of the game the player is required to take part in a series of mini-games which feature frequent female sexual nudity, eroticisation and sexual innuendo. The player is required, on occasion, to sexually arouse the female characters by touching their intimate areas via a touch screen or by using the analogue thumb sticks.

The player can choose to interact with any of the playable characters. One of the girls, in particular, is very youthful both visually and vocally, thus reinforcing the salacious nature of the game... There are numerous mini-games which feature sexually explicit and ultimately problematic content. Examples include:

The player touches certain points on a female character's body to arouse them. A successful action will activate a “shame break” where parts of their clothing come off revealing more of their bodies. The female characters respond with varying degrees of sexual innuendo and arousal.

The player places honey on the girls' bodies. A fantastical dog-like creature then proceeds to lick the honey off their bodies which causes them to become aroused...

The hot-spring mini-game allows the player to fondle the girls' breasts...

The VSC Rating Board has ruled that the video game, Omega Labyrinth Z, will not be issued a UK Certificate of Classification.

This refusal is relevant to physical product only (disc, cartridge, etc.) Under the terms of the Video Recordings Act (1984), the VSC Rating Board is required to consider the likelihood of any game causing harm to the user and, subsequently, to wider society by the way in which the game deals with and portrays images of criminal, violent or horrific behaviour, illegal drugs and human sexual activity. The grounds for this decision are as follows: - The likely harm being caused to a viewer or potential viewer, e.g. children or young people.

The game is explicit in its setting within a “school” environment and the majority of the characters are young girls - one child is referred to as being a “first year” student and is seen holding a teddy bear. The game clearly promotes the sexualisation of children via the sexual interaction between the game player and the female characters. The style of the game is such that it will attract an audience below the age of 18.

There is a serious danger that impressionable people, i.e. children and young people viewing the game would conclude that the sexual activity represented normal sexual behaviour. There is a constant theme of sexual innuendo and activity throughout the game that suggests behaviour likely to normalise sexual activity towards children...

The VSC Rating Board believes this content in a game, which would have strong appeal to non-adult players, is an issue which would be unacceptable to the majority of UK consumers and, more importantly, has the potential to be significantly harmful in terms of the social and moral development of younger people in particular.

Omega Labyrinth Z is a roguelike RPG (dungeons are randomly generated). By defeating monsters, the characters can "power up" and increase their bust size. PQube previously described the story:

Rumours of an item referred to as the 'Grail of Beauty' are whispered through the hallowed halls of the storied educational institution of Embellir Girls Academy. The Grail can grant any wish, large or small, and as the tale goes, it is hidden in a secret cave that only reveals itself on opening day of the Academy each year. Aina Akemiya, a popular young student at the academy, is fed up with feeling self-conscious about her body, and so she sets out on a grand quest to obtain the Grail of Beauty!

The game shipped in Japan on July 6 last year. Vocalist duo DelightStyle performed the opening theme song "OmeLaby ga Ippai! (ver. MAX ω Power)" (Lots of Omega Labyrinth). D3Publisher released its first Omega Labyrinth roguelike dungeon game for PS Vita in November 2015.

Via UK Anime Network and ricedigital