The Evil Within is a pretty swell and scary game, right? A large part of the atmosphere comes from the sheer blood and gore in the game, which is, well, bloody and gory. But in Japan, even though the game is rated Z- which essentially means PEGI 18, or ESRB AO- it’s still censored. The blood and gore is still not allowed in the game.

The problem is so bad that they are actually offering a Gore Mode DLC for the game, which, you would assume, lifts the gore filter and makes the game essentially identical to its western counterparts, right? Well, wrong. Hilariously enough, even the Gore Mode seems to be censored compared to how the game is in the west, although it is certainly less censored than the game by itself there.

Some of Japan’s censorship policies baffle me.

To see more on how this game is censored, including full comparison shots, head on over to Kotaku.

The Evil Within’s general revew embargo has not yet lifted, but we have some early reviews, and they appear to be positive on the whole, indicating that Shinji Mikami’s latest game might not be the kind of genre-redefining or paradigm shifting game that the original Resident Evil or Resident Evil 4 was, but is still a pretty damn good game.

The most high profile review seems to be the one from VideoGamer, which gave the game an 8/10, and said,

“One of the the most interesting things about famed Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikimi’s latest is how much it feels like Silent Hill. While the influence of past Capcom classics is obvious – it plays like a cross between Resi remake’s slow-burn horror and resource management while effortlessly slipping gears into the slasher-terror of Resi 4’s action – The Evil Within’s paranormal setting gives the director free reign to play with notions of reality in a way that resembles Team Silent’s best.”

Other reviews, mostly from foreign print publications, seem to be of a similar mind, and seem to have awarded the game a similar score as well.

The Evil Within’s review embargo lifts at midnight PT on October 14. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more news on the game and its general reception.