Top 10 M-Rated Video Games with Non-Realistic Art Styles
If you've ever played a video game with an M-rating, you probably know that these types of games tend to steer toward realism. Games like Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, Resident Evil, and Mafia feature realistic art styles and character designs.However, that does not apply to every M-rated video game. This list compiles M-rated games that have non-realistic art styles but still manage to maintain an undertone that causes concerned parents to gasp in shock.
Rareware's swan song for the N64 and the first game that comes to mind when thinking of M-rated games that pass off as something else at face value.
Conker looks like your standard kiddy mascot platformer and was originally going to be a kid-friendly game in its early development stages. However, the raunchy content - including alcohol use, R-rated movie spoofs, the Great Mighty Poo, the big-breasted sunflower, Nazi teddy bears, blood effects, and other adult situations - made this game the complete opposite of what was normal for mascot platformers at the time.
It's even believed that Conker's Bad Fur Day contributed to Nintendo cutting ties with Rareware because its inappropriate content didn't align with Nintendo's family-friendly image.
A roguelike indie game with a cartoonish art style, loosely based on The Binding of Isaac in the Bible. This game is M-rated because of blood, unsettling character designs, crude humor involving feces, and an overall eerie undertone.
This EarthBound-inspired game has a sketchbook art style and has become a fan favorite among indie gamers and cosplayers alike.
Despite its visual appeal, the game has a very dark undertone, dealing with themes of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide. If you're sensitive to any of these subjects, it's best to avoid playing this game.
A classic indie game known for its retrowave art style and brutal difficulty. Blood and sexual content are found throughout, and the game's sequel ended up getting banned in Australia.
There are dozens of M-rated anime-style games out there, but Persona 5 and its prequels are by far the most well-known.
Despite its popularity among anime fans, the game features stories involving kidnappings, as well as blood, firearms, swearing, and mild sexual content. However, the spinoffs are usually T-rated.
Suda51's first game to be released internationally, it stood out from its contemporaries with its cel-shaded art style. This game is M-rated for standard reasons, such as blood, sexual content, and firearm usage.
An M-rated video game with an art style akin to that of 2010s Cartoon Network shows and uniquely styled gameplay. Like Conker, it has very inappropriate themes worthy of an M rating, such as crude British humor, blood, and suggestive character designs.
An indie platformer with a retrowave aesthetic similar to Hotline Miami, but with its own unique gameplay. This game contains blood, swearing, and drug use.
This game is still in early access, but judging by its dark sketchbook art style and incestuous themes, it's a safe bet that it will have an M rating upon release.
A pixel-art-style Metroidvania with difficult gameplay similar to Dark Souls. Standard reasons for its M rating include blood, gore, and violence.
