Night Trap, controversial horror game from the '90s, set for a re-release
1992 game's violence, suggestive content helped spur creation of video game ratings board
Night Trap, an infamous video game whose controversial content helped pave the way for an industry-standard ratings system, is coming back in a remastered release to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
The game, originally released in 1992 on the Sega CD system, will be released by Kentucky-based team Screaming Villains.
Night Trap features a group of girls having a sleepover party when they are attacked by a menacing army of "vampires" armed with axes and sci-fi guns. The player takes on the role of the Sega Control Attack Team (short for SCAT, of course) who switches back and forth between multiple cameras in the house to set booby traps that can save the girls from their would-be assailants.
It was one of the first notable games to use "full motion video," or live-action cutscenes, turning a game into something resembling an interactive movie.
With its poor acting and b-horror movie script it has long been derided as one of the worst games ever, though unintentionally one of the funniest.
Sparked gaming moral panic in 1990s
But its legacy looms large as one of the games responsible for the establishment of the industry-standard video games ratings system, better known as the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
U.S. legislators argued in the 1990s that Night Trap's scantily clad (for the time, anyway) female cast and violent imagery was inappropriate for children — the primary, though not exclusive, audience for video games at the time.
Other games including Mortal Kombat and Doom, which allowed players to kill their enemies in graphic fashion, also contributed to the moral panic.
In the end, the industry adopted a ratings system that marked recommended ages for games as well as detailing potentially offensive content, much like films do.
It's true! We're releasing the 25th Anniversary Remaster of Night Trap on disc for PS4!<a href="https://t.co/XWFzdDcSP3">https://t.co/XWFzdDcSP3</a> <a href="https://t.co/vghSwvhVtO">pic.twitter.com/vghSwvhVtO</a>
—@LimitedRunGamesNight Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition will launch on the PlayStation 4's digital store. Screaming Villains also announced a limited run of the game on physical disc release. The packaging includes the signature blue or yellow striping pattern that denoted Sega CD games back in the 90s.
Sega's in-house ratings system gave it an MA-17 label in 1992, but the anniversary release will make do with a Teen (ages 13+) rating instead.