Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh - Themes and Censorship

Themes and Censorship

Though Phantasmagoria was controversial for its use of graphic violence and a rape scene, in A Puzzle of Flesh sex was considerably more explicit: as sexuality plays a major part in the game's plot, which includes four sex scenes featuring bare breasts, bondage, sadomasochism, public sex and offscreen oral sex. Various death scenes include graphic images of gore, including disembowelment and exsanguination, and A Puzzle of Flesh was also rated harshly for strong language, including two uses of the word "fuck", which in 1996 was a rare occurrence in video games.

One notable aspect of the sexual aspect of the game was the bisexuality of Curtis Craig, making A Puzzle of Flesh one of the few computer games to feature a playable character with such a sexual orientation. One of the characters in the game, Curtis' best friend Trevor, is openly gay, and it is later revealed Curtis harbors feelings for him (All sexual scenes are however reserved for male-female encounters only). Several reviews have praised A Puzzle of Flesh's treatment of a homosexual character (and his relationship with heterosexual characters), portraying him in an earnest and natural way, while most video games at the time still depicted gay characters as over-the-top stereotypes. (see: LGBT characters in video games)

Due to its amount of sex and violence, A Puzzle of Flesh was heavily censored in UK and banned in Singapore and Australia, although a re-cut version was eventually made available in the latter. In the United States, the game was given an RSAC Rating Level 4 (of 4) for its sexual content and a Level 3 for its violence and language.