10 Most Hilarious Instances Of Video Game Censorship

10. "Coffee" Bars - Earthbound

Despite its innocent appearance, Earthbound isn't exactly safe for kids. It's full of disturbing things like brainwashed cultists, demons, and an actual scene of one of the characters being torn apart limb by limb.

With so many questionable themes, it's obvious that some parts of the original Japanese version of Earthbound had to be removed. But which part did the Western world decide was too problematic? It was the alcohol, of course!

Yes, apparently the US government thought adults having a casual drink at a bar was way more controversial than demonic rituals. The American port of the game replaced all of the bars in Earthbound with coffee shops and turned every inebriated NPC into a struggling caffeine addict.

The amount of effort that went into cleaning the streets of Earthbound's towns from alcohol consumption is truly astounding. There is not a single mention of it left in the game, and the people's weird obsession with coffee is actually written in a strangely endearing way.

It's a bit like looking into an alternate reality where coffee is a drug and every single Starbucks in the area is the dealer.

Or, you know, your average day in Seattle.