Agony Unrated officially confirmed, will be cheap for existing owners

Whether you like it or not, the once-cancelled "uncensored" version of survival horror game Agony is officially releasing this month. Following its mysterious appearance on Steam last week, Madmind Studio has confirmed Agony Unrated will release October 31.

If you've already purchased the original game, you'll get a 90 percent discount on the new version. "We are aware that the premiere of our first game was disappointing for many players, as numerous technical errors and censored content effectively distracted from the game," the studio wrote on the game's original Kickstarter page. Unrated will be $14.99 or €14.99 at launch, and Kickstarter backers will get it free.

Agony was originally getting an uncensored patch following its June launch, which promised to re-introduce a bunch of material it cut to please classification organisations. But this plan was abandoned due to "legal issues". Indeed, Agony Unrated itself was announced and then cancelled due to "legal issues" as well, but on its Kickstarter page, Madmind Studio has gone into a bit of detail about what this means.

"Unfortunately, but the contracts we have in force, both publishing and rating, blocked us from releasing the patch and removing the censorship from the game," the legal statement reads. "Any lawsuit related to the violation of these rules would most likely lead to the closure of our studio. To release Agony Unrated, we had to choose an alternative route and remain in the shadows by announcing the suspension of our work on the game. 

"Today, after a few months since the release of Agony, the deadline for contracts binding us has passed and we can share these details with you. At the moment, the PC is the only platform that gives us the freedom to create the world we've come up with." The post goes on to say that in the short term at least, Unrated won't be coming to consoles.

As for what's in the Unrated version: gruesome material, obviously. But here's a list for your convenience:

  •  Improved quality of character models and textures 
  •  New types of threats - Traps 
  •  New types of environmental threats 
  •  New types of static opponents 
  •  A new, more extensive and useful character development system 
  •  Volumetric lighting 
  •  Normal Mode and Hard Mode with more opponents and puzzles 
  •  Completely new type of environment - the Forest, added to the procedurally generated Agony Mode, which now also includes additional traps and boss fights
  •  8 different endings in the Story Mode 
  •  Possibility to follow the story mode as a Sukkub 
  •  Sukkub Mode and Agony Mode are unlocked at the first start of the game 
  •  Many new, uncensored scenes 
  •  Black and red image filter, inspired by the Agony trailers 
  •  World map and minimap 
  •  The possibility of setting up a fire and killing some opponents as a martyr
  •  Sacrificial altars 
  •  New and modified paths for the player 
  •  Numerous technical improvements to the basic version of the game and much more 

And here's an extremely NSFW trailer. Avoid watching, unless you're the type of person who eagerly anticipated Agony.

Shaun Prescott

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.