>>725489031
Yeah, Japanese CERO is insanely asinine. Super Mario Odyssey is 12+ there because Peach wears a bikini. It is a bit surprising that Nintendo chose to keep the bikini instead of trying to get lower age rating there.
>Even just a simple romance subplot can affect age ratings
As far as I know, video games in Japan can't portray even a heterosexual kiss without it being automatic 12+ rating. They also got really strange criteria on what counts as lewd clothing, skin-tight sexy clothing can be appropriate for all ages, but any knee-high dress is inappropriate for anyone younger than 12.