Ah, but there’s more. There are quite a few moments in Deadly Premonition where you have to drive from one place to another. Although these sections get tedious and have controls that redefine the word “floaty,” they do provide for some interesting banter between York and Zach. and also create fun diversions such as a minigame where York drives through brightly lit marked hoops. Yeah, it’s weird. Moreover, in an effort to make the game as true to life as possible, cars in the game have fuel levels and body integrity gauges. If one of these runs out, your investigation is over. The same goes for the sleep and hunger gauges that York himself is saddled with. It is a bit of a chore to keep all of these up to shape, especially the latter two, but it’s an otherwise meaningless detail that adds to the game’s charm.
The intricate open-world aspects of the game are helped by the wonderfully quirky characterization of each NPC. If you’ve ever been in a small town or watched a Law and Order episode, you may recognize some of the archetypes on display: the cocky sheriff, the gnarly store owner, the hard-of-hearing hotel clerk, the mild-mannered housewife, her slightly creepy twin boys, the odd restaurant owner, the hot gas station attendant who makes absolutely everything she says a sexual innuendo, the crazy lady who’s overly attached to kitchenware, the traveling tree salesman…and, to top it all off, the gas mask-wearing billionaire who owns the town and only speaks in rhyme and through a proxy. You know, the usual suspects. There’s also a bunch of great writing throughout the game, with plenty of lines that may very well have even the most serious gamers roaring in laughter.
While Greenvale is a charming place, we mustn’t forget the bizarre murders happening in the town. And York’s method of investigation involves going to creepy parallel versions of the town’s landmarks and collecting key points, then putting together a “Profile” of the case. York’s transportation between the ugly, seed-soaked “Red World” and the normal “White World” is never explained fully until the bitter end of the plot, but solving the case using each world becomes a rather intriguing process over the course of the game.
In the Red segments, York also does battle with strange creatures called Shadows, with an infamous town figure called the Raincoat Killer also on the prowl. Again, this is low-rent Resident Evil 4: Just point, aim and shoot. Weapons are certainly plentiful, both firearm (a wimpy pistol with infinite ammo, assault rifles, a Magnum) and melee (golf clubs, metal bars, samurai swords). Although there are parts where you’re required to use them, most of the latter kind break easily, since this is a survival horror game. And, outside of weapons acquired through sidequests, the only weapon you have with infinite ammo is your wimpy FBI pistol. It might be a heckuva lot more fun to use a Magnum, but they run out of bullets easily as well. I may be in the minority here, but I found the shooting segments to be fairly fun despite their broken nature, and certainly true to the survival horror ethos. When the Shadows (one of them pictured below) hold up glowing rifles and shout “I DON’T WANT TO DIIIIIIIEEEEEE” in a slow-motion voice, there’s no doubt that at least some of us would want to pump them full of lead.
Deadly Premonition‘s worst quirk, however, is its quick-time events. To be fair, I’ve heard that the original 360 version’s QTEs are much harder, with some of them requiring sequential four-button presses in a matter of seconds. As if two-button presses are any better! There is also a ridiculous amount of control stick tilting when York runs from the Raincoat Killer, and at a few points, he has to hide inside a closet and hold his breath (as you hold R2) when the infamous killer passes by. It seems like simple stuff, but as billionaire Mr. Stewart says in the game, timing is everything. There is also one moment near the end of the game where you control the Raincoat Killer in a flashback, and he controls much more slowly than York. Thankfully, these moments are somewhat brief.
In addition to the tweaks found throughout Deadly Premonition in its Director’s Cut form, there are several bonus features worth mentioning. Chief among them are several new cutscenes which provide a bit of a backstory to the whole effort. Without going into spoilers, I will just say that said scenes involve someone telling the game’s events as a story to his granddaughter. There isn’t a New Game Plus, but on the Special Menu that you unlock, you can relive the game’s numerous cutscenes. The game also has PS Move and stereoscopic 3D support, if you’re into those sorts of things, and there’s even some DLC available, such as new suits for York to wear and real estate for him to buy. Although the main game took me about 20 hours to complete, there is so much more to do in Greenvale than meets the eye, and I’d gladly take in Deadly Premonition‘s special brand of weirdness again.
I admit, Deadly Premonition did grate on me every now and again. But, ultimately, the weird and well-written story kept me hooked until the surprising and gratifying payoff. And while I did laugh at the occasional mood whiplash and overacting in some scenes, this nevertheless underlies the game’s downright over-the-top nature. SWERY and company did what they could with a modest budget and ended up creating a darned fine mystery adventure with a myriad of elements.
Deadly Premonition, even in its improved Director’s Cut form, will not win any beauty contests. And some parts of it are much more infuriating than they’re worth, especially the endless driving and harsh quick-time events. But this game more than makes up for its last-gen looks and occasional gameplay hiccups by masterfully creating a genuinely creepy atmosphere with an absurdly comic flip side in a vast open world. Under the sometimes ugly facade is a polarizing masterpiece of bizarre niche gaming on par with anything SWERY65’s idol Suda 51 has done.
If anything, Deadly Premonition is much like York’s beverage of choice. Like a strong coffee, it will leave a terrible taste in some gamers’ mouths, but those looking for a quick pick-me-up should at least give it a try. And then, there are countless others, such as myself, who end up not knowing what they could ever do without it. If you want a game that’s out of the ordinary, don’t hesitate to look at Deadly Premonition with interest. You’ll be surprised.
So, what’s the score, Zach?
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Overall |   |
Review copy provided by publisher.
Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut is also currently $17.90 on Play-Asia.com until July 20.
