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| Credit: Rising Star Games/ Steam Store |
Why You Need to Play: Deadly Premonition
[Whistling intensifies]
Deadly Premonition is an utterly
unique and bizarre experience. Simultaneously awful, endearing and bemusing all
at once. This weird and wonderful little gem was created by Access Games, a
small Japanese company typically taking lesser projects for other studios,
remastering and occasionally brewing up their own IPs. Deadly Premonition is
set in the rural American town of Greenvale and casts you as the borderline
schizophrenic FBI detective Francis York Morgan as you are tasked with uncovering
the culprit of the gruesome murder of a local girl. Sounds like someone likes
Twin Peaks.
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| Credit: Rising Star Games/ Steam Store |
What was wrong with it? This is probably going to be the
most difficult section I've gotten to so far. You see, Deadly Premonition is a
very... inept game. Initially in development for PS2 it was eventually released
on next-gen consoles in 2010, looking like a game from 2003.
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| Credit: Rising Star Games/ Steam Store |
A technical nightmare, this game is plagued with glitches,
awkward animations, sub-20 fps drops, crashing, terrible collision detection,
some of the most awkward controls out there, extremely time sensitive
objectives, utterly baffling map design, clunky handling of just about any
vehicle and some of the worst graphics I have seen on the seventh console
generation. It's horrible, but...
Why should I play it? You should play this game. It's cheap.
Go buy it. I know I just listed all those flaws and I know it sounds
unappealing, but I beg you: please, give this game
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| Credit: Rising Star Games/ Steam Store |
a shot. If you're willing to
give it a fair try and can allow yourself to enjoy something so out of the
norm, you are in for one of the most magical and endearing journeys ever
released on a console.
This is a game so baffling, confusing and magnificently
unique that it can't really be described.
Every second feels like it should be
painful to play through, but its surreal and artsy atmosphere may just draw you
in. The game plonks you into a huge open world set around the
town, and while it has a story and urges you to go along with it, you are free
to explore it at your leisure to uncover collectibles, mini-games, side-quests,
unlock suits and cars and weapons, interact with the lovable cast of endearing
peculiar folk inhabiting the town and much more. Deadly Premonition is a game I
have and always will recommend to anyone with an interest in weird or unique
videogames, and it has a very special place in my heart.
