Deadly Premonition Origins

Genre: Open-World Horror Game

Players: 1

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Review:

Deadly Premonition Origins, originally released in 2010 as Deadly Premonition, is a Horror game set in an Open World, that is now infamous for its many bizarre “so bad it’s good” design choices, making it something of a beloved cult classic among many fans, garnering comparisons to B-movie films like The Room. In Deadly Premonition, players take the role of FBI detective Francis York Morgan (“Please, call me York. That’s what everyone calls me.”) as he investigates a mysterious grisly murder in a small town when it quickly becomes apparent that this murder is at the center of some strange supernatural phenomena.

Right from the very start, even before the game reveals how deeply, deeply weird it is, its age makes itself very apparent. The game was already pretty awful-looking when first released, and it has aged very, very poorly. Muddy graphics with blurry textures, low-poly character models with bizarre unhuman eyes and no attempt at proper lipsynch, loads of pop-up, and framerates that chug horrendously. It should be noted that even though the game’s visuals were cleaned up some for a 2013 director’s cut on PlayStation 3 and PC, this version is inexplicably based on the original game. By most accounts this is visually the worst version of this game, although it’s not like any version was especially pretty, and the visuals clearly aren’t the selling point here.

You can’t talk about this game without also mentioning its sound… hoo boy, where to start… I’ve heard others say that the voice acting here is terrible, but honestly I think the actors do a valiant job with the material they’re given. The writing is extremely strange, bouncing between the horrific and camp like a pinball machine, and not only is the tone wildly inconsistent, but in any given moment the game seems to be trying to pull it in multiple directions at the same time. During dramatic scenes, goofy high-energy music is sometimes playing in the background… or more frequently, the foreground, as the game’s notoriously poor sound mixing often has the music so loud it drowns out conversations.

Even in the game’s more scary and horrific moments that do actually have a seed of genuine terror in them, this is undercut by slot machine-esque “ka-ching” sound effects as you rack up points for headshots, as well as when picking up giant floating medals that award the player “Agent Honor” (don’t ask). Genuinely creepy enemies die while moaning in slow motion “dooooooooon’t waaaaaaant tooo diiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeee”, which is somehow both very disturbing and absolutely hilarious. Suffice it to say, this game will repeatedly show you something shocking or terrifying and then almost immediately undercut that. Oh, and I couldn’t find anywhere to fit this in, but I have to mention that the squirrels are making monkey noises for some reason.

All of these strange choices when it comes to the game’s sound are a part of why this game is so beloved – it is so incredibly strange that it’s like watching a train wreck playing out before you. However, one element of the game’s sound really killed my enjoyment of even a “so bad it’s good” viewing of its design. In multiple places, I noticed a constant buzzing noise in the background that was intensely irritating. I don’t see anyone else complaining about this, but for me, this immediately made me want to mute the game, if not shut it off entirely, and I’d be remiss not to mention it here. It is the one thing that most soured my experience with this game, even beyond all the poor design choices and terrible graphics.

Okay, and now to address the other element of the presentation, the story and characters. Suffice it to say, this is something you just have to experience for yourself. York himself is constantly veering off into non sequitur comments about movies and TV shows, making wry comments about what’s going on, and talking with an imaginary friend or second personality named Zach, usually bringing up two fingers to his ear like he’s communicating using Solid Snake’s CODEC and looking directly into the screen when he makes these asides (I guess that means we’re Zach). Virtually every other character in the game is strange in some way too, and even the game’s pause menu is an inexplicable assortment of random elements. While the game’s plot is essentially a whodunnit, it seems the game is trying to get us to suspect everyone by having everyone seeming like the most bizarre, unnatural person we’ve ever encountered in some way or another.

When it comes to the gameplay, Deadly Premonition is once again a mix of disparate elements, with combat similar to Resident Evil 4‘s clunky “stand in place and aim” gameplay (without any gyroscopic aiming), gauntlet-like sections with item and switch based puzzles, and an open world complete with a day/night cycle and NPC schedules. Despite the game’s surreal nature, it attempts to simulate some degree of realism by having exhaustion and hunger meters the player needs to keep track of, clothes that the player needs to change regularly and clean when they get dirty, and vehicles that must be occasionally refueled with gas. These “realistic” elements didn’t seem to add much to the game, and often just make for frustration or more busywork.

Special mention needs to be made to the driving in this game, which is very strange. Players don’t push down on a gas pedal, but instead adjust the car’s speed up and down, and the result is vehicles that feel extremely unnatural and clunky to navigate.

In the end, the gameplay here isn’t terrible, but it’s definitely not great. Nothing in the gameplay is especially novel, and while the game draws inspiration from some of the greats of the genre, the execution is frequently clunky or ill-advised. However, there’s nothing here that makes the game unplayable. Mostly, it’s a tolerable element of the game that gets you from one odd moment to the next.

Odd, strange, weird, unnatural, bizarre… these are all words that can be read as negative, but to some they are absolutely positive, and while Deadly Premonition is clearly a deeply flawed game, it is also one that is absolutely overflowing with personality. This is an “experience”, although it’s not an experience everyone will appreciate. And the Switch is possibly one of the worst ways to appreciate it, truth be told. However, if you’re looking to experience something truly surreal and unique, Deadly Premonition on the Switch still has all of its… er… charm? And those who don’t have another platform to play the game and want to experience this strange train wreck for themselves, the Switch version will still deliver that “experience”.

tl;dr – Deadly Premonition Origins is an Open-World Horror game that is notoriously strange in a “so bad it’s good” way that has earned it a cult following. This is not a game for everyone, and even those who enjoy it may be better off getting another version. However, while this game’s terribly outdated visuals, unusual sound design, and kooky cast of characters find their way onto the Switch in a port that’s not very good, it still retains the game’s infamous personality and charm, which may still be worth a look for Switch owners with a taste for the offbeat and bizarre.

Grade: C

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