PS3
Written By Rob Davis
Episodic Survival Horror on PS3
Siren: Blood Curse is a survival horror stealth game unfolding as an episodic nightmare comprising 12 episodes, each lasting around 20 minutes, ensuring it doesn’t overstay its welcome. It serves as a reimagining of the first game, immersing players in the same setting where Siren on PS2 began. Shibito, the game’s antagonists, immediately pursue the player characters. The story alternates between characters from an American TV crew seeking to explore the paranormal. Chaos erupts as their curiosity leads them to witness a human sacrifice. They must discern whether someone staged these events or were actual paranormal occurrences.
The game offers numerous improvements to its mechanics, enhancing player engagement. Sight Jacking, looking much cooler than in the last few games, allows you to see through the eyes of both friends and Shibito enemies. While using various weapons can be effective against enemies and might make the game seem easy, rushing through it may diminish the experience by bypassing puzzles, collectibles, and architectural elements that add depth. However, that's just the explorer side of me speaking.
Sight Jacking proves incredibly useful in evading Shibito and navigating maze-like environments. A layered map helps with a stylistic approach to navigation, highlighting how Siren: Blood Curse retains the freedom of its predecessors without altering the core of its new version. This isn't so much a review as it is a recommendation: pick up this game and show the old Project Siren team some love. Games like this may not come around in the future.
After finishing my playthrough, I realized how awesome the soundtrack was, especially the final song set in the credits. This game never let me down in storytelling or sound design. With over 31 tracks, consisting of mostly throat singing and rock music, which, when done right, can be terrifying when you're playing in a dark room like I was. I'll leave it to you to experience it all for yourself. The sound design is fantastic and not overwhelming with noise but appropriately intense when necessary!
Gameplay-wise, Siren: Blood Curse resembles a blend of Resident Evil 4 and Metal Gear Solid, heavily focusing on stealth. The townsfolk chase you until you hide or escape, reminiscent of the gameplay dynamics. You can swiftly switch between first and third-person perspectives but don't expect the controls to be amazing at first. The game remains true to the series, offering initially challenging controls that become more manageable once you get accustomed to them. The inclusion of collecting archives and weapon logs adds a neat touch, providing the game with replay value after finishing it or while still playing. I felt each area of the game had its own soul and didn’t make me feel like it was reusing assets. Instead, it extended the world even more with color shifts and a perfect palette of dark brown and gray. This game should be ideal for people who love film-grain, low-color-tone movies like 28 Days Later and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
If you are a trophy hunter, this game lacks trophy support. However, this speaks volumes about how cool the game was because it never once crossed my mind to collect them. Allowing oneself to love old-school horror and reminisce about what we once had is the most important thing when playing Blood Curse. It was something special, and I refuse to let it be forgotten among other amazing horror games of our past.
In the end, I’m left wanting more. Siren: Blood Curse never made me feel stupid, marked things with yellow markers, or held my hand until the end. I felt accomplished, so that being said, give this game a shot, boot up your PS3, and have fun.
DEVELOPED BY:
Japan Studio (Project Siren)
PUBLISHED BY:
Sony Computer Entertainment
*This review has been lightly edited for clarity and was originally published in Issue #1 of Fearzine Magazine which was distributed in June 2024.
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StealthSurvival HorrorSirenPS3SupernaturalRob Davis
Rob Davis
Rob is a horror game and movie buff, and a software developer with seven years in games professionally. Crafting horror indie games solo has been his passion for most of his life.
