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| Source // PlayStation |
Spooky horror games aren't my thing, but Siren: Blood Curse intrigued me for its approach to the genre. I've got this PlayStation 3 title through a PS Plus subscription, where it downloaded a whole bunch of episodes, rather than an individual game. Is this game a wannabe TV serial?
Set in a mysterious Japanese village where all kinds of 'not right' is taking place, Blood Curse follows the story of a few characters episode by episode, giving players plenty of perfect opportunities to take a breather and gather their wits once more, and the game itself an opportunity to stand out in bite-sized chunks.
Could this horror game actually win me over, simply because it is presented in an unusual way for a game? Let's find out.
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| Source // PlayStation |
Frustrations
I said I've got Siren: Blood Curse, but it's more accurate to say I'm renting it for as long as I care to pay Sony £50 a year or whatever it is these days, and I haven't felt the need to do that for the first time in a long time.
I could, at any point, chip in some money to the pot to play Siren: Blood Curse again, or I could go by my notes, which make about as much sense as these screenshots. I'd be more entertained trying to remember what state of mind I was in while writing the notes, to be honest with you.
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| Source // PlayStation |
As you might expect, going into Blood Curse blind, my notes aren't the happiest. I complain an awful lot about the Thief-like levels of darkness that consume the first few screens as I, a teenage American lured here through an email, apparently, tries to escape from a zombie cop with a pistol.
I mean the cop has a pistol, and he's smart enough to use it, even as a zombie. I die at least once as I desperately try to find a way past him, down paths that are so dark it's a miracle I found them at all.
I hide in a shack as this cop shambles around looking for me. It is tense, it's dark and spooky, and I'm really hoping that I can run away from him at some point. Blood Curse has me a little hooked.
The professor in the middle is the ex-husband of the presenter on the right, who has an utterly ridiculous line of dialogue that goes along the lines of "Why are you still wearing glasses your ex-wife gave you?" I don't know, because I'm still blind enough to need glasses? Do you know how much prescription lenses cost? Are you an idiot?
Blood Curse isn't a stellar piece of writing then - and I can't recall anything about the writing other than that line - but through the darkness are some gameplay elements that are starting to grab my attention.
Fun Times
The most notable of which is the screen splitting in two and showing you zombie vision, allowing you to navigate the tight, dark spaces with some degree of comfort, knowing the thing trying to kill you isn't looking your way.
You can imagine the uses for this mechanic, and scouting out a route using mobile zombie cameras can help those of us who would otherwise run around the darkness in a blind panic and end up swiftly eaten.
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| Source // PlayStation |
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| Source // PlayStation |
Leaving the TV crew behind, I find myself in a small village - if it's even big enough to be called that - following a woman who has just introduced me to this sight jacking mechanic. I don't know/remember who she is, or who I'm even playing as at this point - these screenshots aren't representative of the exact level, I know that for sure - but I do note that Blood Curse feels like an early PS3 title.
I can't recall which game I mentioned this in, probably something like Heavenly Sword, but this game has controls that make the characters feel overly nimble and light, even if the animations they get up to are nothing of the sort.
It's as though the power of the PS3 is ripping the gameplay from the story, and making it painfully obvious that you're playing a game and am not being absorbed by the spectacle of the story.
I'm sure you'd get over it and get used to it, but while I was playing, I was always aware that something wasn't quite sitting right, and for once it wasn't my abysmal control over the situation - though that wasn't too far away.
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| Source // PlayStation |
Final Word
After a final note of 'Dual shock shaking isn't fun' - presumably the way you shake off a zombie that has latched onto you - I end my notes by writing 'An awkward, slightly clunkly game to play, but one that does interest, surprisingly.'
Blood Curse has my attention. Not enough for me to cough up more money to rent it again, but enough to be on my radar to watch an expert play, and for a horror game that's impressive.
It may look all shades of brown and darker brown and have so many visual effects that you may never be sure of what you're looking at, but I was genuinely caught off guard by Siren: Blood Curse, and that's great.
I don't think it's going to top any lists or become anyone's new favourite, but for something a little different and unusual, you could do far worse than Siren: Blood Curse. If there's ever a reason for me to resubscribe to PS Plus, I might just have to make sure to try it again - not that I expect to get anywhere further through it.
Fun Facts
Blood Curse is actually a reimagining of the first Siren game, fusing western characters with eastern settings in a new 'movie based on a real story' feel to ease new players into the spooky world of Siren.
Siren: Blood Curse, developed by Japan Studio, first released in 2008.
Version played: PlayStation 3, 2008.