Don’t Turn Out The Lights! “Siren” Unleashes a New Horror For PlayStation 2

by Louis Bedigian

“What makes this game so exciting, and scary, and different is that you really DO experience what it is like to be scared. Heart-pounding scared. Hold-your-breath scared. Keep-the-lights-on-and-don't-play-alone scared.”

It’s coming for you.  It could be a giant spider, or a genetically-altered alligator.  It could be a zombie, a ghost, or a beast that calls himself Nemesis.  It could be anything at all, and that’s what makes a survival/horror game scary.

When the unknown becomes the known, the scary feeling is diminished, and all you feel is a sense of familiarity.  What’s scary about being chased by a monster you’ve killed a million times before?

It happened with movies, and now it’s happening with games.  Unlike filmmakers, however, game developers are more creative in the realm of creepy things.  They’re more determined, and are given more flexibility to test out new concepts.

One of the latest and most clever concepts comes from Sony in the form of Siren.  The name doesn’t sound too creepy (not that Resident Evil or Silent Hill did), but wait till you hear the game’s twist: you have the ability to see through the eyes of the undead.  Producer Deborah Mars explains how this works, and how the game puts the horror back into survival/horror.

Siren is said to be capable of raising the heartbeat and create a true sense of suspense and fear in the player.  Could you give us an example of how the game accomplishes this – how it strikes fear in the player?

Deborah Mars: One of the most unique aspects about Siren is that it is not going for cheap thrills. What makes this game so exciting, and scary, and different is that you really DO experience what it is like to be scared. Heart-pounding scared. Hold-your-breath scared. Keep-the-lights-on-and-don't-play-alone scared. The fear is palpable, but like most emotions, it is almost hard to put into words. Really...how do you convey to someone effectively what fear feels like? It is almost impossible.

There is almost a psychological change that happens, where as the player, you gradually become immersed in the environments and characters...the sounds you hear are unfamiliar, the surroundings are dark or foggy, and you're desperately trying to see one step ahead of you and find your way out, or survive against the shibito (or, living dead) who may be lurking around the corner.

The fear builds slowly, and intensely.

For example, you might be playing as one of the characters in a particular environment and just after you think you have sight-jacked all the shibito and know exactly where they are...then all of a sudden your screen flashes red, and this indicates that you have been spotted by one of the shibito.

You could have been strategic and stealthy about every move you had made up until this point...but right then and there, you know that you have only a few options: run, run and hide, or try to fight and defend yourself against their attack.

Also, as the story unfolds and as you learn more about the characters you're playing and interacting with, you begin to feel more attached to them. One of the characters in a certain scenario may turn into a shibito in a different scenario and seeing what happens to them certainly is scary...you know who this character was before...before they became shibito.

What is the game's story?  What occurrences make this a survival/horror title?

DM: Siren centers on the remote Japanese village of Hanuda and its inhabitants. From the onset, we quickly learn that something has gone very wrong during the ritual of a very mysterious ceremony, and the village becomes encircled by a sea of red. The inhabitants begin to change, and no longer appear to be human...they have turned into shibito, or living dead.

The story unfolds as you play ten different characters, each of whom is in Hanuda for different reasons, and each is fueled by different motivations. For example, Kyoya Suda, a student, read about the strange incident at Hanuda over the Internet and decided to go check it out for himself.

Another character, Tamon Takeuchi, is a professor who lost his parents in a mysterious disappearance nearly 30 years ago and has returned to the village to try to learn more about what happened to them. Others are there just trying to survive...and that is the ultimate goal of the game: to survive against the shibito -- who may be watching your every move – and to make your way out of town alive.

How does the story develop?  Via journals?  And does the game use real-time movies, CG sequences, or both?

DM: As mentioned before, you begin to learn more about the mystery of the village and its inhabitants by playing ten different characters. There are story elements that connect these characters, and you can see how this is played out and graphically represented via the scenario link navigator. Certain actions one character takes may influence later consequences for another character(s). Additionally, along the way you pick up Archive items, and these items -- ranging from journal entries to magazine articles to *very* strange artifacts -- are extremely important, as they provide additional clues about what happened to Hanuda and its residents.

What role does music and sound play in the game?

DM: The sound design is excellent and plays a major role. You can hear your own footsteps and those of someone else ? which will really freak you out if you're not expecting it. Sometimes the sound the shibito make is frightening and creeping, laughing, crying, general googly sounds, and you can hear them when you are sight-jacking them which is even creepier. Additionally, because the environment is so chilling -- misty, dark, hazy, rainy – the sound contributes even more so to an aura of isolation and solitude...of being alone and afraid in a totally unfamiliar, foreign environment.

Talk about the gameplay.  We've all experienced the Resident Evils and Silent Hills of the world – what does Siren bring to the table?

DM: There is no "schlock shock" in Siren...no typical splatter horror that you see and experience so frequently in other games in this genre. You will not get very far in Siren just by button mashing and killing as many shibito as possible. In fact, most of the time you may not even have a weapon to defend yourself against the shibito. And if you are fortunate enough to even have a weapon, like a handgun, use your bullets wisely because you do not have unlimited ammunition.

So you need to play it smart. You need to use the limited tools that are available to you – certainly a weapon if you have one – but most importantly, use the map and your ability to sight-jack. So much of getting through Siren relies on strategy and stealth...and carefully planning your next move so you don't get spotted by the shibito. Also, sometimes you may be fortunate to have a companion with you, but keep in mind that they can also prove to be your greatest liability.

Should we expect a familiar control scheme?

DM: It is extremely important to know how to move in Siren. Characters have the ability to walk, run, and crouch...which comes in very handy when you do not want to attract attention to yourself with shibito nearby. You'll rely heavily on the Action menu (accessed via the Triangle button) to interact with objects in the environment, and you'll be able to use weapons (again, if you're lucky to have one) by using the R1 button and X button.

You'll become fast friends with the L2 button. You will use this to enter/exit sight-jacking mode. Sight-jacking is the ability to see through the eyes of others. When you sight-jack you can see through the eyes of the shibito...you see what they see...(and you can save their viewpoint by
assigning to any of the face buttons), and in doing so you can see how much they pose a threat to you. For example, you'll be able to determine if they might have a weapon or not, or if they are looking in your direction...but most importantly, you see can where they are and try to determine your position based on where they are located.

You have a map (accessed via the Select button, but it does not provide you with any information about where you or the shibito are located...so sight-jacking is absolutely essential to the game. You definitely wouldn't want to take one step without first sight-jacking to see what or who is out there. Also, it is important to monitor the shibito's patterns...where they walk, where they are looking...so you can sneak past them at opportune moments without being detected. Sight-jacking might also help you locate an Archive item, too.

Are weapons a part of the experience?  There are some games (like Fatal Frame) that created another way for players to vanquish evil...

DM: As mentioned before, not every character is fortunate enough to have a weapon...and the weapons that you do have are limited. You do not have endless amounts of ammo, so shots must be taken wisely. You may pick up things along the way -- like a pickaxe or crowbar -- that you can use as a weapon, too. But the most important way for you to vanquish evil is to use
the map and sight-jacking. Be stealthy and try to outsmart the shibito, outsmart their maneuvers, and you may just get out alive.

Survival/horror games are known for coming up with the most clever, "I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner"-style puzzles.  Does Siren have any like that, and if so, could you share an example?

DM: For the most part, Siren is a world where you have to rely on your instincts, your intuition, your own sense of how you might behave if placed in a similar situation. In this way, Siren becomes very much like an alternate reality. The world of Siren is itself a puzzle – what happened to this town and its inhabitants? why am I here? how do I survive? – and you are forced to trust yourself (and perhaps those with you?) to survive. It is extremely important to realize that sometimes the best way to get from place A to place B (starting point to ending point on the map) is not necessarily the shortest route. In order to accomplish your mission, you may need to take a longer, more circuitous path...but it could end up be much, much safer.

 

Thank you for your time.