I’ve been a die-hard survival-horror fan for most of my life. As far back as my early teens I was well acquainted with Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Clock Tower, Fatal Frame, Eternal Darkness, etc. There is one title that eluded me. In fact, I’d never even heard of it on any website or magazine. I only stumbled upon Siren when I found it in the bargain bin at Walmart 10 years after its release. I picked it up and thought “cool cover”. Seeing as it was only 8 dollars, I figured, why not?
Siren is stealth-survival-horror, created by Keiichiro Toyama, best known as the director of the original Silent Hill. Taking place in the fictional village of Hanuda, Siren tells the story of several characters in an interconnected narrative. The village is isolated, distrusting of outsiders and largely run by cult members of the Mana Religion. One day, the cult was in the process of performing ritual sacrifice- A student named Kyoya stumbles upon them and interrupts the ritual. This results in the village being absorbed into another worldly state of existence, where time and reality seems to be in fluctuation surrounded by a sea of red water.
There are several playable characters, who for the most part, play identically. While they are all able to pick up and utilize weapons if they’re available, there are some differences. For example, physically stronger characters are able to move objects and break down obstacles, while the weaker characters can sneak around and squeeze through more narrow spaces. The sole exception is the character Harumi; she is only a child and must rely solely on stealth.
Siren’s mechanic’s are largely centered around stealth and item collecting. Controls are responsive but wonky. A massive irritation is the character’s slow speed when climbing high ledges. They will take their sweet time, and if hit by an enemy, they will collapse to the ground like a sack of potatoes. One of the central gameplay mechanics is the ability to “Sight-Jack”. This allows you to see through others’ POV, allies and enemies alike. This can be utilized in a number of ways, such as seeing if the coast is clear or watching an enemy fiddle with a lock to steal the combination. The absolute bane of this game’s existence is the escort missions. The game is clunky enough to deal with one character. Trying to balance controlling one character while also keeping a companion alive, with them being useless at defending themselves, is a nightmare.
You do have weapons at your disposal but some are much more useful than others. A crowbar is going to be much more handy than an umbrella. Firearms are also obtainable, but ammo is scarce. The lock on for the pistol is effective, but requires to be in danger-close proximity. The rifle is much more powerful, but the aiming is very flimsy. Enemies known as Shibito, can be incapacitated briefly, but not killed. While some stay knocked down longer than others, it’s always temporary. That being said, try to avoid direct confrontation whenever possible. I recommend taking the stealth route. In most horror games, such as Silent Hill, all the player would need to acquire items is approach, examine, and be prompted to pick it up. In Siren however, the player will approach and only be given a description of what it is. The player must examine, press triangle, and then click the option to interact. This is just a poor design choice.
One of the most irritating aspects is the game’s method of progression. Inspecting a locked door in one mission is what will be needed to have that same door unlocked in another character’s level later on. For a first-time-playthrough it might seem unclear but I suppose it does make sense. Other requirements can feel much more arbitrary, such as knocking over a stone so a character in a completely unrelated location can light a lantern. The game will loop endlessly until all objectives are unlocked. The game offers hints, but these are often vague. Another thing to note is every level has an A and B mission, meaning you play through each level twice. This might seem like a bit of an unnecessary gimmick to stretch out the game time.
Where Siren rings the loudest is in its atmosphere and presentation. Other horror titles of the era such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill were very much western in setting. Siren, with its themes of spirituality and folklore, is unmistakably Japanese. J-Horror was immensely popular in the late 90s and early 2000s and the series creator wanted a game to reflect that. The characters have an uncanny look and feel to them. Instead of traditional motion capture, the actor’s faces were photographed and pasted on a 3-D model. The enemy creatures are some of the most disturbing and bizarre looking I’ve seen. They start out looking generic and corpse-like, then eventually mutate into some of the most abominable looking monstrosities- the contorted cricket Shibito or a mortifying flying nightmare, with disgusting insect wings protruding out of its head. The music is haunting and eerily soothing, almost as if you were prancing through a haunted flower field. Where this game really falls flat is the voice acting. The voice over work was localized in the UK and is hilariously bad. Hearing the characters speak hokey lines with a British accent is what turns a play-it-straight horror game into a cheesy B-movie experience.
With all that being said, Siren is an out-of-the-box game with a lot of substance. As much as I love this game, this is most certainly not for the casual player. It has a high difficulty, a steep learning curve, slow pace, wonky controls, poor voice acting, unnecessary retreading of levels and vague requirements to complete objectives. However, its artistic presentation, mythos, lore and quirkiness are what have elevated Siren into a certified cult-classic. While initially overlooked, it has been rereleased on every Sony console and even got a shout-out from Astro-Bot. It’s awesome that this game is available to a new generation, but I really can only recommend this to hardcore survival-horror fans. Tread lightly, don’t drink the red water and resist the call.
Much obliged,
Fil Zahnko
Verdict: 7/10