Forbidden Siren (also known in North America as simply, Siren), released in 2003 and was a strange beast. A J-horror-survival game with a tight learning curve, laughable voice acting, and a very vague progression system. Even with all its shortcomings, it managed to become a cult-classic, with an enduring popularity throughout the years. Seeing a resurgence of interest in Siren, Sony decided to bring new blood into the series. Released episodically (what a bygone era) in 2008, Team Siren would bring us, Siren: Blood Curse.Â
The story, while similar to the original, is largely reimagined. A TV-documentary crew has traveled to a supposedly abandoned village of Hanuda, only to stumble upon a cult in the middle of a ritual sacrifice. The interruption of the ritual has led to the village being absorbed into a netherworld, crawling with creatures, known as Shibito and surrounded with red water. To appeal to a western audience, Blood Curse features an almost completely different, mostly American cast. Characters from the original have essentially been combined, renamed or omitted all together.
The original Siren has its charm, but objectively, it’s very bloated and can overstay its welcome. Blood Curse effectively trims off all the fat. The original game’s level progression was confusing and drawn-out. If you missed a requirement for another stage or mission, the game would endlessly loop until it was unlocked. The link navigator in Siren had the player bouncing around in various times and locations. One of the biggest annoyances I had with the original were the tacked-on secondary missions- complete unnecessary padding to stretch out the game’s length. Thankfully, these features have been dropped in favor of a traditional narrative layout and this game is significantly shorter in length.
Gameplay is vastly improved. The fixed camera angles are ditched for an over-the-shoulder perspective. The combat in the original was functional but about as smooth as a floor covered in thumb tacks. Wielding weapons is much more responsive and taking down enemies is considerably easier. Gunplay in the original was just outright bad. The pistol was effective, but only at close range while the rifle was just awkward. Firearms in Blood Curse can actually be aimed down and fired effectively. The sight jacking feature is present, but is much more downplayed; in most missions you can get by without it. The now dated motion controls are utilized, for instance, when knocked down, the player must shake the controller up and down until the character gets back on their feet. It’s not awful, but I was never a fan of this design choice in any game. Getting lost in the original Siren was a common occurrence. Thankfully, in Blood Curse, a map and objective marker make traversing and accomplishing missions much less of a hassle. While the game does control smoother, it can still feel a tad flimsy at times. The player may turn too soon, missing the door or corner and get tackled by the enemy. This makes the camera feel a little floaty. The over-the-shoulder view can be counterproductive. In the original, the angle would shift when walking toward an object of importance, signifying you’re supposed to pick it up. Blood Curse’s camera is a permanent fixture and this can cause items to blend into the surroundings.
Graphically, Blood Curse has that slick Sony PS3 look. While the characters are mostly American, the setting and atmosphere is still very Japanese. Locations are very rustic and dilapidated. The blood stained walls, dim-lighting and static filled TV sets are what paradoxically make this dead village look and feel alive. The uncanny character facial expressions in the original are gone in favor of a traditional character model and design. Admittedly a better choice for a modern title, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss it.
Blood Curse is a solid and approachable reimagining. Unlike the original, this is a title I can recommend to casual players. I would actually suggest newcomers play this one first over the original. While this game was positively received, it is sadly, as of now, the last we’ve seen of this series. While it has been dormant for close to 17 years now, the original Siren and Blood Curse are some of the most easily accessible titles in the Playstation catalog. Hopefully, a new title isn’t out of the question, and the blare of the siren will be heard again. Grab a flashlight, sight-jack the Shibito and once again, don’t drink the red water!
Much obliged,
Fil
Verdict: 8/10
Kathleen Rosales
Impressed. How?
Pansy Cloutier
thanks