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Forbidden Siren 2 Mini Review
Chris Leyton
06/08/2006
A genuinely unique experience lurks behind the customary fog of obscurity...
Keiichiro Toyama's 2003, Forbidden Siren, provided compulsion and frustration in equal doses; a highly disturbing take on the survival/horror genre with a genuinely innovative approach to design, the only problem being that you had to force your way through a wall of obscurity to find it. Whether a conscious decision to leave the player in a constant state of incomprehension, or simply a case of something lost in translation, Forbidden Siren left you questioning a lot even before you'd started the game properly!
Undeterred by a somewhat muted reception, the man behind the original Silent Hill is back, with a sequel that aims to improve upon the many failings but hopefully not at the risk of sacrificing what was an engaging, highly atmospheric and genuinely spooky game at times.
Set on the isolated island of Yamijima, the story begins when a group of characters are washed up onto the shore after their boat is caught in a violent tsunami that literally turns the sea red! Unbeknownst to them, 29 years previously the inhabitants of the island mysteriously disappeared, when an underwater electricity cable snapped and plunged the island into darkness. The events of that ill-fated night remain a mystery to the present day.
Assuming the roles of an eclectic cast of characters whose entwined storylines are played out at intermittent periods, Forbidden Siren 2 once again presents a tangled plot for players to unscramble. Progress through the game jumps between various timeframes and across several different characters - it's as though Tarintino fancied a stab at J-Horror at times! Thankfully this time around the 'Link Navigator' is of far more use, highlighting which scenes need to be played to activate others and providing a vague semblance of form to the deliberately erratic and perplexing nature of the game. Opening up new stages still requires an ambiguous sense of logic, performing random actions such as turning on a certain light or picking up a particular item, often apparently unrelated to the stage you've opened and certainly without much of a clue.
Despite the obscurity that still lurks beneath Forbidden Siren 2, the team have worked hard to ensure the experience is a little more forgiving. A smoother learning curve and an abundance of tips ease the introduction, but perhaps the biggest gift is the appearance of checkpoints to ease the single-most frustrating aspect of its predecessor. It's probably still not enough to satisfy the instant gratification that most gamers demand, but it's undeniably easier to get into for those looking for something to plug the gap until Resident Evil and Silent Hill make a return.
Often without the safety that a pistol or rocket launcher brings, Forbidden Siren 2 builds a sense of foreboding tension much like its predecessor, where the emphasis is on remaining undetected, hiding out of sight and running for your life if you do get discovered. The Shibido (zombies by any other name) return from the first game, and remain a constant threat throughout each stage because of their inability to die. This time around you'll also have the Yamibito to contend with, though a flash of the torchlight in their general direction is often enough to see them on their way - aided by the addition of a somewhat twitchy first-person perspective.
The return of the series primary feature, the Sightjack, is the most valuable tool in many of the character's repertoire. Essentially tapping into the realms of telepathy, Sightjacking allows certain characters to visualise the view of nearby characters, to discover the patterns of patrolling Shibito or uncovering a clue to solving a particular problem; such as observing the code of a locked door. The concept is undeniably fitting and helps to increase the sense of tension, as you witness yourself being tracked down and attacked; but despite a handful of improvements, the overall implementation can still be frustrating concept at times. Realising that the player needed a little more assistance, the Sightjack now provides an immediate alert when you've caught the attention of a Shibito and additional options to automatically target the closet opponent. The process of tracking down and storing opponents, however, is still a clunky matter, providing a troublesome barrier that players must overcome.
Where you have to give credit to Toyama-san and his team is their determination to stick to their guns and deliver a largely unique experience. Although Forbidden Siren 2 is undeniably a more accessible game than its predecessor, the balance of stealth and survival/horror mechanics coupled with the reluctance of the Shibito to actually die and the lack of weapons, results in a tough but highly charged experience. In many ways the team have actually dared to push the boundaries further with extensions of the core features, some of which work whilst others fall slightly short of the mark. Taking control of a blind man sounds like an intriguing concept for a videogame, particularly one with a horror theme; however, the execution of taking control from the viewpoint of his guide-dog is significantly flawed, where success is a matter of luck as much as skill. One of the strangest introductions is the appearance of vehicles, which provide an effective means of mowing down the Shibito and solutions to puzzles such as accessing higher grounds.
Creating the right sense of atmosphere is crucial to a good survival/horror, something that Toyama-san knows only too well. Hauntingly disturbing cut-scenes are brought to life with video footage being mapped onto character faces, whilst the general bleak, low-key visual style works effectively throughout the entire game. Fortunately this time around the game doesn't contain the most ill-suited voice acting we've ever heard, ditching the quintessential British accents for something a little more fitting. Like many games in this genre, Forbidden Siren 2 greatest use of audio, is knowing when not to use it, a clever use of sound that will ensure you've got the lights switched on at all times.
Hidden by gameplay complexities and a plot that jumps around for the sake of it, Forbidden Siren 2 can seem like a self-indulgent piece of work, at times. But on the other hand, in creating a sense of tension and bewilderment in a considerably different manner, Toyama-san and his team have once again struck the core elements of a good horror.
The focus on a micro scale, repetitive scenes and subsequent action, or lack thereof, may not be to everybody's taste; but what could be a pretentious yarn for some could be one of this years' sleeper hit for others - just don't be too concerned if you haven't got a clue what's going on.
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