known as ''Forbidden Siren'' in the PAL region, is a
survival horror
Survival horror is a subgenre of survival of the players as the game tries to frighten them with either horror graphics or scary ambience. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical ac ...
stealth game
A stealth game is a type of video game in which the player primarily uses ''stealth'' to avoid or overcome opponents. Games in the genre typically allow the player to remain undetected by hiding, sneaking, or using disguises. Some games allow th ...
developed by Project Siren, a development team within
Japan Studio
Japan Studio was a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo. A first-party studio for Sony Interactive Entertainment (formerly Sony Computer Entertainment), it was best known for the ''Ape Escape'', ''LocoRoco'', '' Patapon'', ''Gravity Ru ...
, and published by
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...
for the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
in 2003. The game's plot revolves around an interconnected cast of characters that possess a power which enables them to see and hear what a nearby character sees. It was followed by a sequel and remake, a loose film adaption and two manga adaptations.
Gameplay
''Siren'' is divided into stages, each taking place in one of ten areas in the village of Hanuda, and organized chronologically in a table called the "Link Navigator". In order to complete a stage, the player must accomplish a primary objective that usually involves reaching an exit point, subduing
undead
The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated by super ...
enemies called ''shibito'', or finding an item. Objectives in different stages are interconnected via a
butterfly effect, and a character's actions in one stage can trigger a secondary objective in another stage.
There are miscellaneous items scattered throughout each stage that give the player further insight into the plot's background. Once obtained, these items are archived in a catalog and can be viewed at any time during the game's duration. The game's
player character
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
s possess a
psychic
A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, ...
power known as "sightjacking", which enables them to see and hear what a nearby Shibito or human sees and hears, and thus pinpoint its position, as well as gain knowledge of their activities and of the position of obtainable items. The clarity of each target depends on the distance from the player character. Once a point of view is located, it can be assigned to one of certain buttons of the controller to easily switch between multiple points of view. However, the player character is unable to move during use of the ability and is thus vulnerable to attack.
The game encourages the player to avoid Shibito rather than fight them. Characters can walk silently, avoid the use of a flashlight, and crouch behind objects to elude detection. Certain mission objectives require the player character to use items and/or the environment to distract Shibito from their activity, in order for them to achieve a goal. Others require the player to escort a
non-player character
A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster o ...
. Player characters can also shout at any time in order to get the attention of nearby Shibito. Within most stages, the player character can hide in certain places such as cupboards and lock doors to prevent Shibito from entering. When a Shibito hears a sound made by the player character, it will search in the direction from which they heard the sound. If a character is seen by a Shibito, the latter will pursue the character to kill them either with a melee or ranged weapon or by strangulation. The Shibito will also shout to alert other nearby Shibito. Once the character has remained out of the Shibito's sight for a period of time, the Shibito will give up and resume its usual habits. Weapons are available for the player throughout the game, ranging from melee weapons to firearms. While Shibito can be knocked out in combat, they cannot be killed and will reanimate after a short period of time. If a character is injured, they will eventually recover after a short period of time. Characters will also lose stamina during combat and while running, which will also naturally refill after a short amount of time.
Plot
The story of ''Siren'' is told through the alternating perspectives of ten survivors of a supernatural disaster in the (fictional) rural Japanese town of Hanuda (羽生蛇村, in the Japanese version) in 2003 (
Heisei
The is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Emeritus Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, ...
year 15). These events are presented outside of chronological order and deal primarily with the efforts of the viewpoint characters to both escape the town and find answers to what has happened in the three days immediately following the disaster.
Initially presented as being merely an earthquake the disaster is rapidly shown to be far more bizarre and wide-ranging. The majority of the population has become infected with an unknown affliction that appears to severely damage cognitive function, causing them to bleed from the eyes, become violently hostile on sight towards anyone not also infected and seemingly immortal, able to recover and heal from even the most grievous of injuries in a short time. All natural water sources and rainfall in the town have been replaced with a strange liquid (referred to as "Red water") and the town, previously located in a mountainous region deep inland, has become an island surrounded on all sides by an ocean of the red water with no other land in sight. Furthermore, multiple sections of the town appear to have been replaced with past versions of themselves with buildings destroyed by landslides 27 years prior, although derelict as if abandoned for decades, suddenly reappearing or replacing their more modern counterparts.
It is revealed over the course of the game that Hanuda, which is a strongly isolationist community due to historical religious persecution, follows a unique syncretic faith known as the "Mana Religion" that incorporates many Christian and Shinto traditions. The senior figures of this faith, in particular the nun Hisako Yao, had attempted to call forth and appease their god Datatsushi (堕辰子) through ritual human sacrifice of a girl named Miyako Kajiro who they considered holy for her psychic abilities. When Kyoya Suda, an outsider to the town who had arrived to investigate online ghost stories, accidentally stumbles on the ceremony, Miyako, unwilling to be killed, uses the momentary distraction he provides to flee the scene and causes the ritual to fail. It is this failure that creates the disaster, pulling the entire town into another world where space and time are severely distorted.
The eponymous 'Siren' of the title, heard regularly all across the town throughout the game's events, is the Datatsushi's call, compelling Hanuda's residents to infect and immerse themselves in the ocean of red water, thus creating an army of subordinates called . The shibito then go about building a nest to house the Datatsushi's corporeal form once it is summoned, as well as killing and converting any remaining humans left in Hanuda. Despite Kyoya being able to slay the Datatsushi at the end of the three days, the story concludes with only one of the ten viewpoint characters; elementary school student Harumi Yomoda escaping from Hanuda alive and returning to the real world, as she is the only remaining human in the town not infected in some way by the red water.
Development and release
Rather than employ traditional
facial animation
Computer facial animation is primarily an area of computer graphics that encapsulates methods and techniques for generating and animating images or models of a character face. The character can be a human, a humanoid, an animal, a legendary creatu ...
methods with
polygonal transformation, images of real human faces were captured from eight different angles and superimposed onto the character models, an effect similar to projecting film onto the blank face of a mannequin.
The game was re-released for the
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
on the
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network.
The store offers a range of downloadable content ...
. In June 2016 the game received a digital release for the
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
in NA and PAL regions as an
emulated
In computing, an emulator is Computer hardware, hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the ''host'') to behave like another computer system (called the ''guest''). An emulator typically enables the host system to run so ...
and
upscaled version of the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
original with added
Trophy
A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, in ...
support.
Reception
The game received "average" reviews according to the
review aggegration website
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
.
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
's reviewer Bethany Massimilla concluded that although the game had a great story, and interesting characters, it was also tedious.
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's reviewer Jeremy Dunham praised the originality of the concept, the use of Sightjacking, the graphics and the storyline, but criticized the difficulty level and the trial and error nature of the gameplay.
GameSpy
GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...
's Bryan Stratton followed other reviewers in praising the storyline and atmosphere, but criticizing the nature of the gameplay.
In Japan, ''
Famitsu
formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...
'' gave it a score of one nine, one seven, and two eights for a total of 32 out of 40.
Sequel and remake
''
Forbidden Siren 2
''Forbidden Siren 2'' is a survival horror stealth game developed by Japan Studio's Project Siren team and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. It is a sequel to 2003's ''Siren'' (''Forbidden Siren''). A film ins ...
'' was released in February 2006. The game tells the story of several characters who become trapped on Yamijima, an island off the coast of mainland Japan. A film based on the second game was released concurrently.
''
Siren: Blood Curse'' is the third installment in the series and was released in July 2008. The game is a
"reimagining" of the first game and it tells the story of an American camera crew's disappearance in a mountainous region in Japan.
The series was celebrated in the
PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, it was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North Ame ...
game ''
Astro's Playroom
''Astro's Playroom'' is a Platform game, platform video game developed by Japan Studio's Team Asobi division and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5. A sequel to ''Astro Bot Rescue Mission,'' the game comes pre-instal ...
''.
Manga
Sony published a manga series titled ''Siren: Akai Umi no Yobigoe'' (''Siren: The Call of the Red Sea'') which was based on the first game. The manga was drawn by Wataru Kamio and ran from July 2014 to December 2015 in Home-sha's ''Shinmimibukuro Atmos'' magazine. The manga was scheduled to move to an online format in April 2016, but due to the author's health complications, the manga was put on hiatus. The game franchise's director Keiichirō Toyama and scenario writer Naoko Satō were supervising all aspects of the manga. It was ultimately discontinued. In 2018, a new ongoing manga titled ''Siren: ReBIRTH'' was published to commemorate the series' fifteenth anniversary. It is written by
Saki Yoshi
Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), better known by the pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian era, Edwardian soc ...
and overseen by the development team of the games.
Notes
References
External links
*
Occult Land CollectionUrban Folklore Society*
at Hardcore Gaming 101
{{Siren series
2003 video games
PlayStation 2 games
PlayStation 2-only games
Psychological horror games
Single-player video games
Siren (series) games
Stealth video games
Video games about amnesia
Video games developed in Japan
Video games featuring female protagonists
Video games scored by Hitomi Shimizu
Video games set in 1976
Video games set in 2003
Video games set in Japan
Video games set on fictional islands