Rishabh Borde
Access Games’ 2010 title ‘Deadly Premonition’ is not a game that is universally loved. In fact, when the game first released it was derided by many for its unexceptional gameplay mechanics and loose controls. Commercially speaking, the game was a dud, managing to sell only 50,000 copies in North America within the first three months of launch.
However, despite all this, the game was also adored by many, so much so that a second ‘Deadly Premonition’ game is the most requested sequel in publisher Rising Star Games’ history. The fans’ wishes bore fruit in late 2019 when a sequel titled ‘Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise’ was announced. What can we expect from the new game a decade after the release of its predecessor? Read on to find out everything we know.
What is Deadly Premonition About?
The original ‘Deadly Premonition’ was borne from the ashes of Access Games’ previous defunct project, ‘Rainy Woods’. It used a lot of the same assets, just with a new story and gameplay design. The game is a survival horror video game presented from a third-person perspective.
Set in the open-world setting of a small rural town called Greenvale, the game follows FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan. Morgan arrives in Greenvale as part of his investigation of the dreaded Raincoat Killer, who is apparently responsible for a murder in town.
‘Deadly Premonition’ places quite a heavy emphasis on survival gameplay mechanics. York’s appearance and clothes need to be maintained or he could be fined for poor performance and he requires a certain amount of sleep and food every day to keep the gauges full.
York’s car also needs regular maintenance along with fuel to function. The world features a fully dynamic day/night system as well as a weather system that affects gameplay in a real way – certain interactions and side quests are only accessible at certain times of the day.
While at first, the story of ‘Deadly Premonition’ may seem like a simple whodunit tale, it also mixes things up with a significant supernatural element that sees the player periodically visit the subconscious Red Room and White Room.
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise Gameplay: What to Expect?
The upcoming sequel to ‘Deadly Premonition’ is titled ‘Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise’ and once again focuses on FBI Agent Francis York as the protagonist, at least partly. The game will feature an all-new story starring two different protagonists, two different cities and two entirely different timelines. The first protagonist is York himself, who returns from the first game.
However, ‘Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise’ follows events that occurred before the first game’s story, and, as such, is a prequel of sorts. York’s story is set in the city of New Orleans in 2005 as he investigates a case. The second protagonist is FBI Special Agent Aaliyah Davis, who reopens an old investigation during the year 2019 in the city of Boston.
The webpage for ‘Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise’ describes it as follows:
“In the year 2005, FBI agent York visits Le Carré, a small town in New Orleans where he encounters a mysterious serial murder case alongside his “friend” Zach.
Produced by the original creator team. The story takes place in a small town in New Orleans which was created based on research and interviews.“
The synopsis, as well as the trailer, seems to suggest that this person named Zach will feature front and center in the new serial killer murder mystery.
Just like its predecessor, ‘Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise’ is an open-world game presented from a third-person perspective. The first game was widely loved for its uniquely baffling sense of humor, despite being a horror game. Given that the new title is being developed by a lot of the same people, I’d expect a similar medley of comedy and horror vibes.
‘Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise’ is a wholly single-player experience with no multiplayer mode to speak of.
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise Developers: Who Are the People Behind the Game?
‘Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise’ is being developed by the Melbourne based Australian video game development studio, Toybox Games, and published by Rising Star Games. The studio was founded fairly recently in 2016.
Plenty of the original team from ‘Deadly Premonition’ return for the sequel including scriptwriter and director Hidetaka “Swery” Suehiro, and producer Tomio Kanazawa. The music for the game is composed by Satoshi Okuba.
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise Release Date: When and Where Can I Play It?
Although there is no concrete release date for ‘Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise’ yet, the game has been confirmed to be arriving in 2020.
‘Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise’ will be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch when it launches. Based on what the developer has said thus far, it is unlikely that the game will make its way on to other platforms.
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise Trailer:
You can watch the trailer for ‘Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise’ right here.
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