Shoot from the Hip – Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise

Good day dear readers and welcome to the second edition of my ‘Shoot from the Hip’ series where I take a game or anime and attempt to convey my feelings about it in around 500 words. Today’s piece is on 2020 ‘survival horror’ game Deadly Premonition 2, so let’s jump right in and see what it’s all about!

In 2020 I wrote a long piece on the first game in the Deadly Premonition series so thought it would be interesting to put together my thoughts on the sequel. If you know much about Deadly Premonition you will probably be aware of how divisive the series is, but if you haven’t played either of the games you may not know why so let’s take a look.

What you need to know

Title: Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise

Year of Release: 2020

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Developer: Toybox Inc.

Director: Hidetaka Suehiro (aka Swery65, aka The drinKING)

Genre: Er… Deadly Premonition? I think it is its own genre but Wikipedia lists it as survival horror…

What’s it about?

We head back in time to a small town in Louisiana with Special Agent Francis York Morgan as he revisits an old case which has taken on particular significance in the present day. Initially on vacation in the area, the murder of a teenage girl see’s York getting his FBI on and gathering evidence, investigating locations and getting to know the fascinating local community, as well as doing odd jobs like fixing showers, learning to skateboard and getting his suit dry-cleaned. You become embroiled in the politics of the town, get to know the world’s most messed up family and from time to time delve into the mysterious ‘otherworld’ where you fight demons and find clues to the case. It is super weird, super dark and super hilarious.

Should you play it?

I really don’t know. In the same way as the first game it is very broken. It is a total pain in the ass to control, the survival aspect is non-existent and the combat is absurdly easy. The frame rate and loading times are still pretty bad even after a few patches. In other ways though it is something of a masterpiece. It isn’t part of the ‘so bad it’s good’ camp, it’s just that some things about it are terrible and other things are brilliant.

The characterisations are genius, with the majority of the game’s large cast sticking in the mind long after you’ve finished playing. The interactions between York and a young girl named Patti are particularly well done and lead to some truly hilarious scenes despite Patti’s prominent role in the dark story. The town too is wonderfully imagined, with frequent references to the intricacies of cajun and creole cookery just one of the elements which gives it a true sense of place. The music and voice acting are surprisingly good and make me wonder why so much care and attention wasn’t put into all aspects of the game. Whilst the faults will (quite understandably) be too much for some, if you have a bit of patience and an interest in horror, small town America and cult TV & film then this game definitely has a lot to offer.

Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise is out now on Nintendo Switch.

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So that is my quick-take on Deadly Premonition 2! Have I piqued your interest in the game? Or maybe you’re already a big Deadly Premonition fan and have your own thoughts? Either way let me know below in comments!

Thanks for reading,

Pix1001