Siren [PS2]

Can't Japanese villages get a break? Is there one single sleepy mountain town that isn't cursed by some age-old ritual involving twins, sacrifice, or unreasonable late fees on video rentals? After decades of abuse, Siren, Sony's first serious foray into console horror, is taking yet another settlement to task. But this horror is a bit slower and a lot more effective than most gaming scares, thanks in part to killer presentation and a few new tricks.

This time, the unfortunate events take place at a settlement called Hanuta. 27 years ago, it played host to an unspeakable act, and now the events are being repeated. The result? Hanuta is surrounded by a sea of blood, drenched in rain, and newly populated by shambling creatures called Shibito. Only a handful of people survived "The Act, Take Two" -- players get to control almost all of them, often armed with only a flashlight and their wits.

Superficially, the game's most unique aspect is an ability called sight-jacking. At any time, a quick press of the button lets you tune a character's perception to view the world through the eyes of nearby friends and foes. The left thumbstick does the tuning, which rewards you with a new perspective when pointed towards another character. In between each sightline is loud, jarring static.

Thankfully, sightjacking is much more than a novelty -- it's the basic storytelling currency. At least half of what you learn about Hanuta is gleaned by patiently watching through other characters' eyes. 'Jacking also cranks up the tension. While looking for a so-called safe place, players who do a quick scan will often see themselves dead center in the eyes of a murderous Shibito. The sounds these fiends make are nasty and disquieting. Combined with the static and sight-jacking, these noises would be enough to make Siren a pretty cool experience.

There's more at hand than just that new ability, though. The story takes place over a three-day span, and is broken into 78 small episodes. Each chunk of narrative and playtime is organized on a link navigator, a spreadsheet display of all the characters and the events that bring them together. The story jumps back and forth in time, but thanks to this well-designed system, there's little confusion.

Unlike almost any other horror title, Siren is a game that requires near infinite patience. The run-and-gun method will get the hot-tempered player nowhere. Sure, many levels have a fairly simple path to traverse, but the devil's in the details, and fully exploring Siren requires a lot of watching. Without sight-jacking each Shibito to learn their routines, escaping intact becomes terribly difficult. It's just as important, though, to pay heed to what attracts their attention, since those are the items and waypoints that you'll need to hit along the way.

Since so much of the game is spent passively looking through the eyes of enemies, it's easy to assume that the oppressive atmosphere would become routine. That's not the case, though, thanks to stellar sound design, and the fact that you're always in danger. Shibito are vigilant and quick, and fighting them should be a last resort. More often than not, a close encounter with any Shibito will have you bracing for a restart. There are guns and a few other weapons, but most are of limited use, able only to squeeze a few more breaths out of a deadly situation.

Consequently, it's no surprise the controls are so deliberate. Some would call the system unwieldy, since you turn slowly, and reactions can seem sluggish. While aiming is tough, point blank shots will typically get the job done. Interacting with the environment is accomplished through a set of submenus that may seem like a lot to deal with for simple actions. But the whole idea is to look, listen, and think before finally acting. Unfortunately, the downside is that you'll replay many missions quite a few times to get everything right.

Once acclimated to the system, Siren works surprisingly well. For one, the speed enforces a thoughtful approach to each area. Many missions can be cleared fairly quickly by finding a path and simply racing through. But do that, and you'll miss nearly every sub-objective and the pickups that'll greatly help later on. Fortunately, the link navigator allows for quick access to any past mission for replay. And unlike every other horror series ( Fatal Frame being the exception), the tension and sense that you could expire at any time never lets up.

Like most survival horror, Siren is a fine-looking affair, and it's certainly best played in a fully darkened room. Most areas are only vaguely lit, and though your flashlight can stave off darkness, it also attracts Shibito. This means that much of Siren is seen through a night vision haze. Hanuta is the product of thoughtful design and is stocked with great detail, though some of the natural areas are a bit blocky and camouflaged by the low illumination.

The game-engine cutscenes (and most of the character movement) are the product of heavily rotoscoped motion-capture, and, as a result, Siren features very lifelike movement. Cutscenes in particular are expertly directed, with great physical acting from every character. If only the same could be said for the voice acting. It's not bad per se, but the game was originally localized for the UK, and the English accents are severely misplaced, distracting, and often unintentionally funny. There's no excuse for not using subtitled Japanese audio in a game so dependent on atmosphere. (Hey, maybe The Passion Of The Christ will prove that subtitles don't prevent financial success.)

Make no mistake -- Siren is a demanding game. It requires a specific mindset and approach to hurdle the gap between simply playing and really enjoying it. This isn't a game for the twitchy or easily distracted. But get into Siren's head and you'll find a singular horror experience that keeps its teeth in your neck from start to finish. Anyone who loved The Ring, Juon, and similar fare will be right at home. No other game has captured the spirit of new Japanese horror the way Siren does.