Deadly Premonition is a survival horror game developed by Access Games and released in 2010. It was directed by Hidetaka Suehiro (Swery65) who also worked on Spy Fiction and D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die. The gameplay involves open-world exploration of the town and areas around Greenvale, as well as third-person shooter segments and puzzle solving. Despite featuring unremarkable graphics that can be unintentionally humorous at times and receiving mixed reviews, the game has developed a cult following for its detailed plot and charming cast of characters.
A screenshot of one of the zombies that appear in the game attacking Francis York Morgan.
Story
The game revolves around FBI agent Francis York Morgan as he investigates the case of the Raincoat Killer. After arriving in the town of Greenvale, York meets sheriff George Woodman, deputy Emily Wyatt, and officer Thomas MacLaine. York works with the trio to discover the identity of the Raincoat Killer, who has been murdering people in the town and filling their mouths with red seeds as a kind of twisted calling card. As reality begins to warp and bizarre monsters start appearing, York comes to realize that not everything is as it seems in this small, quiet town. York gathers information from the quirky townsfolk, some of whom are hiding dark secrets. More murders take place, all sharing similar traits of the initial killing. York begins to learn that there is a mysterious force cursing the town and causing townsfolk to go mad when it rains. As former allies begin to turn on him, York must use his psychic ability to recall events in the past to uncover the person responsible for the curse.
York talking to George Woodman and Emily Wyatt in the car. The cars at the police station can be used to travel around the town of Greenvale.
Trivia
The game was originally titled Rainy Woods. A trailer was released in 2007 at the Tokyo Game Show, which can be viewed below:
The main protagonist is named David Young Henning, and his model is different from York's in the final product. Also different are the two children dressed as angels that appear at the beginning of the game, who are shown as two twin short men in the trailer. The game appears to be influenced by the TV series Twin Peaks, and that influence can more clearly be seen in the beta trailer. For example, the aforementioned identical short men bear resemblance to "The Arm" character in Twin Peaks. The game, as well as Twin Peaks, both feature a federal agent investigating a murder in a small Washington town. A sequel to the game, Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise, was released in 2020.
