Written by Anthony L. Cuaycong
Title: Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise
Developer: Toybox
Publisher: Rising Star Games
Genre: Adventure, Action
Price: $49.99
To argue that the release of Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise on the Nintendo Switch comes as a surprise would be an understatement, and not just because it's a full decade since the original first hit store shelves. Deadly Premonition was an unusual survival horror title that played around with perspectives a la David Lynch, and the technical issues that plagued it on both the Sony PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 didn't help. Evidently, it wound up gaining enough of a cult following to enable director Hidetaka Suehiro to follow through on his vision of blending humor, pop culture, and no small measure of the supernatural via a follow-up title for the current-generation hybrid console.
The result, perhaps not surprisingly, is dependent on initial expectations. Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise should be right up the alley of those who viewed its predecessor as transcendent. They're certainly buoyed by their experience, because it wastes no time introducing series protagonist Francis Morgan, who's now much older and battling not just an illness, but likewise a faulty memory, particularly as it relates to his investigation of a murder in rural Le Carré, Louisiana 14 years prior. Meanwhile, those without any knowledge of the source material will find themselves struggling to kee their interest in more ways than one.
Which, in a nutshell, is unfortunate, because Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise rewards the effort put into completing its 20-odd hours of gameplay. To be sure, not inconsiderable patience is required; even with the patches, it suffers from issues that belie its $49.99 price tag. Loading takes a while on occasion, and frame rates drop to near-insurmountable levels when the screen gets too busy for comfort. The wonder is that it shouldn't suffer from the aforesaid concerns since its video and audio presentations hardly push the envelope.
Through all these, though, Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise manages to earn its keep because of its refusal to be anything but true to itself. Its B-movie predilections are, if nothing else, deliberate, in a clear nod to everything that made Deadly Premonition work. Gamers out to play safe and tread the beaten path should stay away. Meanwhile, the more adventurous and willing to dab into a heady mix of noir and the surreal steeped in character development will find it worth their while.
THE GOOD
- Stays true to its roots
- Laced with offbeat humor and pop culture references
- Heady mix of noir and the surreal
- Outstanding character development
THE BAD
- Still not big-free even after patches
- Outdated graphics
- Significant frame drops
- Long load times
- Calendar-based trigger events lead to occasional bouts with ennui
RATING: 7.5/10
