Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise Review: More Niche Than Niche

By ZD

     Deadly Premonition 2 is the sequel to one of my top favorite games of all time that was so niche I just didn't think it was going to happen. Deadly Premonition has a dedicated cult following despite being a pretty broken game with cheesy writing and acting, but there was something indescribable about the charming presentation and delivery that made some people really love it. On the opposite side of course it was met with a plethora of bad reviews from professional journalists, but in an industry where the Call of Duty franchise is constantly showered with good to great scores, we of course can only trust gaming journalists so much. A reservation you may be having yourself as you read this very review.

    The game takes place in two timeframes, in Boston, Massachusetts 2019 with rising FBI special agent Aaliyah Davis looking into loose ends regarding an allegedly solved case and in Le Carré, Louisiana 2005 with FBI special agent Francis York Morgan. Therefore the game is effectively a prequel (1 year before) and sequel (14 years after) simultaneously to the first Deadly Premonition. Aaliyah's section are more based on dialogue and interrogation, whereas York's sections reflect more similarly to the first game, with its major differences of course.

    The first thing I noticed was the graphical change in the game, not because the game came out 10 years after the first game, but a stylistic change. Things look more cartoony and shaded more like Swery's other game D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die. It takes a little while to get used to, especially if you just recently replayed the first game like I did shortly before the announcement of the sequel, but its nothing awful, just noticeably different. A majority of the music is brand new to fit the very different setting of Louisiana, but for some sections, memorable music from the first game sees its return. The final drastic change I will mention is you go from driving a car in the first game to riding a skateboard everywhere in this game. York explains why in an early cutscene and you begin to hope you get a car later on after hearing that, but you never do. If you ever complained about the way driving felt in DP, prepare to miss it after a short while on the skateboard here.

    Aside all that, the game itself feels like Deadly Premonition. From the mission types, to your on-foot movement, to the shooting (minus a new mechanic when you are in the red world), to the way you solve each mission (for the most part). You switch between completing missions to advance the plot that sometimes leads to investigative sections, action/shooting sections in the red world, and traveling around the town on your skateboard (with option missions to get better on your skateboard). This type of at home feel is nice and makes getting into the game a little bit easier as opposed to if you've never played the series at all. I can't believe I actually get to call Deadly Premonition a series. They do introduce a new voodoo charm system (because Louisiana) to increase your attributes which helps a bit depending on what aspects of the game you are struggling with.

    One of the biggest faults of the game is there are a few missions with no clear method of completing it and unlike the first game that was pretty straight forward with its objectives, I found myself Googling the solution for 2 missions which is not something I readily do. In terms of narrative, its pretty good, there's a lot of plot holes but not ones that I would say I really am bothered to not get answers to. The story is weird of course, which is no surprise if you played the first game, but its a nice kind of weird and the twists and turns of the narrative leave you on the edge of your seat to find out what happens next especially by the end of each chapter. One of the characters is a bit problematic unfortunately due to the mishandling of them being transgender (deadnaming, incorrect pronoun usage), which is a shame because this was already an issue in the first game that Swery fixed by executing a trans character in another one of his games, The Missing, only to botch it again in this game. The game's story otherwise is intriguing and filled with tons of odd and interesting characters you meet and work with along the way. There's a lot of twists and turns and moments that keep you guessing or surprised and no spoilers, but I found the ending to be pretty busy, but epic, especially as a long time fine of the game. I didn't see any of it coming and loved it!

    Overall, the game is great for Deadly Premonition fans even if it isn't as amazing as the first game. However, if you don't like Deadly Premonition or haven't played the first game, this one definitely will not be for you. I really hope the game was received well enough to greenlight another entry because whether I play as Aaliyah or York or whomever, I am definitely always gonna be excited for more Deadly Premonition, especially now that I know its a possiblity!

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.