Deadly Premonition (2010)

(from Amazon.com)

Deadly Premonition is a third-person survival-horror-action game that blends gritty crime investigation gameplay, with a topnotch story and classic melee and ranged combat. Set across an expansive and persistent open world game environment filled with more than 30 non-player characters (NPCs), side quests and multiple types of deadly supernatural enemies, Deadly Premonition offers a unique and haunting interactive gaming experience unlike any other.

Story

Deadly Premonition follows the adventures of Special Agent Francis York Morgan sent to the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Greenvale to investigate the brutal murder of a young local beauty. Amidst the backdrop of soaring mountains and a town filled with eccentric natives, Agent Morgan must solve the mystery of the Red Seed Murders and stay alive in a place where supernatural creatures and a legendary folklore killer seek to end his investigation permanently.

Gameplay

Action in Deadly Premonition is split between investigative gameplay required to solve the series of murders that have been committed in Greenvale and combat tactics needed to survive the bevy of creatures that inexplicably lurk the town and its surroundings. The game features a persistent open world which the player in the role of Agent Morgan can explore at will, searching for clues and observing and/or interacting with non-player characters (NPCs). The game is populated with more than 30 NPCs, each with its own personality, backstory, etc. These townspeople are wary of becoming the next victim of the murderer on the loose, and one perhaps of being exposed as the killer. Because of the variety of NPC attitudes toward Agent Morgan and his investigation, as well as the persistent gameworld allowing them to have their own schedules which vary from hour to hour, players can stalk them, hoping to reveal clues, character insights and even side quests. Deadly Premonition also contains a wealth of horror-survival combat gameplay. As players crisscross the gameworld in search of clues to the murders, they will encounter dangerous, otherworldly creatures. Some of these like the zombie like “Shadows” can be dealt with using a variety of melee weapons and firearms available in the game, but players will also encounter the legendary axe-wielding fiend known as the “Raincoat Killer”. What if any connection is there between these creatures and the murders afflicting the town? That is up to you to determine. What is certain though is that they pose an immediate and very real threat to your survival, making players’ decisions whether to run or stand his ground crucial in each varying situation.