Having featured Siren in our recent coverage, Deborah Mars, Producer at SCEA shares her insights into this unique take on the survival/horror genre. Interview conducted by our man, Joel Szerlip.
We have a total of 99 screens for this game.
Hello, thank you very much for doing this interview with us here at Darkstation. First may I ask you to give us a brief introduction of what Siren is all about? What new gameplay concepts or technology features does the game offer?
One of the most unique features in Siren is the ability to Sightjack, which allows the player to see through the eyes of other characters. By using the L2 button and moving the left analog stick - like the old days of tuning into a radio or TV station - you begin to see who and what is out in the environment around you. Since it is often dark and hazy and rainy around you, it is often difficult to see one step in front of you, and you don't want to get caught off guard and get attacked by the shibito, or "living dead." You'll definitely rely on using Sightjack feature…or face the consequences!
How long has Siren been in the developmental process?
The development time for Siren was a little bit more than 2 years.
Could you give us a rundown on the characters involved in the game?
There are ten (10) different playable characters in Siren. Each one of them are present in this mysterious village of Hanuda for different reasons, and they have different motivations. Just as an example, there is a student named Kyoya Suda, who read about the strange incidents that happened in Hanuda over the Internet, so he decided to go to the village to check things out for himself. There is also a professor, Tamon Takeuchi, whose parents disappeared from the village mysteriously more than 27 years ago. He has come back to Hanuda, accompanied by one of his students, to try to learn what happened to his parents. There is also an old hunter, Akira Shimura, who has lived in the village his whole life and seems distraught over why so many strangers are invading the town.
How does Siren differ from other titles in the Survival/Horror genre?
There is no "schlock shock" in Siren...no typical splatter horror that you see and experience so frequently in other games in this genre. You will not get very far in Siren just by button mashing and killing as many shibito as possible. In fact, most of the time you may not even have a weapon to defend yourself against the shibito. And if you are fortunate enough to even have a weapon, like a handgun, use your bullets wisely because you do not have unlimited ammunition.
So you need to play it smart. You need to use the limited tools that are available to you -- certainly a weapon if you have one -- but most importantly, use the map and your ability to sightjack. So much of getting through Siren relies on strategy and stealth...and carefully planning your next move so you don't get spotted by the shibito. Also, sometimes you may be fortunate to have a companion with you, but keep in mind that they can also prove to be your greatest liability.
What games have influenced Siren? And in what ways have they done so?
There were many different inspirations for Siren - not just games. The team was strongly influenced by Japanese horror animators such as Junji Itoh and Daijiro Morohoshi, for the plot and mystery part of the game. The idea of having numerous characters and interweaving stories was influenced from the Japanese novels "Shiki" and "Battle Royale." Also, the idea of unique story development where events do not proceed in chronological order comes from "Juon," a movie which will be released in Hollywood shortly. Finally, structure hints where facts emerge indirectly from various newspaper articles were taken from Stephen King's "Carrie."
What is your favorite aspect of Siren?
What attracts me most about Siren is the way that the fear builds slowly…and how it becomes almost palpable and real. This game is scary, and for me, this is definitely not one of those games I'd like to play alone, or with the lights off.
What's been the most difficult factor in the game's production?
Quite honestly, there were many challenges with Siren because our goal was to make a totally new horror adventure unlike anything that gamers had seen or experienced before. But if we were to give a few of the more significant challenges, they would be: (1) trying to create and establish a uniqueness and strong identity of the game location, where the game is set in the countryside of Japan; (2) the overall framework of the plot and story, where the story unfolds with many characters and short chapters; and (3), last but not least, the realistic visual images made from actual scenery and human models.
Who do you expect the game to appeal to?
The game will appeal to those who certainly enjoy the horror genre, but we feel that the game has much broader appeal as well due to its extremely compelling story and the unique way that it unfolds over time and through the perspectives of so many different characters.
What aspect of the game are you most proud of?
There are so many aspects of Siren that we're proud of - everything from some of the unique features like Sightjacking, to the photorealistic presentation of the environments and characters, to the way the story is presented and represented in the Link Navigator, and overall, how well the team worked together toward a common goal and vision and making Siren a reality.
Could you sum up for our readers why they should go out and purchase Siren?
Heart-thumping-don't-play-alone-keep-the-lights-on kind of fear.
If you could change anything about Siren, what would it be, and why?
Overall, we're really quite pleased with how everything turned out.
