Reviews: SIREN: Blood Curse

To me, good horror is about tension rather than simply grossing out the audience. A great horror game puts me on edge, makes me grit my teeth, and prompts me to lean with my character as I try to physically will the in-game camera to give me a slightly better view around an upcoming dark corner. Plenty of survival-horror games get this right, and plenty do it to the extent that I have to take breaks when the tension rides too high for too long rather than hitting me in more manageable bursts. So I’m really looking for two things: A game that instills tension, and one that maintains a pace that allows me to regain some level of comfort -- which in turn makes it a whole hell of a lot scarier the next time the tension rises.

The PSN-exclusive Siren: Blood Curse (downloadable for $40 in its entirety, or $15 per four episodes) nails both of these elements. Not only does Blood Curse contain some of the most tension-building moments I’ve experienced since Silent Hill 2 (my favorite survival-horror title ever), but it also nails the pacing. The array of different playable characters really allows the developers a chance to completely change the dynamics between levels -- in one, you might play as a large, capable fighter who wields numerous weapons, while in the next, you might be a completely defenseless child who must avoid enemies entirely. The approach is different enough that it never even bothered me to play through the same level twice with a different character -- which happens a lot.

The beauty of Blood Curse is its heavy emphasis on the player’s ability to sneak past enemies. You’re granted a "Sight Jack" ability that allows you to search a level for enemies and then see through their eyes. Fans of the original Siren will find this familiar, but for those new to the series (like me), it’s a dramatically unique mechanic that completely changes the way you play. Instead of trying to run to my goals -- avoiding enemies à la Resident Evil -- I found myself playing Blood Curse more like I would a Metal Gear Solid game; it wasn’t unusual to spend several minutes peering through the eyes of my enemies, plotting out the exact gap when I could rush past them completely undetected (especially when playing a character who couldn’t wield weapons). It’s quite rewarding and -- more importantly -- thrilling to sneak past an enemy who’s mere inches away.

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