Video games - Siren

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	Video games - Siren

Siren is a survival horror/stealth game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 console in 2003. The game details the story of several characters (most of whom are playable) trapped in an old Japanese village over the course of three days. This game was released under the title Forbidden siren in Europe.

Story

Siren is set in a remote, rural Japanese mountain village named Hanuda, which is characterized as being very traditional and particularly xenophobic. A mysterious ritual ceremony in the forest has been interrupted, resulting in an immense earthquake. The village now teeters wildly between time and space, with an infinite sea of red water replacing the surrounding mountains. A distant air raid siren draws the village's inhabitants into the sea, and they emerge as Shibito (literally, "dead person" in Japanese). The story is told through the perspectives of several different characters, some of whom are natives of Hanuda, and is presented out of chronological order over three days in which the mystery takes place.

The main crux of the story centers around the efforts of Hisako Yao, the leader of a local religion, to resurrect or re-awaken an Alien being known as Datasushi, through an occult ceremony. While Datasushi is undisputably alien, the methods used to ressurect it, and the effects of it's presence seem to be supernatural in nature. The Siren of the title is the call of Datsuishi, summoning the undead residents of Hanuda to immerse themselves in the red water surrounding the village, thus creating an army of subordinates. These Shibito then go about building a nest to house the physical form of the God once it is summoned, and are dedicated to killing and converting any living humans left in Hanuda.

Umi-Okuri and Umi-Gaeri

The effects of exposure to the 'Red Water' which surrounds the village and runs through the streams and rivers of Hanuda will kill a human being (Since the Red Water replaces the blood of the victim), bind the conciousness of the person to their body and reanimate it. This perverse half life enslaves the person to the hive mind of Datasushi as a Shibito. The Shibito retain some Root Memory however, as displayed by the farmers still trying to till the land despite the ravaged nature of the earth, and Shibito snipers dressed in hunting gear, who were obviously once woodsmen. These Shibito are considered 'Half-Shibito'. For them to become full Shibito, they need to take part in the ceremony of Umi-Okuri. According to the religion of Hanuda, this involves entering the waters of the Mana River to cleanse themselves of sin. Since the Mana River was seen as the boundary between the physical world and the spiritual world, those who took part in the Umi-Okuri were considered to have become closer to God. The Umi-Gaeri was the return from this cleansing, and on return, those who had taken part were considered to have been born again.

In the game itself, Half-Shibito are called into the Red Water surrounding the village, by the Siren, and return mutated into different forms (See: Shibito for more). The mutated forms of the Shibito vary according to the person partaking in the ceremony, but all the mutative forms can be seen as the 'true' forms of Shibito, their human bodies twisted and deformed out of all former recognition. However, not all Shibito heed the call of the Siren and complete the Umi-Okuri and Umi-Gaeri. Some refuse to bend to the will of Datasushi and are doomed to wander the netherworld of Transformed Hanuda, slowly rotting, having been rejected by The God. The transformation into a Half-Shibito is an involuntary response caused by exposure to the Red Water. The Umi-Okuri and Umi-Gaeri ceremonies however, are acts of willing contrition, demonstrating that a Shibito is dedicated to the cause and worship of Datasushi.

Gameplay

Siren is a departure from traditional survival horror games in multiple aspects. It usually relies on a follow-behind third-person camera, and is divided into several stages that are passed by completing primary and secondary (unlockable) mission objectives. Hanuda is divided into ten sublocations, and a detailed map (including start and end points) is available in every stage depending on the particular sublocation. However, while the player's directional orientation is highlighted, there is no indication of their current position within the map.

Unlike most survival horror games, Siren places tremendous emphasis on avoiding direct engagement with enemies (in this case, shibito guarding each stage), to the point where it can be considered "stealth-horror." The player can walk slowly, avoid the use of flashlights, or crouch behind objects to avoid detection. Certain mission objectives involve the use of items and the environment to create distractions that will displace shibito from their usual positions (the player can also shout at any time in order to lure shibito). Depending on the stage, the player either begins with a weapon, obtains one during the course of the stage, or lacks it completely. Weapons can be either blunt objects (pokers, crowbars, wrenches) or firearms (pistols, rifles). While shibito can be defeated in combat, they cannot be killed and will reanimate after a period of time, briefly remaining on alert. Similarly, if the player is injured, he can also recover after a period of time.

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Video games - Siren

Story

Umi-Okuri and Umi-Gaeri

Gameplay

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