Siren: Blood Curse To be Released Episodically Via PSN

Found out something interesting today. Siren:Blood Curse is going to be released episodically via PSN.

From what I gather, the Japanese version will come packed via a Blu-ray disc and divided into a series of twelve episodes available from the PlayStation Store, each containing parallel scenarios for multiple playable characters (seven characters in total). The game will be hitting Europe this summer, but at this time a US release date has not been forthcoming. Hopefully, we will learn more about it when Gaming Today invades E3 next month.

In the meantime, PlayStation.blog had an interesting Q&A session with the game’s creator Keiichiro Toyama, where he discussed his reasons behind releasing it episodically instead of in a more traditional format and he also went into great detail on what to expect from the game. Will it be more action oriented or more intent on scaring your pants off? Here is a small excerpt filling you in on just some of these details.

When asked about his unorthodox approach to how Sire: Blood Curse will be released, Toyama stated:

“We were able to present the game more like a dramatic TV show in a way that hasn’t been done before. I also hope the episodic structure will give players the sense that they are participating in an event.The approach we took in the previous games was to present events much like a documentary presenting a piece of a bigger truth. The new episodic nature required more structure, and also helped to step up the overall quality of the final product.

The unorthodox approach to storytelling was motivated by trying to present a story in a way that only games could do. Replaying the same event while seeing it unfold in different ways is something I feel is an inherent characteristic of video games, so I wanted to take that unique element and weave it directly into the story itself. In Siren: Blood Curse, “Sight Jacking” has been redesigned to be split-screen, allowing the player to see through multiple points of view at the same time. Now, players are free to move while “Sight Jacking”, giving the game a much more active tempo than it had before.”

Toyama also made an interesting point about how survival-horror games have evolved over the years, and what his motivation was to get Blood Curse back to what survival-horror is all about:

“A lot of survival horror titles in recent years have been focusing mostly on just the action element, while Siren: Blood Curse puts a lot of its effort into scaring the player and presenting a rich story. I think Siren: Blood Curse can serve as an example of the diverse range that games are capable of expressing. A good horror title has to make the player feel like they are directly involved in the terrifying events taking place, and that requires realism. I think you’ll understand just how much realism can enhance horror when you see Siren: Blood Curse.”

To read the rest of the interview, hit the link below.

Via: PlayStation.Blog