Halloween Special: Deadly Premonition

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a very special article. In today’s outing, not only will we be discussing a video game, a form of media that we have yet to discuss here on the sight, but the game in question is one very near and dear to my heart and happens to fit a Halloween theme. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our discussion of Deadly Premonition.

Originally released during the early days of the Xbox 360 in 2010 but later ported to the PlayStation 3 with added content in 2013, Deadly Premonition represents a unique take on the survival horror genre, introducing nonlinear gameplay, an open world and other elements not typically featured in other games of its type. While it is not an especially noteworthy game that can claim mainstream popularity alongside games like Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid, it has nonetheless become something of a cult classic in recent years. Why is a matter we’ll be getting to in the body of the article, but I feel I should get something out of the way in regards to why those that enjoy this game, or at least why I personally enjoy it. You see, mechanically speaking, Deadly Premonition is a terrible game. The controls are clunky and frustrating, the pacing of the story is abysmal bordering on nonexistent and the frame rate is complete garbage. In short, no one who likes Deadly Premonition likes it for its gameplay. No, the real appeal of this game comes from the exciting story, the endearing characters and the surreal strangeness inherent in both.

So what is the story of the game? Well, to better explain that, we’ll have to visit another work, the short-lived yet very popular TV series from David Lynch, Twin Peaks. Twin Peaks told the story of a quiet town out in the boonies that was forever changed by the murder of a girl named Laura Palmer. To help solve the crime, FBI Agent Dale Cooper is brought in to assist. Throughout the series, the show became less about the mystery of Laura Palmer’s death and more about the lives of the citizens of Twin Peaks and the strange aspects of themselves that they hide from others. I mention Twin Peaks because a cursory understanding of that particular work will greatly aid in one’s understanding of Deadly Premonition as much of the game was inspired and in some cases has been accused of directly ripping off Twin Peaks. Despite the game’s director, the eccentric Hidetaka Suehiro, or Swery65 as he calls himself, claiming that any similarities are simply coincidence, the influence is too obvious to be ignored. Much like in Twin Peaks, Deadly Premonition opens with the murder of a young girl of the town of Greenvale, Anna Graham, her body having been found mutilated and pinned to a tree in a ritualistic fashion. To the end of bringing Anna’s killer swiftly to justice, the Greenvale Sheriff’s Department has no choice but to call in help from the Federal Bureau of investigation.

Enter Special Agent Francis York Morgan (please, just call him York), the game’s main character and hands down my favorite protagonist in any video game I’ve ever played. That’s right, more than Mario, more than Mega Man, more than Commander Shepard, Solid Snake, Kratos, Sonic the Hedgehog and especially that fucking son of a bitch Duke Nukem (he knows good and well what he did) the hopelessly endearing Francis York Morgan is my favorite video game hero in the entire history of the media. While he is obviously based heavily on his Twin Peaks counterpart Dale Cooper, as were many other characters including Fox Mulder of X-Files fame (David Duchovny actually had a minor recurring role in Twin Peaks as a transgender woman) there’s certain qualities to York that stand out to the player that make him feel like his own unique character. York has a suave coolness reminiscent of Rod Serling, detective skills and an unyielding stoicism to rival Batman, a set of personality quirks that make The Mad Hatter look like Mitt Romney by comparison and perhaps most surprising of all, an encyclopedic knowledge of movies that surpasses even my own. Incidentally, during what would otherwise be long, boring driving segments as one navigates the town, you instead get York ranting on about his love of movies with the same enthusiasm of Patrick Bateman discussing Huey Lewis and the News. Among the most prominent and most important of York’s personality quirks is his relationship with his supposedly imaginary friend, Zach. Throughout the game, even when in the presence of others, York will often discuss details of the case with Zach and when asked about it responds only with “That’s a private matter.” (More on Zach later but for now, we need to move on.) York’s introductory scene is perhaps my favorite in the game and immediately sets the tone of the story that’s about to unfold as well as gives you a hint as to the character of our protagonist. As some upbeat jazz music plays, we open with York, driving down the road at eighty miles an hour during a rain storm, typing on his laptop in the passenger seats, smoking, and talking on his cell phone, apparently giving a lecture on the nature of inter-dependency and how it relates to Tom and Jerry. Then, in what is easily the least strange thing to happen over the entire course of the game, York crashes his car into a tree. Then, after crawling out of the now upside down mangled heap that was once his Ford Mustang, York’s only reaction to this event is to calmly light a cigarette and shrug his shoulders, completely un-phased. After that, York decides to walk the rest of the way to Greenvale, fighting zombies along the way. By the by, the zombies are never explained. They appear several times throughout the course of the game, and are definitely seen by characters other than York, disproving the speculation that much of the game’s supernatural elements are all in York’s head, but are never spoken of nor acknowledged outside of the segments in which they appear. But finally, York reaches Greenvale.

Now, if I were to go into detail about all the colorful characters you encounter in the town of Greenvale, this article may not see completion until next Halloween, so, as such, we’ll be limiting the discussion of the denizens of the town to only the plot critical characters whom we’ll be discussing as they become important. First up, we meet Emily Wyatt, a police officer who greats York upon his arrival. Emily is kind hearted and friendly but has a difficult time adjusting to York’s personality quirks. Despite that though, the two eventually bond over the course of the investigation and eventually start to fall for one another. York and Emily’s romance isn’t exactly the strongest aspect of the story, but the two are still very sweet together. Next up is George Woodman, the town sheriff. George was against the idea of bringing in outside help for this investigation, and he’s not shy when it comes to letting know that. Still, while George is very rough around the edges, he is still willing to cooperate with York, and even later opens up to him about his abusive childhood. Together, the trio examines Anna’s body where we learn two vital things about the mystery. First, that mysterious red seeds were found in Anna’s mouth, which links this case to several similar ones that York has following. Second, that whoever the killer is, they’re preying upon the townspeople’s superstition. See, in the town of Greenvale, there’s an old urban legend of a killer who wears a red raincoat and wields a long handled axe. Because of this, the people of Greenvale almost never go outside when it’s raining, and the murders only seem to occur when it’s raining.

Now seems as good a time as any to discuss some of the more unique gameplay mechanics of Deadly Premonition. As time progresses, you the player are responsible for York’s day-to-day necessities. If you do not eat, York will grow weak and his health will deplete. If you do not sleep, York will grow tired. If you do not shave, York’s facial hair will grow and he’ll appear unkempt. If you do not wash your suit, it will start to stink and York will be followed by a small swarm of flies until he changes. Managing all these elements can seem tedious and frustrating, but I personally appreciate how it makes York, as well as this world, feel all the more real.

Continuing the story, York continues to familiarize himself with the people of the town, including Thomas McLane, a sheepish deputy in the Greenvale Sheriff’s department who has both a strange obsession with squirrels and a tattoo on his back that denotes his love for someone who’s name begins with the letter G, his sister Carol, a bar owner and singer, Usha Johnson, the town doctor who fancies himself a chess master, and finally, Harry Stewart, a wealthy eccentric wheelchair-bound conspiracy theorist who wears a gas mask and has his manservant who communicates only in rhyme speak for him. Harry, incidentally, is one of the few residents of Greenvale old enough to remember the events that originally inspired the tale of the Raincoat Killer. However, out of all the strange individuals York encounters during his time in Greenvale, perhaps the most significant is Forest Kaysen. Forest Kaysen is a traveling tree salesman who frequents Greenvale during his rounds. Kaysen certainly seems a friendly sort, perhaps a bit too friendly at times, but he seems mostly harmless. However, this Peter Griffin looking fellow in a pair of overalls is clearly more than he appears, especially when you consider the fact that the trees he sells are grown from the same sort of red seeds found in Anna’s mouth.

As the investigation progresses, the Killer strikes a few more times, each with the same MO, and each time, York and the others get closer to the truth. However, when York hits a dead end, he turns to Harry for more information. Harry reveals that the original Raincoat Killer murders were the result of government experiments in the 50’s. It’s not explained especially well, but the gist of it is that the government released an experimental gas on the town that caused everyone to go into a murderous rage, Harry’s own father having been the original killer. And still, the common thread that connects all of these events are the mysterious red seeds.

Ok people, before we go any further, I need to make sure I give this warning. In order to further elaborate upon what makes this game what it is, I need to spoil the ending, and obviously, to do so, I must provide spoilers. So, if what I have said above has convinced you to play the game and you plan on playing it in the future, I would highly recommend turning back here. You have been warned. So, up until a certain point, the main story of the game has followed a certain pattern. York goes around, questions the townspeople, goes through another zombie shooter segment, another girl gets killed, York finds another clue, lather, rinse, repeat. But from here on, things start to go a little off the rails. By the time York talks to Harry, Thomas has gone missing and there are several signs pointing to him being the killer, particularly his lack of any alibis for the murders. Well, after York’s business with Harry is concluded, Thomas resurfaces and actually manages to kidnap York. The player takes control of Emily to hunt Thomas down, and finally confronts him in the town clock tower. We also learn that Thomas is a cross dresser and apparently despises Emily for stealing away the love of “him.” The boss battle with Thomas is actually really exciting. A clock tower is a great setting for a fight, and here it’s utilized to great effect, as Thomas leaps around on the spinning cogs and swings on a chain. The ending is also delightfully gruesome as Thomas lands face first on a hook.

So, we stopped the killer, saved York. You’d think it’d be game over right? Wrong! Thomas may have been deeply disturbed, but he wasn’t the killer. No, the real killer is the man Thomas loves, the man who was present when each woman died, the man who’s name begins with the letter G, the sheriff, George Woodman. George has been periodically consuming red seeds because he believes that they give him god-like powers. As such, Thomas and his sister started a cult dedicated to him and the victims were all his worshippers. But, George has his eyes on one major prize, the love of Emily. After Emily is injured by Carol, who attacks shortly before her death, York leaves her in the care of Kaysen as he goes to confront George. York and George’s final showdown takes place on the roof of the police station and the scene is perfectly staged. Before they come to blows, York and George have something of a battle of wits and their dialogue is excellent as York is completely un-phased by George’s psychotic ramblings. However, it seems George’s assertions regarding the red seeds as when he consumes them, he transformed into an enormous monster. After a difficult fight, York emerges triumphant.

So, the killer has been defeated, the case has been solved, now you’re probably thinking it’s game over, right? Wrong again! See, George was indeed the killer, but there was someone else pulling the strings. Someone has been behind everything, George becoming the killer and the original massacre in the 50’s. The man who’s been selling the red trees in the first place, Forest Kaysen, you know, the guy who York left Emily with… whoops.

So, it’s time for the final showdown, for really real this time as York confronts Kaysen in the town hall. Now without a reason to hide, Kaysen is now gleefully evil, laughing maniacally at how hopeless York’s situation now is. While it’s never explicitly stated, we also clearly learn that whatever Kaysen is, he is not human, a fact that makes his making out with the unconscious Emily all the more disturbing as he reveals his long, inhuman tongue. What’s worse, Kaysen has planted one of his trees in Emily’s body. It’s nothing short of horrific to see Emily with blood drenched tree growing out of her, made all the worse by the implication that Kaysen had to rape her in order to get the seeds to sprout. As Emily begs York to kill her and end her suffering, York can’t bring himself to go through with it, and for the first time, we see York visibly distressed as he turns to Zach for help.

It is here that we learn the real secret of York’s relationship with Zach. As it turns out, Zach isn’t imaginary at all, York is. As a child, young Francis Zach Morgan witnessed his father kill his mother and then kill himself (we later learn that he was manipulated by Kaysen). The trauma was too much for the child to cope with, so his subconscious created York as a coping mechanism. That explains why nothing ever phases York, because his very existence is predicated upon being able to cope with fear and trauma. When we finally meet Zach, we see that while he and York are similar in many regards, the two are polar opposites in many others. York is stoic and rarely gets worked up, Zach is highly emotional, York is brave in the face of danger, Zach is cowardly and unsure of himself, etc. Ultimately, York is the person who Zach wishes he were strong enough to be. However, by confronting his inner torment, Zach has eliminated his need for York. Despite this revelation however, Zach is still unable to bring himself to kill Emily. Instead, Emily takes her own life, confessing her love for York as she dies. As her light fades, Zach gets a vision of Emily walking into a forest to join the other victims of the raincoat killer where she is joined by York. Zach and York say their goodbyes to one another and now, all that remains is to finally confront Kaysen. The final showdown with Kaysen is a long one, with Kaysen taking increasingly monstrous and grotesque forms as the fight goes on, but in the end, with a line reminiscent of York, Zach finally destroys Kaysen, bringing the curse of the red tree to an end.

As a game, Deadly Premonition is enjoyable if not a bit frustrating, but as an experience and as a work of fiction, it is nothing short of incredible. Many of its fans and critics alike have described Deadly Premonition as “so bad it’s good.” While that’s not an unfair assessment, I prefer to think of it as “too weird to be bad.” The game revels in it’s strangeness, to the point where I didn’t even touch on half the quirks and oddities of this game. It’s easy to get sucked in by the characters and the story. If you’re in the mood for something to play this Halloween and want an experience you’ll never forget, this may be the game for you.