Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise has a release date, and it’s sooner than expected. The Nintendo Switch-exclusive follow-up to the cult favourite Deadly Premonition will launch on July 10 this year, Rising Star Games and TOYBOX Inc. announced today.
Acting as both a sequel and prequel, Deadly Premonition 2 takes place in present-day Boston, while also letting players travel back in time to visit the once-peaceful town of Le Carré to investigate a serial murder case. In the present, Agents Davis and Jones begin an investigation into the Le Carré case, assisted by the memories of former FBI Special Agent York (who returns from the first game).
Noted for its Twin Peaks-inspired surrealism, the first Deadly Premonition is the game that really put Suehiro “Swery” Hidetaka* on the map. Swery returns as writer, director, and game designer on Deadly Premonition 2, so you can expect a similarly bizarre adventure. Case in point: one of the main ways of getting around Le Carré, as an FBI agent, is by skateboard … which you can upgrade “for improved speed and the ability to perform more difficult tricks”.
Related reading: If you need another slice of surreal Swery brilliance to tide you over until Deadly Premonition 2, don’t overlook The Missing: J. J. Macfield and the Island of Memories. Here’s our review.
For those wanting to catch up with the series before A Blessing in Disguise comes out, Deadly Premonition: Origins is half price on the Nintendo Switch eShop until May 17 (at least in the regions where it’s available, which, sadly, doesn’t include New Zealand). Deadly Premonition is a famously divisive game, in part because its particular brand of surrealism doesn’t land well with everyone, and in part because of gameplay that some found very clunky, even by 2010 standards—though that clunkiness adds a lot to the atmosphere of the game.
A “Director’s Cut” version of Deadly Premonition came out in 2013, sporting updated controls, enhanced visuals, and new story scenarios. The Origins release is based on that version in terms of controls and graphics, though it doesn’t have any of the additional stories (for reasons beyond Swery’s control).
Any sort of sequel was something Deadly Premonition‘s fans had mostly given up hope for, until a surprise announcement during a Nintendo Direct broadcast last September. Today’s Deadly Premonition 2 release date announcement is the first we’ve officially heard about it since that reveal, so the 10 July date is much sooner than I was expecting—not that I’m complaining.
*Note: As much as possible, we at Shindig try to use Japanese name order, which puts the family name first. In Suehiro Hidetaka’s case, “Suehiro” is the family name.