A sequel to the psychological horror classic Deadly Premonition will be coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2020. Originally released in 2010 and developed by Access Games under the direction of Hidetaka "Swery" Suehiro, Deadly Premonition saw players taking on the role of Francis York Morgan, an FBI agent who was tasked with investigating the murder of young girl in the small American locale of Greenvale, Washington, in a Twin Peaks-meets-Silent Hill story involving strange townspeople, serial killers, and repressed tragedies.
The first Deadly Premonition was praised for its dedication to a living, breathing environment which included businesses that were only accessible during certain times of the day and the need for the player character to eat and sleep, but was critically derided for poor controls and clumsy combat sequences. The game's reaction can best be described as "mixed," with some reviewers giving it the highest score possible upon release while other outlets such as IGN awarding Deadly Premonition a lowly 2 out of 10, but soon after release a small community of dedicated fans formed around the title, and they have been hoping for news of a sequel for nearly a decade.
Titled Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise, the sequel was announced via the latest Nintendo Direct which also featured new information on Animal Crossing: New Horizons and an announcement confirming Overwatch on Nintendo Switch. With auteur director Swery still at the helm and now being developed by Toybox Inc. and published by Rising Star Games, A Blessing in Disguise will arrive in 2020 as a Nintendo Switch exclusive, with a release on other consoles coming at a later date. Swery himself posted the following trailer on Instagram, which shows off some gameplay including boat action sequences and skateboarding.
A port of the game, now called Deadly Premonition: Origins on the Nintendo eShop, is also available for players who want to brush up on York's career before the sequel arrives next year. While details of A Blessing in Disguise's plot will surely twist and invert as the game moves forward, right now it appears a new detective, Aaliyah Davis, has reopened the investigation players previously helped York to solve, meaning the original game's plot will probably factor heavily into this new story. Swery also hints at some sort of time travel mechanic in which players will travel 14 years into the past, which sounds like the usual level of strange to start with for a Deadly Premonition game.
It's surprising to see Deadly Premonition return after so long away, and a welcome addition to a gaming landscape that at times can feel stale and repetitive. Although Nintendo's console is not the graphical powerhouse the PS4 and Xbox One can be, the Switch has surely cemented its necessity in any player's living room by now with consistently exciting exclusive titles and fan favorite Star Wars games, and adding this upcoming horror mystery only sweetens the deal.
Source: Instagram(swery65)