Forbidden Siren Scares Horror Boffins

Sony Computer Entertainment took the initiative to ask some horror experts if they think Forbidden Siren is scary.

Forbidden Siren hit Japan last year after a much talked about debut at London's PlayStation Experience event and a playable showing at the Tokyo Game Show that followed. It finally hit UK shelves earlier this month, and will make its way Stateside on April 20.

The game is pretty scary, and to prove it, Sony have asked horror boffins what they think about it...

Sony explains, "both horror experts and psychologists are unanimous in claiming that video games, with their interactive nature and visual qualities, offer a new and exciting experience of horror. For Forbidden Siren, the development team has blended together the best elements of these trends to construct a psychological thriller capable of raising the heart-beat and creating a true sense of expectation and fear."

According to multiple award-winning horror writer and editor Stephen Jones, video games are the new medium that will enable horror to transcend traditional boundaries between the user and the horror story.

"Precisely because of their interactive nature, video games have the potential to be even more effective than other forms of horror. With books and films, the reader or viewer will always be looking in from outside as the story unfolds, whereas with video games the player can be the main protagonist and influence the outcome," explained Jones, editor of the annual Mammoth Book of Best New Horror series.

"PlayStation 2 has expertly adapted and improved upon the themes and concepts to be found in contemporary horror fiction and films, to involve the gamer in a truly haunting story. Films like the original The Ring (Ringu) and the more recent Dark Water (Honoguri Mizu no Soko Kara) have proved that you do not need buckets of blood to scare - simply a well-constructed, detailed story that captures the imagination of the viewer. Forbidden Siren achieves this and more by placing the viewer at the centre of a cleverly written and crafted mystery, where terror - although rarely seen - is always lurking in the shadows of the subconscious. It is a truly exciting development for the horror industry," continued Jones.

With a story loosely inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's nightmarish fiction and other classic works, the game places the viewer right at the centre of three days in a living nightmare in the fictional Japanese village of Hanyuda. Building upon atmosphere and creeping terror, Forbidden Siren immerses the player in a claustrophobic world of fear, mystery and suspense by focusing on background detail, setting and story, rather than the 'slasher-style' shocks traditionally seen in horror video games.

Whether it is actually the scariest game around, we're not so sure about - but stay tuned, as our full review is on its way.

Adam Doree
Director, Kikizo.com