Although rather short, "Siren: Blood Curse" has the quality to make it a scarily memorable experience.
The first thing "S:BC" gets right is setting. Hanuda is a remote Japanese mining village which has seemingly vanished from the earth. A brief precis is that an American television crew embark to find answers to the mystery of the village only to find the place very real, and the Shibito -zombiefied inhabitants- all too happy to treat themselves to their guests. Hanuda is as such a wonderfully rundown and creepy setting, dripping in the magical essence of survival horror, atmosphere. The fact that the seven characters you get to play often can only see a few feet in front of them because of the nighttime setting of many of the episodes adds to the sense of mystery and dissolution of the place.
The second thing the game gets right is its mix of playable characters. They include manly heroes such as biker-student Howard Wright, but also vulnerable characters such as Bella Monroe, a ten-year old girl, and her mother Melissa. Playing as these characters requires different approaches as to how to deal with the Shibito: the option of going in with a metal pole as a little girl is non-existent. Consequently, the game achieves a satisfying see-saw balance between aggression and the need to sneak.
Part of the sneaking part of the game -actually the main part- is Sight jacking, where the character is able to tune into the vision of Shibito, thus finding out where they are lurking. Doing this is essential to avoiding detection, as well as achieving the better scores at the end of the game (which reward not getting hurt in fights, etc.). Sight jacking is great because it enables a player to feel in control of events whilst paradoxically remaining aware that the tables could turn at any moment: it underlines how close to peril the character is.
Graphically, the game is a rewarding experience. The grimy and grainy look suits Hanuda perfectly, whilst the character models are excellently drawn and animated. The Shibito stumble about convincingly, and the more outlandish monsters have the ability to make the skin crawl. However, it must be pointed out the sight-jacked images are of a noticeably lower quality than the normal images, although this isn't a deal breaking issue. Sound-wise -possibly the biggest ingredient in a survival horror game- "S: BC" is replete with a devastatingly simple soundtrack, along with the demented sounds of Shibito and the ghostly howling of the desolate mining village. The desolate sounds create the impression of living in another world, cut off from civilisation: in other words, it's perfect.
"Siren: Blood Curse" is an excellent survival horror game, with a fine story and the creepiness and tension to back up its storytelling chops. The game's episodic nature and rather short duration perhaps detract slightly from the immersive experience, but it is still an excellent game which delivers a scary and balanced blend of stealth and action.