Siren will slowly creep into your mind and make you say, "I need a spare change of underwear!".
The story is about a group of people who have came to the small town Hanuda to try and get some information about the mysterious myth of The Siren. In 1976 a large Earthquake hit Hanuda, caused by a supernatural cult that worship the dark. The story is very deep and anyone that couldn't be bothered to listen and pick the story up shouldn't play this game, otherwise you'll be very lost. The village of Hanuda worship rituals to awaken a poweful force. The inhabitants of the village wade through red water and then become Shibito, zombie like creatures who sacrifice and kill any outsiders.
The range of playable characters in Siren is amazing. Every character has a different story of why they came to Hanuda, but each character ends up in the same situation. Wanting to escape with their lives and in some situations the truth. Here is a list of all the characters:
Kyoya Suda- A teenager who is fascinated by urban myths, travels to Hanuda to learn more about the Siren, but get caught by a group of Shibito.
Tamon Takeuchi- A teacher who teaches at Tokyo University and was born in Hanuda, but tragically lost his parents to a mysterious murder. He travels there with one of his students, Yoriko Anno, in search of what happened.
Yoriko Anno- A student at Tokyo University who insists in coming with her idol and teacher, Tamon Takeuchi, to help him solve the truth.
Kei Makino- He is a local priest for Hanuda's religion and is an identical brother to Shino Miyata.
Shino Miyata- He is a twin brother of Kei Makino, but shares a hatred fued with him.
Risa Onda- A small young adult who was born in Hanuda and comes back to visit her sister, Mina. She gets caught up in the horror that flows over town.
Mina Onda- She is not a playable character, but is Risa Onda's identical twin sister. She escapes from her grave as a Shibito and goes in search of Risa and Shino. She is arguably one of the most powerful Shibito in the game.
Hisako Yao- A Hanuda nun that looks in her twenties, but is well over 1000 years old.
Mayako Kajiro- A fourteen year old girl who is blind and was raised in Hanuda. The town hates her, due to her disabilty and she decides to help the survivours.
Reiko Takato- Reiko is an elementary teacher in Hanuda and when she lost her own daughter in her womb several years ago, she mothers a little girl called Harumi and will do anything to protect her from the Shibito.
Harumi Yomodo- Harumi is a ten year old schoolgirl who is protected by Reiko from the vicious Shibito.
Akira Shimura- Akira is an old man who lost his wife and son in the earthquake in 1976 and is desperate to put a stop to the ritual to ensure that it doesn't happen again.
Naoko Mihama- She is a young model and B-list celebrity who is currently doing a TV show called Occult Japan, and sets out to go to Hanuda. She is self centered and vain.
Tomoko Maeda- Tomoko is a teenage girl who was born and raised in Hanuda. She ran away from her parents in an argument, but when the Shibito arose she decided the best thing to do was get back to her parents and protect them.
Wow! That was a lot of typing. Yes, almost all of them are playable characters with different designs, so don't worry about looking at the same face everytime. Each character has a different weapon. They can range from guns to baseball bats and much more.
The music in this game is really creepy and is definately going to have you remembering the rythm in bed later that night.
One of the main reasons I didn't give Siren full marks is because of a concept in the game called Sightjacking. It allows you to see through other people's eyes. Either Shibito or companions. It's quite useless and slo
w controls, but it also is quite frightening when you can see yourself through the eyes of the Shibito.
Siren is a great game with a great plot, maybe too deep, and great characters. It's a must have for any survival horror fan.