SIREN: Blood Curse Tips Straight From the Producer

Hey PlayStation bloggers! I hope you are enjoying the authentic Japanese horror of SIREN: Blood Curse. It is the first survival horror game available on the PS3, and is available exclusively on PLAYSTATION Network.

By now, I’m guessing some of you must have beaten the game already. If you have, that’s great! If you haven’t beat it yet, you’ve come to the right place! I have something for those who might be stuck or are having trouble getting through certain parts you might find helpful in getting past those tricky “Shibito” (zombie-like undead people). And if you haven’t tried the game yet, there’s a great demo of it on PSN as well.

If you’re not careful and a Shibito spots you, they normally come after you and try desperately to kill you. But have you ever come across a Shibito that runs away from you in the game? You may have thought it was strange, or felt relieved that you didn’t have to fight it. But there is a reason some of the Shibito in the game run away from you. This type of Shibito is called a Brain Shibito, and if you take it out, the other Shibito in the area will also be knocked out too. Armed with this knowledge, you can play strategically by chasing down the Brain Shibito in any given area and taking it out in order to safely proceed.

Another tip to help you survive in the game is to use the sight jack system to your advantage. You can lock on to a specific view from a Shibito or friend with the square button and continue moving around while monitoring that view. You can also show the viewpoints of multiple Shibito at once, and assign buttons to bring up specific Shibito at will. Assign the views to the X, O, or Triangle buttons by holding the button for a few seconds until the screen flashes. There are many more useful control tips for sight jacking that can be found in the in-game manual, accessible from the main menu of the game. Knowing how to use this feature effectively can make a big difference.

Another very interesting feature of the game is the Archive system. When you’re playing, you may notice pop-up messages saying you’ve unlocked items in the archive. At any time during the game you can view the archive items pertaining the chapter you are currently in. However if you view the archive from the main menu, you can view all of the archive items you’ve collected so far. The archive holds information on all of the weapons you’ve picked up so far, as well as special documents and items you’ve earned or found.

Some of these documents or items are awarded by playing through the stages normally. However, some are a little tougher to come by, meaning you will have to either find them or complete a certain series of actions. Some may even be dependent on actions taken in multiple episodes. Examining the items in the archive will give you a better understanding of the story and the events in the game, giving you a fuller picture of the truth behind Hanuda village and the characters wrapped up in the curse.

I know the game is pretty tough at times, but hopefully these tips will make it a little easier to beat, not to mention understand the deep storyline and plot twists the game has to offer. If you have any other tips or strategies for the game, I’d love to hear them, and I’m sure your fellow blog readers would too!