The game begins with a group of Americans, including a high school student, a young family and a camera crew, witnessing a bizarre sacrificial ritual in the Japanese countryside. What follows is the various characters’ attempts to escape the nightmare they find themselves in. The game is split up into twelve different episodes. Within each one of these episodes are two chapters, each of which giving the player the opportunity to play as one of the main characters. The first episode serves as a tutorial for the main game and stars the games most regularly used hero: high-school student Howard Wright. After fleeing the scene of the sacrifice, Howard finds himself lost in the surrounding woods. He approaches a policeman for help who turns on him and begins to pursue with deadly intentions.

The difference between Siren and other games of this type is that the wandering possessed villagers or ‘Shibito’ to give them their correct name can never actually be killed. Knocking one to the ground simply renders them unconscious for a short-period. Consequently, hiding from their sight is often the preferred option.

This is where the games main ‘gimmick’ comes to the fore. The player has the ability to ‘Sight-Jack’ the Shibitos’ eyes: that is to say it is possible to see what they can see by scanning the surrounding area. In practice, this works very well and is often essential for progress. By sight-jacking with careful planning, it is often possible to get through an entire level unnoticed. Some Shibitos stay still; some wander through the levels; some are airborne. But all adhere to fairly strict patterns unless disturbed by the player getting too close or wandering into their line of sight. Once alerted, the screen will flash red; the Dualshock pad will shake and the heart really does start pumping. The player then has two choices; run and hide, or stay and fight.

Every character, bar the young girl Bella Monroe, can use weapons. Although they are not liberally scattered around the environment and there are no passing merchants to buy them from, searching the various locales will reveal a number of everyday items to be utilised. Everything from garden rakes to sake bottles can be equipped to attack the Shibitos and guns can also be stolen from them when knocked-down. It’s rare for any of the guns to run out of ammo and the melee weapons are usually unbreakable. Therefore engaging in combat usually becomes the preferred option. Creeping up unseen behind any of them allows the player to deal a devastating (and fairly gruesome) instant ‘death’.

At first, the game encourages the player to hide from assailants. There are several hiding places in each level, usually consisting of cupboards or wardrobes. The player also has the option to hold doors shut when being pursued. These make for very intense moments and waiting to see if you will be discovered while a Shibito sniffs around on the other side of the door make for truly nerve racking experiences. After a relatively short amount of time in hiding, the Shibito usually go back about their business and the player is free to emerge. The combat is fairly clunky, although it is a huge improvement over the PS2 originals. When under attack, it is quite easy to miss your aim at the Shibito, even at close range with a weapon such as a sledgehammer. It teeters on the verge of annoyance sometimes, but in fact encourages the player to be more careful, knowing a mistimed swipe could end in disaster. This actually helps increase the panic and consequently the enjoyment when you do connect with a lusty blow.

If the Shibito do manage to get past your attacks, they will assault with a weapon you if armed or dive on you if unarmed. Defeated foes drop their weapons, which the player can now take. Unarmed foes wrestle you to the ground and can be thrown off by shaking the controller. One of the games odd inconsistencies is that it is impossible to tell how close you are to death because the player has no health bar. Through experience, it eventually become apparent that three hits from a Shibito usually spells doom, although these can be three slaps, three hits with a hammer or three gunshots. It’s a relatively minor problem that could have been avoided, but in practice actually adds to the atmosphere and tension: never knowing how close you are to death is always a rather odd thrill.

Most of the characters are fairly distinct from each other and have the ability to fight and sight-jack. Bella Monroe is the only character who cannot arm herself; therefore hiding places and the need for stealth are paramount in her chapters. If a Shibito captures her, it’s instantly game over. Her chapters are actually the most absorbing of any of the characters as the fear of an instant death ramps up the tension to incredible levels. It’s also the only time where sight-jacking becomes absolutely crucial. Every step needs to be meticulously planned and even though getting caught frustrates, it’s always due to player miscalculation, rather than unfairness.

Most of the levels in the game are set in self-contained areas and will be re-visited several times by each character. The hospital and the mining station are the most atmospheric and claustrophobic whereas the village levels are a little too open plan to ever be truly terrifying. There is no need to travel between areas as each chapter begins in a new building or village and the lack of aimless wandering in a game of this type is a welcome relief. As progress through each chapter is made, the game gives regular hints and tips on what to do next. These are usually quite straightforward guides on where to go, or asking players to secure a weapon or a particular item. There are only a small number of times when there are genuine puzzles to solve; usually it’s simply a case of working out how to get past the Shibito, though the game does not suffer at all beacuse of it.

Despite being a remake of a four year old PS2 game, the ideas and scope of the original still feel fresh and exciting. Thankfully, the developers have not simply given this remake a PS3 graphical update. They have also managed to address almost all of the problems that plagued the much admired, yet flawed original. There is now no need for pointless backtracking as every episode of the game feels tight and well-structured. The combat, though still not perfect has been improved immeasurably. The characters also feel more involving, well-rounded, and the voice acting is no longer of a sub-par standard. The panic the game can induce at times, especially when sneaking past a group of Shibitos is truly palpable and perhaps only Fatal Frame has come close in comparison. For gamers looking for a truly scary experience with some innovative twists, Siren: New Translation boasts a bloody, excellent experience.