Game Review #529: Deadly Premonition Origins (Nintendo Switch)

Reviewer: Robert Krause

Developer: ToyBox

Publisher: ToyBox

Category: Action, Adventure, Horror

Release Date: 9.4.2019

Price: $29.99

Watch the Trailer

Buy Deadly Premonition Origins from the Nintendo eShop here.

Resident Evil meets Twin Peaks

When the original release of Deadly Premonitions came out Feb 23rd, 2010 on PS3 I had never seen the show Twin Peaks. If I had when I played the game later that year I would have probably enjoyed it much more. What I can only describe as a Resident Evil horror game mixed with the most odd characters and writing that will leave you wondering if it was done on purpose. With that being said, having now binged Twin Peaks last year, revisiting this game on Switch made this game a must play for me. 

You play as FBI Agent Francis “York” Morgan and his imaginary friend Zach who arrive in Greenvale, Washington to investigate a murder that resembles other killings of young women in the past. While investigating you work with the local sheriff's department and question bizarre townsfolk, along with getting hints from your fortune telling coffee. As the outlandish story unfolds you’ll come to find out that York is in for more than he bargained for and that he has been chasing this culprit for almost his entire life.

Last Generation Relic

In an unfortunate decision the release of Deadly Premonition on Switch is the original version and not the Director’s Cut. Even when it originally came out on PS3 it had its gameplay issues and they are still prevalent on the Switch. The controls are rough during combat as you can’t get a good sense of distance in melee combat and ranged is not precise. There are QTE’s that I seemed to fail a few times on even though I hit the correct button at the time needed.

Like in Resident Evil games you have a limited inventory space for health items and gear/weapons. The weapons you pick up all have a durability bar except for your standard issue gun. You can explore the areas you enter for badges to increase your agent score and earn more money at the end of each chapter. In between events you can drive around town to locations, looking for clues or talking to townspeople. The driving is only really enjoyable to listen to York and Zack recap or banter. The controls are stiff and the car has a damage meter so you can’t rush your way around town. I do recommend talking to everyone that gives you a prompt as some of the conversations will provide nothing to help your investigation but will be far more entertaining. 

Audio Visual

As I mentioned before this is a port of a PS3 game that even on its original release looked more like a PS2 game. This has not gotten any better over time as the game suffers from frame rate loss and texture issues. Even playing while docked I still experienced issues. The soundtrack is pretty good however - even if it is a bit aged. It fits perfectly for the atmosphere they are trying for. 

Wrap Up

While I definitely recommend playing Deadly Premonition especially if you liked Twin Peaks or strange themes, I don’t recommend playing this version of it unless you only play on portables. It’s not the best version of the game and performs very poorly on Switch. The PC or PS3 Director's Cut is the way to go and it’s worth it for the storyline and twist at the end. 

Score: 5/10

Buy Deadly Premonition Origins from the Nintendo eShop here.

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 *A game key was provided for review purposes