Greenvale is a small, quiet town in the northern United States. The terrible death of a young girl catches the attention of FBI agent Francis York Morgan, a man with an ambiguous past, a split personality named Zach, and a personal interest in cases like this. York arrives in Greenvale, whether they like it or not, to aid local law enforcement in solving the murder, but things aren’t as straightforward as they appear initially. Strange red seeds, a mysterious figure in a red raincoat, and the town’s secrets…
Deadly Premonition is an open-world survival horror mystery game. The player takes control of Agent York as he investigates the unexplained events in Greenvale. Greenvale is a big, open town that can be freely explored on foot or by vehicle, with a somewhat accelerated day/night cycle controlling when stores are open, people are accessible to talk to, and quests to advance the story are available. York must eat, sleep (or drink coffee), shave, and wash his clothes when soiled. There are businesses and eateries in Greenvale where you can buy stuff and weapons.
York is armed with a range of weaponry. His primary weapon is an FBI-issue pistol with infinite ammo. Still, he also has access to additional armaments such as machine guns and revolvers, each of which has varied strengths versus different types of adversaries. Knives, crowbars, and golf clubs are among the blunt and bladed weapons available. He can also avoid adversaries by rushing or holding his breath, but doing so causes his heart rate to rise, and if it rises too high, he will become exhausted and unable to rush for a short time.
Many story missions include a “profiling” element in which the player must collect evidence to piece together what happened in that region. As evidence is gathered, the visuals in the scenario get clearer until all the evidence is assembled and York is sure of what occurred.
There are numerous side tasks in addition to the main story missions. York residents can go fishing, participate in time trials, or even play darts. Many characters have quests with varying rewards, and there are dozens of secret trading cards to acquire. He can also buy new outfits and even automobiles.
