Deadly Premonition is a survival horror game with open-world elements originally released for the Xbox 360. It was developed under the title Rainy Woods in 2004 before it changed development from the PlayStation 2 to the Xbox 360 in 2006. The story involves FBI Agent Francis York Morgan investigating the murder of a young woman in a small mountain town called Greenvale. But the town has a dark past full of supernatural phenomena, which York must navigate if he wants to find the one responsible.
The player controls Agent York as he fights off zombies and other unusual creatures in otherworldly dungeon environments, using both firearms and melee weapons from a third-person over-the-shoulder view. These gameplay dungeons also include various forms of key hunting, chase sequences where Agent York must outrun a crazed axe murderer, stealth sections where he must hide from the killer while holding his breath at various intervals, and quick-time event sequences where York must avoid surprise attacks. There are light open-world elements where outside of the regular levels, the player can explore the town at their leisure and participate in side missions where they help the various townsfolk with simple tasks, usually amounting to fetch quests or helping them move something. There are also optional races to participate in and collectibles to find in this open environment. The entire world also operates on a day-and-night cycle, with major characters having their own personal schedules for where they go and what they do at various points of the day, with the town's various businesses opening and closing to reflect this.
Deadly Premonition was critically divisive upon release, earning itself a a place in the Guinness World record book for how polarizing it was. Since then, the game has had re-releases on PlayStation 3, PC, and the Nintendo Switch.
