10 Things About SWERY65: An Interview With Deadly Premonition’s SWERY

Deadly Premonition is not your typical survival horror game. Food-crazed FBI agents, wheelchair-bound citizens in gas masks, delectable Sinner’s Sandwiches — it’s no surprise that this 2010 Xbox 360 title has amassed itself a legion of fans and developed a cult following. The visionary director behind it all, Hidetaka “SWERY” Suehiro, is planning to revisit the town of Greenvale with Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, a retelling of the classic on the PlayStation 3. Gamers Heroes got a firsthand look at this one-of-a-kind title, and also got a chance to speak to the mastermind behind it all.

Completely refining the foundation of the original, Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut will play host to a number of new features. A tweaked control scheme with mappable buttons is just the start; other touches include updated graphics, stereoscopic 3D, and even Sony MOVE support. A number of more subtle touches have also been made as per the fans’ requests, including a larger map and a new difficulty setting that removes both the easy and difficult mode into one singular “normal” mode. Of course, SWERY stated that these new features will not take away from the “original essence” of the game. Plus, as he made a note to point out, the original control scheme is still available for those who long for it.

Perhaps the greatest addition to this Director’s Cut is the addition of a new scenario, written by SWERY himself. Featuring a new character, this scenario will feature an unknown blue-eyed girl that will be integrated into the main story. With only a brief trailer of said girl asking an old man to tell her another scary story, there is not much information to go on. As she hums the song “Amazing Grace,” all we know is that this tale is “important” and there is “something that should not exist.” Said trailer was shown at the beginning of the game, preceding the normal opening sequence. SWERY said that this character will be integrated into the main story, but how her tale will be told is still unknown.

Of course, being fans of the original, we had to ask SWERY a few questions of our own. Below are 10 key factoids from our talk:

• While Deadly Premonition definitely channels the spirit of the TV show Twin Peaks, SWERY actually found much of the inspiration for the game in his own life. On that note, the Greenvale police officer Thomas MacLaine is based off of SWERY himself! Keen-eyed fans can also see a familiar face on one of the wanted posters in the police station.
• To create the world of Greenvale itself, SWERY stopped over in California, Oregon, and Washington. He stated that the biggest influence for the game came from the town of Twain Harte, California.
• The especially long table at the Great Deer Yard Hotel that Polly Oxford and York ate at each morning may look out out of the ordinary, but it is not something SWERY came up with off the top of his head; he actually had a dining experience like that on one of his many journeys.
• As far as the citizens of the town go, the story behind Harry Stewart is a particularly interesting one. SWERY came up with the idea for the wheelchair-bound citizen when he saw a gaggle of seniors in wheelchairs enter a diner. And the rest, as they say, is history.
• There are a few locales in the game itself that tie into his life. The SWERY65 bar should be an obvious one, but the A&G Diner and the Panda Bear artillery shop also have personal ties as well.
• Francis York Morgan is a huge movie fan, and will chat about films any chance he gets. However, SWERY jokingly said that his tastes do not reflect that of York’s. His favorite movie? Terry Gilliam’s Brazil.
• You would think that SWERY’s encyclopedic knowledge of movies would draw him to the world of filmmaking. However, he believes that simply talking about movies is boring.
• There’s no denying that Deadly Premonition has a unique soundtrack, ranging from jazzy saxophone riffs to cheerful whistling. SWERY wanted to come up with a soundtrack that expressed feeling, something he feels is is integral in conveying a mysterious country town. To create the whistling song in particular (“Life is Beautiful”), SWERY said that he was out in the snow. Seeing it as something that was joyful, he skipped around, sang, and made a peace mark footprint!
• Francis York Morgan tries a Sinner’s Sandwich, a turkey, strawberry jam, and cereal sandwich supposedly eaten as “self-inflicted punishment to atone for past sins.” SWERY came up with the idea for this delectable treat from the diet of Japanese high school students. As he succinctly put it, those who have a limited amount of funds or ingredients to work with experiment with their meals. He said that the equivalent in the United States would be our liberal use of Top Ramen.
• To show our love for the Sinner’s Sandwich, Gamers Heroes made one from scratch for SWERY. Not only did he love it enough to Tweet it and put it up on his Instagram, he also ate it for breakfast!

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut will ship out on April 30, 2013 for the PlayStation 3.