Deadly Premonition 2 has arrived — and it’s just as janky as we all hoped. Maybe too janky, even. It’s been a few days since this game dropped, but we’re picking up the shattered pieces of Francis York Morgan’s psyche and putting them back together in the form of a FAQ. Here’s a bunch of stuff you really need to know about the game before diving in.
Actually, the most important thing you need to know is that the game can barely sustain a 10-15 FPS in the open-world exploration sections. The developers have promised to work on a patch, and I’m not trying to be too harsh on the game. I just feel compelled to warn players — FPS that low is bound to cause headaches and queasiness.
With the negative stuff out of the way, we can talk more about the gameplay. There’s a lot of new stuff you need to know even if you’re a veteran of the first game. Here’s what I think is most important.
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#1: If you spot UFOs in the sky, shoot them for some quick cash! You’ll spot UFOs in the sky sometimes while exploring the town of Le Carrre. You can’t do anything but blast them.
#2: Go to your bathroom in the hotel and use the shower. Complete the shower side-quest ASAP to unlock the free shower upgrade for your hotel room.
#3: Whenever you get side-quests, check the “Goal” line at the bottom. It gives you a clue where to look for the item you need — the “Goal” will state something vague. Just remember to only check areas that are clearly marked on your map.
#4: To pass the time, you can smoke cigarettes or sleep at your bed. Smoking the cheapest cigarettes only passes 1 hour of in-game time. To speed things up, buy more expensive cigarettes — then back out early.
#5: Don’t know where to find animals? Animals always spawn in the same sorts of locations — squirrels are found near houses, alligators appear in the swamp, dogs are near the marked parks, and bees are found at the graveyard.
#6: You get charged every day for sleeping in your bed. Don’t waste money early on — eventually, you’ll earn plenty of cash just for using the skateboard, walking around, and completing milestones.
#7: Speaking of cash, you’ll get charged a hefty fine for punching NPCs. Don’t do it! Attacking the little girl early in the game will put you in $100 worth of debt.
#8: Don’t advance the story too quickly! You can miss side-quests if you progress, and certain characters will only appear at certain times of the week. But, there aren’t any important items you can unlock — unlike the first game. All side-quests are just for fun.
#9: If you get a blackscreen, try pressing [A] or enter the Red Room by pressing [X] to hopefully force the game to render.
#10: After beating the game, you’ll unlock NG+ and can restart chapters from a selection menu. If you missed any side-quests, this is an easy way to finish them up. You’ll carry-over any upgrades and unlocks! Just be aware there is a bug that makes it impossible to upgrade your gun further after beating the game. Hopefully that gets fixed soon.